Another overnight frost

The moon was huge last night and still up this morning.  Chickadees and finches were up too.  A squirrel got a drink - the frost did not freeze the birdbath. It's bright and sunny now.

Around lunch, sparrows showed up, along with a Carolina wren and a few juncos.  Crows chased a hawk across the sky.  

A flock of robins flew over going South.  Cormorants headed North.  A half dozen mallards paddled up to the bank.  A pair of buffleheads started their way when a boat came around the bend and scared them off.  The boat docked where a kingfisher had planned to land and it was quite agitated about finding another perch.   Great blue herons flew past and egrets fished. 

Frost!

When I stepped out to take a photo of the white-frosted dock, a little flock of migrant ducks dived out beyond it.  Only surfaces up in the air are white, proving once again that "bridge freezes before roadway."  Of course, this is only crystallized dew, not a ground freeze.  Chickadees are up and about. 

An hour later, the chickadees have been joined by cardinals and finches and a whole flock of white-throated sparrows.  Geese are out flying and paddling.  An egret flew into a pine across the creek.  A spotted cucumber beetle landed on the window!  More sparrows, this time with juncos came for lunch in the mulch.  A female cardinal guarded the feeder. 

Last fall, the first frost was November 19, so it is ten days later this year. 

They're back

It is still overcast though there was a pink tinge when I got up.  Sunshine is predicted.  Hmmm.  Anyway, the small birds came first: nuthatch, chickadee, and Carolina wren.  Then a flock of juncos and sparrows landed and cardinals appeared.  This cardinal is trying to guard the food.  Squirrels joined in and the birds left.  Finally a finch visited and some of the other birds returned.  Meanwhile in the background, a flock of geese passed in formation headed South.  A pelican and several herons patrolled the creek.

OK, late morning it started to clear from the West.  The wind is cold. By lunch, the sky was blue.  I believe I saw a bufflehead dive on the creek! 

A crisp,clear night with a nearly full moon and a star very close to it.

Overcast

Quite still this morning.  A beam of sunlight leaked through briefly.  No birds - I wonder if the feeder is empty?  No, it's not, so where is everyone? A pair of squirrels rushed in.  One went for the mulch and the other for the watering can.  I couldn't quite see what happened without moving so I startled the squirrel, but apparently he fell in the watering can.  At any rate, he shot across the patio with a sopping tail and took it out on the other squirrel.  I've now added water to the birdbath. 

I decided to see if going down to the dock would be produce any more birds.  A crow I couldn't see was having a hissy and then a great blue heron took off as though it couldn't stand the noise.  Shortly thereafter more crows herded one  through the air into a tree, where I guess they gave it a talking to.

The cloud cover is scudding East and every so often there is a break and sunshine.  Wind comes and goes, cold but not very strong.  The yellow jackets have apparently repaired their nest which is now buried in a leaf drift.  The puffballs are maturing and the final growth on the weeping conks is weeping.  The sunflowers are still blooming. The overcast is thin and the sun makes a circle of glare, but some rain sprinkles appeared after lunch. 

Rain became more definite as the afternoon passed.  Now, at twilight, cardinals and white-throated sparrows appear.   And they're all cranky!  The sparrows are running each other off while two female cardinals rise into the air batting at each other.  A male cardinal drives all other birds off the feeder.  Is it the weather?  Or have the sunflower seeds gone off like ergot in rye? 

Busy feeder

There are at least two red-breasted nuthatches around, though I had only seen one at a time until this morning.  A male cardinal defended his feeder perch against all comers, especially a persistent female finch.  Female cardinals joined white-throated sparrows in the mulch.  Chickadees and titmice were out in force.  A squirrel slipped on the gutter making a noise that scared all the birds. 

The nuthatch was back for lunch.  Three doves pecked along the pool edge.  Then suddenly a huge number of cormorants were flying, running on water, and diving upstream, accompanied by egrets and gulls.  They went by too fast for me to locate the camera.  After a bit, I saw some cormorants flying back downstream.

More sunshine

A cardinal visited, then the nuthatch.  Movement in the rosemary turned out to be a sparrow.  Doves are flying around.  A kingfisher rocketed down the creek. Little clouds have swept through from the North, but it is mostly blue.  The creek begins each morning very reflectively. 

Twilight.  The nuthatch was very busy as the sun went down.  A cardinal also visited.  Two Carolina wrens scuttled around the patio.  As soon as the sun was gone from the treetops and the sky began to go sliver, the evening crew arrived.  More cardinals, doves, and white-throated sparrows scurried around.  Cormorants and other birds headed home. 

Sun and wind

Someone tossed out food, bread I think, and the crows have been chasing each other over it.  Squirrels were racing around too.  A pelican flew downstream, geese paddled and a cormorant surfaced.  On the feeder, I saw a brilliant cardinal, a suspicious nuthatch, a Carolina wren and an impatient junco.  Beneath, juncos, white throats, and the wren foraged.  Eyeliner is clearly a successful look for small birds. 

Another pelican, this time headed upstream.  An egret tussled with the wind.