3 January 2021

 eBird data: https://ebird.org/checklist/S78605817

Weather:  9am  4C wind SE 16,  1pm 10C, wind NE7

Tide:  11AM 4.5 m, falling

Two days without birding or photographing and I feel as though I've been housebound forever.  And that notwithstanding the fact that I had plenty to keep me occupied.  I think in part because the weather forecast looked as though we had a week of storms ahead of us.

So I was delighted last night, when I wakened at 2 am and saw bright moonlight.  I could see the prospect of a good walk today, and went back to sleep, happily.

  

It didn't look quite so promising at 6 am when I awakened.  Too dark, still, to see what the sky really looked like, but not promising.  

As the morning grew lighter, it looked as though the weather could have been changeable.  As I ate breakfast, it poured with rain, then stopped.  I decided to go out in any case, expecting more intermittend downpours.  Pulled my most waterproof but least comfortable jacket (rubberised fabric--keeps rain out, but get kinda humid within) out of storage.  Put the rainsleeve on my camera--can't be too careful, and set out, in a soft drizzle.

To my delight, the drizzle cleared, the sky was brilliantly clear most of the morning.  

I haven't seen this much light in what seems like ages.

And it's already starting to show signs of a change in the season.  

Curious, how willows are golden at the end of the autumn and then again when the winter starts to abate.  

It was a very high tide and after days of heavy rain, the paths were flooded.

My usual route was impassable.  I took what is usually my return route, and found a wonderful pileated woodpecker.

I find them interesting birds to photograph.  They either do the usual woodpecker disappear on the other side of the tree trick, or they remain busily pecking and cooperating with photos.

I made my way along the path and was met by a couple I've chatted with before who warned me that the riverbank had collapsed and bits of the path were there no longer.  Indeed that was the case.  

I must apologise--I've got a couple of video clips of the river, roaring, but I can't figure out how to transfer them from my phone to my laptop.  I think I must learn how to use the video on my camera.

Anyhow, yes indeed, bits of the bank were gone, the river didn't have bends any longer but just roared along.  It was quite daunting.

I made my way along the path that runs further from the bank to the shore.   Although it was an hour or so past high tide, the estuary was higher than I recall ever seeing it.

By this time, the tide had fallen enough that my usual outbound route worked as a home-bound route, with caution.  It was still quite wet, but I managed not to fill my boots!  

The light was brilliantly clear, although it clouded up again this afternoon.

Near my home I met an Anna's hummingbird grooming diligently.

Then home to a late meal of bacon and eggs.  There's a wind warning for tomorrow again.  I'm becoming a bit skeptical about the weather office, but I'll still take wind warnings seriously.  There were a lot of trees down after the last storm.