Blizzard

Well, gusty winds were blowing snow, but it was certainly not a whiteout.  When I woke up and looked out about 5:45am there was perhaps an inch on the ground but nothing falling.  By 6:30 it was definitely snowing and unfortunately freezing to the North-facing windows.  Snow formed cakes close to shore but there was plenty of flowing water in the channel. Indeed, cormorants departed in a flock from where they'd been fishing. Despite the storm, the white snow raised the light level but I still had to fight with the focus - the camera was distracted by the snowflakes and the glop on the windows.  Still, I took 421 photos, of which less than half were in focus and included the bird's head. 

A butterbutt was up early.  Juncos and white throats followed, then a pine warbler and a red breasted nuthatch.  I couldn't put out jelly or mealworms so the orioles and wrens went to the suet.  The red bellied woodpecker was anxious but hungry.  A dove visited briefly but the wind drove it away.  The song sparrow moved right into the feeder for both food and shelter.  All the regulars were present, of course. A flock of crows tumbled on the wind over the creek for no reason I could see.

The orioles, at least, found the front feeder and I saw one tucked up against the South side of the house for shelter.  I put a pan of hot water out by the door where the snow couldn't fall in.  Robins, starlings, and titmice showed up in the back yard in the late morning.  I only saw one squirrel all day and I don't think it found any food.  A male towhee turned up, first I've seen in ages!  Finally the downy woodpeckers were too hungry to wait.  A goldfinch landed on the feeder hanger but didn't stay.  Starlings barged in and I yelled and threw bark butter bits at them.  And then, a pair of bluebirds investigated, but didn't find anything they wanted.  A blue jay hung around in the trees.

During lunch, a red-winged blackbird appeared.  He was, barely, able to perch on the feeder without tripping the counterweight.  In the middle of the afternoon he brought all his friends and relations to feed - more red wings, brown headed cowbirds, and one grackle.  The smaller birds had been greedy and testy all day, but the bigger birds had no manners at all and not a clue why the feeder kept shutting down on them.  After some time the smaller birds ventured back out and  reasserted ownership. Toward evening I took some pictures of the creek.  I saw a pelican and a bufflehead but it was getting too dark for the camera.

Cold and gray

We overslept.  There were signs that some rain fell during the night. The wind felt very cold when I unbricked the feeder and filled the dishes.  As soon as I did, chickadees, yellow rumped warblers, Carolina wrens, red breasted nuthatches, and orioles arrived.  Pelicans found the creek more pleasant than the open bay but were impossible to catch on camera. The red bellied woodpecker lurked in the dogwood.  A goldfinch and a pine warbler showed up together.  White throated sparrows were out foraging. 

At lunch time titmice appeared and sampled all the foods except jelly.  I saw a song sparrow among the white throats.  The birds behaved like the hawk was somewhere in the vicinity.  The red bellied female finally got on the suet cage.  The second fiddle oriole gobbled jelly while trying to stay out of sight.  More pelicans and great blue herons flew past while hoodies and buffleheads fished.

The Weather Channel's storm crow was reported to be on his way here so tomorrow may be interesting.  I stocked up the front suet cage.  Around 8pm I started hearing the tic-tic of sleet hitting the window.

Predators!

It was cold when we got up - I could see ice forming on the birdbath.  Things were mighty quiet.  I thought it was the cold but then that feral cat sauntered through and stopped to watch the feeders.  I guess it saw me because it moved on.

About twenty minutes later a wren ventured out.  Then a yellow rumped warbler looked into the suet.  The white throats followed, and an oriole.  The creek was mirror-like except where duck wakes furrowed it.

At lunch time the birdbath had melted.   A red breasted nuthatch ate suet.  The red bellied woodpecker dithered while the downy woodpeckers feasted. Then they all disappeared except for a downy who imitated a bump on the feeder post.

Suddenly a Cooper's hawk swooped down and landed by the mealworm dish.   It flew over to the cherry with nothing in its talons.  It let me get several pictures before departing.  The woodpecker, which had sidled around the post to stay out of view, returned to life.

Cormorants, buffleheads, and hoodies fished on the creek.  I glimpsed pelicans and herons.  Despite the prediction, rain had not fallen by the time I returned around 9pm. 

Balmy

Snow was predicted for the weekend but the car temperature was over 60° in the morning.  The sky was mostly overcast and there wasn't much wind.  The seed feeder was empty and the mealworm stock was getting low.  K bought more seeds, but apparently mealworms are a seasonal item.  I tried stretching them with bark butter balls. Orioles and wrens visited the restocked dishes.

After lunch, I refilled the seed feeder and hung a new block of suet - the fancy stuff from Wild Birds Unlimited.  I hung the remnants of the old suet from a hook on the post.  That puzzled the downy woodpeckers and completely flummoxed the red bellied female.  The female went for the familiar wire cage and the male for the old suet.  White throats gleaned the seed residue I had dumped in the mulch.  Red breasted nuthatches and even chickadees liked the new suet.  A female pine warbler checked it out. 

One of the orioles perched in the dogwood and fluffed his feathers as though they itched. He seemed to have molted some. I should look for yellow and orange feathers.  A blue jay hung around the brush across the pool and dug up a squirrel's acorn.

Later in the afternoon the sky cleared.  A small flock of hoodies paddled and dived out on the creek.  I saw a great blue heron and an egret.  Sunset wasn't very impressive in the West but it lit up clouds to the Northeast which were then reflected in the creek. 

And more rain

Breakfast was dark and wet.  Nevertheless, many birds showed up: cardinals, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches for seeds with white throats finding what fell, a yellow rumped warbler for suet, and wrens for mealworms.  I saw an oriole in the camellia.  A bufflehead was out on the creek.

The rain drizzled to a stop around noon.  A wren tried suet since the mealworms were gone and the dish full of rain.  Then a downy woodpecker took possession. We were gone for about an hour.  When we got back a house finch was on the feeder.  They've been scarce for a while.  I went out to put out bark butter bits since the mealworms were running low and nearly bumped into a pine warbler on the suet.  He wasn't willing to stay. 

A pelican plunged into the creek but I don't think it caught anything.  A couple of buzzards sat on a fence across the creek, staring at the lake.  Then one bumped the other off its perch.  They were close to where the buzzards were in the tree a few days ago.  It was really too dark for the camera.

Rain

The light was low and the windows streaked at breakfast.  A wren and the orioles complained that the jelly and mealworm dishes were full of water.  The oriole tried the suet instead.  Titmice joined the regulars for seeds and white throats foraged in the wet mulch.  Later juncos joined them.

When we came home, a blue jay was bathing in a sidewalk puddle.  At lunch the rain was fairly light so I dumped the water in the dishes and put out a small amount of mealworms.  That pleased the orioles and wrens, and also a blue jay.  Another blue jay watched but wouldn't come so close.  A pine warbler, a yellow rumped warbler, and at least two red breasted nuthatches came to the feeders along with the titmice..  The red bellied woodpecker got as far as the dogwood then flew off.  Hoodies were out on the creek.

I got out of a meeting as darkness was falling into a foggy mist. 

New year

The prediction was for cloudy all day.  Instead, we had rain before 10am and sunshine in the afternoon. Wrens and orioles appeared as soon as I had their breakfast laid out.  Nuthatches and both kinds of sparrows were up early too.

Somewhat later, the red bellied woodpecker arrived.  An egret fished below the dam.  Then I noticed a gathering of vultures across the creek.  Seven sat in a tree while three more circled in the sky - an unnerving omen for 2017.  Then the rain started.

Around noon a handful of goldfinches showed up.  A yellow rumped warbler joined them.  And the sky began to clear.

As we had lunch, so did titmice.  Ducks appeared on the creek.  There were hoodies and buffleheads and a couple of female red breasted mergansers.  The red bellied woodpecker got competition from a downy.  Juncos returned after being missing for several days.

I got caught up in work and missed the rest of the daylight.