Sunny all day

The birdbath was frozen again.  When I poured hot water in, I was able to pull out the ice with rotting leaves and other debris frozen in.  I also put out some mealworms and half a tangerine that had begun to go bad.

The hoodies were up early and busy fishing.  The creek surface was rumpled, unlike most mornings this time of year.  One female bufflehead zipped past.  A few pelicans flew over the creek along with gulls, including a great black back.  The common mergansers returned in the mid afternoon.  They were all four females. The water grew calmer as the tide went out, and out, until mud flats were exposed.  I saw a great blue heron on the dock next to the dam.

A Carolina wren flung seeds out of the feeder in search of shelled bits, or maybe bugs.  Its beak isn't suitable for hulling seeds.  A yellow rumped warbler made a brief stop on the step but didn't hang around.   Later a male pine warbler dug into the suet.  A downy dropped in but didn't stay.  Juncos were very late but when they arrived, they seemed to be everywhere.

Two squirrels managed to forage under the feeder (mostly) peacefully.  One squirrel chinned itself on the mealworm dish.  And then it carried off the half tangerine I'd stuck on the wire hanger.  The other squirrel found something good and hid up in the dogwood to eat it.

Cold

The sky was clear when I woke up but the air was freezing and the birdbath ice.  I poured in hot water and put out some mealworms which a Carolina wren eventually found. The sick house finch pecked at the birdbath ice. Downy woodpeckers and titmice waited for the sun's warmth. 

Hooded mergansers were out on the water early. Pelicans came at lunch time.  I saw a bufflehead pair at sunset when it was too dim for photos. 

Stratus clouds moved in again, muting the sun and producing streak of color.  The sunset colored half the sky. 

Sun to sleet

A Carolina wren explored every nook of the patio.  A couple of goldfinches visited in their plain winter plumage.  White throats and a few juncos scurried around the patio.  A sick male house finch hung around the feeder and birdbath. 

I saw cormorants and ducks fishing on the creek and a mallard pair that kept getting in the way. Fortunately photos revealed that the ducks were common mergansers. 

Wispy ice clouds became a streaky stratus overcast tat blurred the sun by mid day.  By evening it had thickened enough to block the sunset except for some golden streaks to the North. It began to sprinkle after dark and by 8pm it was sleeting.  A gusty wind made the icy rain sting.

Clear blue sky

There was frost on the dock and ice in the birdbath.  A few white throated sparrows poked around below the feeder.  A mockingbird came for a drink but found only ice, and that's when the camera battery died.  I swapped out the battery and poured hot water in the birdbath but the mockingbird did not return.  The temperature climbed steeply and by noon it was pleasant if a bit cool and damp. Small pollinators flew around the camellia flowers. 

At lunch time there were juncos with the white throats.  Several doves showed up.  A female cardinal joined the male.  A downy woodpecker hung from the suet.  A bufflehead and several cormorants fished.  After lunch I spied a great blue heron preening by the garden across the creek.

Cold!

Outside it was almost freezing and I stayed in trying to defeat a slight head cold.  But at least the sunshine was cheerful after days of grayness.  Buffleheads popped up occasionally, but most of the action was up at the feeders. 

Wet and windy

The creeks were high and there was ponding in the streets from the wind and second day of rain.  The rain has not been heavy, but cold and stinging.  Soggy ground made the post for the bluebird house topple.  Buffleheads were out on the creek.  A great blue heron chased another upstream.  I believe I saw a pelican through the rain-streaked window.

Nevertheless, a parade of birds sought a meal.  A blue jay, a female red bellied woodpecker, downy woodpeckers, titmice and a yellow rumped warbler visited the feeders.  Juncos, white throats and song sparrows, and Carolina wrens foraged on the ground but occasionally flew up to the feeders.  A goldfinch wanted something but the seed feeder was too busy and the suet wasn't suitable for a vegan. 

Cold rain

I had to go across town for an appointment that ate the whole morning.  The female red bellied woodpecker was on the suet when I got home, but she bolted,  So did a blue jay. But a whole flock of mourning doves stayed on the patio hunting spilled seeds.  White throated sparrows mingled with the doves twice their size. 

Eventually, a yellow rumped warbler landed on the suet.  Then the blue jay came back and took over.  Meanwhile a song sparrow went for mealworms.  A Carolina wren finished them off.  A junco poked around under the feeder.  And of course there were titmice, chickadees, house finches, and a cardinal.  A downy woodpecker ignored the rain to reach the suet.