Snow and rain

Light snow fell at breakfast and dusted the ice on the creek.  It turned to rain about 9am, but I saw flaky white rain occasionally after that.  Over the course of the day, the temperature rose to 50° and almost all snow had disappeared by dark.

The birds were not happy about the sparse food as well as the weather.  Song and white throated sparrows prospected in the melting snow.  A cardinal and the Carolina wren pair joined the search.  The great blue heron chased off a trespasser. It was altogether a dull and drippy day.  

Cold

Morning was sunny but there was still plenty of snow and the creek was again iced over except where the current flowed along the bulkhead.  Even the dock was still covered with snow despite being in the sun.  Geese floated along the narrow open lane. 

I did not put more suet out on account of the starlings, so the birds had to be content with barkbutter balls.  That was OK with the orioles.  And of course the blue jays were delighted.  They queued up for a turn at the cup.  The brown thrasher owned the barkbutter balls for a while by sitting on the cup.  But other birds stayed away after they discovered there wasn't any suet. 

The Carolina wren pair foraged in the snow and picked through the sunflower seeds.  Later I saw the feral cat using the redwood as a scratching post but I wasn't quite fast enough with the camera.  

Lingering snow

This morning there was some ice on the creek.  The day was sunny but just a few degrees above freezing.  Snow that was in the shade only melted a little.  I noticed red spots on the snow under the seed feeder, but I don't know if they were blood or something else.  A female oriole and a male pine warbler started off on the suet.  The pair of Carolina wrens followed.  A brown thrasher prospected for what they dropped.  Then starlings began their raids.  

White throated and song sparrows seemed to find plenty of seeds in the snow.  I saw a yellow rumped warbler on the ground a couple of times.  The downy woodpeckers worked on the suet whenever larger birds let them.  A male red bellied woodpecker and a mockingbird had a shouting match.  Put your money on the woodpecker because, after the mockingbird yielded, a starling took its place.  But not for long.  The red belly drove it away too.    

Pelicans continued the creek patrol but I never got a good shot.  The young eagle made a couple of passes but was harassed by crows.  I tried to take pictures of icicles but most didn't come out.  The dripping roof encased one plant in ice.  I tried to make a bird-size snowman but the snow was very dry and wouldn't stick.  A few small clouds turned pink at sunset.  By that time the suet was completely gone and I just put it out on Monday, not even a full week ago.  

Snow day!

It looked like there were three inches on the outdoor furniture, but on the concrete just enough to cover.  A gusty wind made it hard to tell whether snow was still falling or only blowing.  The wind kept the creek open.  North windows were glazed with sleet.  

The vivid color of the orioles enabled me to see them through the blowing snow.  The boss butterbutt joined an oriole on the snow capped suet.  A titmouse and a song sparrow checked the snow for fallen seeds.  A Carolina wren started with suet.  A male oriole wanted the same thing.  A goldfinch joined the house finches at the seeds and I realized it was smaller.  Bluebirds joined the party.  

Then starlings crashed it while crows watched from the trees.  I kept driving the starlings off but they soon came back.  Juncos appeared from wherever they've been hiding for weeks and joined white throats and a female cardinal in the snow.  A downy woodpecker ventured out for suet.  The brown thrasher huddled on a dogwood branch.  Robins also showed up, but that was because they were thirsty.  The mockingbird finally came to defend its food supply.  Pine warblers slipped in whenever they could.  A blue jay wondered whether there was any food for it since the barkbutter cup was full of snow.  I wondered if the suet would last the day. 

By lunch time some snow had melted and some had blown down.  There was blinding sunshine instead of gray overcast but the temperature stayed stubbornly in the 30s.  And plenty of snow remained.  The lake was empty of birds but mallards and a couple of female buffleheads were out on the creek.  

Many birds

Once again there were birds before there was enough light.  Plus I was eating breakfast and trying to follow a legislative committee hearing.  The cat arrived and removed temptation.  Later starlings tried to gobble up all the suet.  

Around noon the sky began to clear.  Lots of birds came at lunch time.  Pine and yellow rumped warblers renewed their dispute over suet.  Five bluebirds argued about precedence.  But the orioles put on the real show - four females and two males showed up!  The mockingbird tried to police the suet.  Blue jays noticed that I put out barkbutter balls.  All three species of nuthatch visited - brown headed in the early morning, red breasted in the afternoon, and white breasted on and off all day.  Carolina wrens were repeat visitors along with tufted titmice.

Pelicans cruised the creek all day, until I moved to the back room fro a better view. I saw several female buffleheads.  A great blue heron landed on the dock, then moved to a perch in a pine across the creek.  Canada geese took over the lake logs but at least one shoveler drake was paddling around behind them.  A hooded merganser pair passed through headed downstream.  

Wet birds

I was trying to get to bed earlier and I must have skipped over Tuesday.  Maybe it was because I took too many pictures and couldn't cope?  Going by those photos, the day began with a goldfinch.  A yellow rumped warbler and a Carolina wren immediately followed, then a bluebird took the suet away from them.  The wren and the warbler moved to the mulch.  A female oriole replaced the female bluebird.  A male red bellied woodpecker was next.  A red breasted nuthatch was only interested in seeds.  A brown thrasher looked for suet crumbs.  And all that happened in four minutes.  

Soon a female downy woodpecker had a turn at the suet.  A ruby crowned kinglet followed another oriole and flaunted its tiny ruby.    Too bad the light was so poor and the kinglet so jittery.  A song sparrow was easier on the camera.  The mockingbird was wet as well as puffed up.  A pelican flew through the rain and then the cat prowled through the yard.  

Rain fogged the distant trees at lunch.  White throated sparrows poked through the wet mulch.  A pine warbler waited in the dogwood to share the suet with a bluebird.  Downstream, a great blue heron waited on a dock.  The wren brought its partner.  A male oriole displaced the female.  Then a male downy slammed onto the suet and sent the oriole flying.    A crow across the creek pulled something out of the grass, maybe a worm?  Mallards, hooded mergansers, and shovelers congregated around the dead trees on the lake.  Female buffleheads fished in the creek.  More pelicans flew over but must not have seen any fish.  

Rainy

Apparently there was rain overnight but it had stopped before breakfast.  Birds seized their moment but alas there wasn't enough light to photograph the white breasted nuthatch or the others I've now forgotten.  The blue jays queued up for bark butter balls.  The creek was ice-free and quiet except for a female bufflehead.  Up on the lake I could barely see some Northern shoveler drakes.  

I installed a fresh block of suet when I noticed the cage was completely empty.  The feisty yellow rumped warbler kept a close watch on lunch.  Rain returned around 1pm.  White throated sparrows ignored it but I didn't see the song sparrow.  The rain did not seem to bother the mockingbird.