Sun has returned

It is brisk outside. Chickadees and titmice on the feeder and juncos on the ground. One titmouse had a drink at the birdbath.

By noon the sun had warmed things up but then the clouds rolled in. The wind was quite harsh.

Mid afternoon looked like rain, but then it cleared somewhat. Cormorants headed home to roost.

Rain

At dawn there were just some pink puffs in the West but clouds moved in and rain started before 9am. Squirrels were out early as were cormorants. A heron took off downstream.

The temperature is dropping swiftly. And then it rained and rained. This was a true November day.

Gray cloud cover

A squirrel and a chickadee sought breakfast. The clouds came in bands. This one retreated to the North around noon, chased by some late leaves. The bees are still making the most of the rosemary. They ignore the camellias and roses and morning glories.

Busy birds

Mallards on the creek and flights of geese, cormorants, a heron and a pelican. On the feeder, a female cardinal, a male red bellied woodpecker, titmice, chickadees, and finches. All before 8am. The sun is bright, the creek shiny, and the sky has cirrus wisps and contrails.

Clouds and wind have built up all morning. Then the sky cleared again. There are thin protoclouds in stationary waves and passing cream puffs. The male cardinal visited during dinner. Doves came over the roof as if chased. Crows harassed something in the pines across the creek. And the bees are still feeding on the rosemary. When full, they fly over the house toward the street.

Sun and clouds

Windy too. A pelican cruised the creek. Finches came to the feeder. I overslept.

Something is schooling in the water. Gulls, cormorants, pelicans, egrets and herons are all fishing right in front of us. There's still too much vegetation for it to be easy to photograph them and the camera lag still messes me up so the bird is on the edge of the photo or behind something.

As evening comes on, the sky has grown grayer with thin clouds.

Bright and still

The creek is a mirror and the trees that still have leaves are glowing above and below.

By lunch, both the temperature and the breeze have come up. A male kingfisher visited the dock. A pelican splashed down beside it, startling the kingfisher off. Clouds of black birds maneuvered overhead. A merganser pair paddled upstream. Bees are still harvesting rosemary nectar. And I think I hear a grasshopper.

Chickadees can't count. As I was sitting on the patio, with no birds stirring, Kathleen came up to me and then walked away. Immediately the chickadees started flying to the feeder as though I had disappeared.

Toward dusk the water was again still. A grebe went diving and popping up all the way up the creek. Great numbers of cormorants were flying to wherever they roost, some over the dam, some upstream, and some down. Crickets got loud as the sun set.

Perfect day for Thanksgiving

Sunny and crisp with bright fall colors. Despite a brisk wind, the creek was smooth and reflective. Mallards and Canada geese sailed past. Once they would have been on the menu. A squirrel strove mightily to unlock the secrets of the bird feeder.

Mistletoe is becoming visible on the trees again.