Cold wind

The clouds cleared but the sun failed to warm and the wind was harsh.  Birds were so hungry they came anyway.  Blue jays, then an oriole and a mockingbird were first.  In a flurry about 9am I saw bluebirds, warblers, too many starlings, a female pileated, and a Carolina wren.  One warbler defied the much bigger pileated. 

I waited till the temperature got above freezing to refill the barkbutter and jelly dishes.   A Carolina wren came around to forage with white throats.  Then the mockingbird, warblers, bluebirds, starlings, and even the pileated returned.  A pine warbler tried to share the suet with the pileated.  A pair of buffleheads paddled upstream.  The crows chased a hawk away.  

Dismal day

Elsewhere there were exciting snow storms but we got cold rain.  K pointed out a trace of overnight white stuff, maybe snow, maybe ice pellets.  It looked like less than a tablespoon and rain soon erased it.  The birdbath was ice-free but rippled by rain.  Suet and seeds were the birds' only choices.  

Pine warblers and a downy went to work on the suet.  Cardinals and chickadees ate seeds.  A mockingbird didn't like the choices.  White throats were untroubled by the short menu but didn't like the wet.  A few egrets gathered around the lake.  

Freezing

The thermometer read 28° and the creek was iced over except very close to the far edge.  Low tide exposed mud and sunken branches.Naturally that kept the waterfowl away.  The feeder birds were hungry again but I didn't replenish the barkbutter till the temperature climbed up to 40°.  The female pileated tucked into the suet.  

The female red bellied woodpecker reappeared and ate seeds.  Starlings made their usual mess of the suet.  The mockingbird was around but today it was a warbler that got up on the chair to peer in through the window.  Bluebirds ate seeds too since the barkbutter dish was empty.  White throats scurried around.  The two female orioles argued again and emptied the jelly.  

A white breasted nuthatch also got a share of seeds.  Blue jays were late noticing when I refilled the barkbutter dish.  The creek slowly melted but not the birdbath. 

Cold and windy

The thermometer said 31° and the birdbath was frozen.  Songbirds were hungry and there was no suet.  Barkbutter balls disappeared quickly.  Pine and myrtle warblers and titmice wanted calories fast.  Blue jays were afraid the barkbutter balls would run out.  Starlings intended to make that happen.  White throats avoided the competition by foraging on the ground.  Two female orioles did compete and burned energy chasing each other.  A mockingbird was not pleased to find the birdbath solid ice.  I wondered if the ant moat was frozen too, but at least it was in the sun. 

Egrets lined up below the dam to catch the rising sun. A great blue heron perched in a pine tree in the sun.  In the afternoon, I saw a female bufflehead on the wind-roughened creek   Then a pied bill grebe paddled downstream.  It paused for a good scratch.  A cormorant surfaced and a pelican landed.  Then a whole flock of hoodies came swimming and diving up the creek.  In the late afternoon, egrets gathered along the sunny side of the lake. 

I poured hot water in the birdbath and it froze again.  That disappointed a bluebird.and a couple of goldfinches.  I also refilled the barkbutter dish.  A brown headed and then a white breasted nuthatch collected some seeds.  K hung a fresh block of suet which immediately attracted a warbler.  Then a red winged blackbird showed up and tried the barkbutter balls and the suet.  One of the orioles got a drink right above the blackbird.  (They are cousins, but I don't think there's much family feeling.)  Warblers and then a downy got some suet. 

Three doves foraged under the seed feeder.  Several starlings returned for suet.  One warbler boldly ate suet right beside a much bigger starling.  I spotted a flicker up in a pine but mistook it for a red belly till I saw the photos.  A downy found the second suet feeder.  A Carolina wren hopped around the trees. A little bird flitting among the saltbushes was a ruby crowned kinglet!  

 

Chilly

The tide was quite low at breakfast.  The first bird I saw was a Carolina wren, soon followed by a pine warbler.  Starlings tore at the suet.  A mockingbird was unhappy with the lack of barkbutter balls.  It tried to eat suet but the remnant was too low in the cage for it to easily reach.  Bluebirds contented themselves with seeds.  House finches, as usual, stuck to seeds.  A male downy was concerned about the shrinking suet. He would have settled for seeds but for the bluebirds.  A white throat posed on the back of the bench. 

When I got home, I refilled the dishes and sat outside but the windchill drove me back indoors.   Blue jays, starlings, pine warblers, and a chickadee feasted on the barkbutter balls.  I glimpsed an oriole but didn't see any eating jelly.  A Carolina wren inspected the gutters, don't ask me why.  The pair of pileated woodpeckers came for suet and the male seized the high spot on the post while the female fussed.  Then they both froze for a long time while no other birds were in sight.  I wondered if there was a hawk around. 

Pelicans flew up and down the creek.  The heron was back on its piling perch, preening in the wind.  A pelican was back on the boathouse roof.  Cloud cover alternated with sunshine but toward evening the overcast was winning.  Tonight is predicted to drop below freezing and next week is supposed to get really cold.

Quiet day

Today was cooler but less windy.  When I put out barkbutter balls a pine warbler noticed right away.  A myrtle warbler was more interested in suet crumbs.  So were the white throats.  In the afternoon a male bluebird ate seeds and a pine warbler worked on suet.  

The evening cormorant commute was very busy.  On the creek, several pair of hoodies preened.  A female bufflehead paddled past them.  A great blue heron watched from on top of a piling.

Another year

A sunny but gusty beginning to 2025.  Rain fell in the night bringing 2024's rainfall to just under 50" which is now about average.  I poured fresh barkbutter balls and the blue jays were happy.  The female pileated woodpecker celebrated with suet.  White throats and warblers scrounged what fell.  Later, the pine and myrtle warblers got a turn at the suet, shared with a downy. 

A bufflehead drake patrolled the creek. Then a female came along.  The last rose still lingered, maybe because it hadn't been pollinated?  It looked weather beaten but still red.  In the afternoon, the oriole got her jelly fix and a drink afterward.  Both pileateds returned and family drama ensued.