Monday Morning Awakening

7:37

A Few of the Hundred Black (?)Ducks Floating on the Lake

Sun Rising over Bemus Point at  8:03

Brick Walk at CI

Up at 7:15, though I woke at 5:00 but was able to get back to sleep, fortunately.  It's light out towards the south, but east there's a huge dark threatening cloud bank hanging over Bemus and Long Point.  We got a touch of snow last  night and it's cold outside, 25º though clearing and warming as the day progresses.  A couple of fishermen are already out on the ice, off of Long Point, ready to enjoy the sun rise off to the south.

The birds are back to our feeders, after our two week hiatus, and right now, a flock of ten or twelve of them are fighting over the feeder which we hung outside our front bay windows, making it easy to see.  The are mostly chickadees and  tufted titmouses, perhaps some sparrow ssmall birds, as the larger birds like cardinals or woodpeckers have yet to find the feeder.  Almost half of the feeder is empty after two days, so they are pigging out on sunflower seeds.  They hang out in the rhododendrons, just below the window, using the bushes for shelter against the wind and cold.

We took a long walk at the CI yesterday, a empty and forlorn looking place in the winter, especially early on a Sunday when there's no action, no construction, no church goers yet.  The lake is open at this end, in fact, it's opens just north of Woodlawn, at the campground.  It was like this last year as well, as the north end of the lake was open much of the year, and frozen in front of our house.  We saw a huge flock of ducks, unspecified as they did not look like buffleheads or mallards, but there were at least a couple hundred of them, floating off of the shore of the CI.  I wish I had brought my binoculars so I could have gotten a better look.  They looked dark, almost black, with no discernible coloring, at least from where we viewed them.  I don't like not knowing what they were and our bird book and IBird Pro, on Evie's IPAD, was no help.   Any ideas?

Much of the day was a mix of snow and sleet, not inviting, so we stayed in the house, had our usual Sunday breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast and watched CBS's Sunday Morning, with eighty year old Charles Osgood, an amazing host and show because it's not just about politics, but does short segments on all kinds of topics, like jump roping, actress  Laura Dern, an interview with General Mc Chrystal, and a look at Michael Apted's documentary, 56 and UP, which has traced 14 people from the sixties until now, an amazing effort, a great Sunday morning show.  We did not do much the rest of the day, watched some NFL games, read, had an easy dinner of Sahlen's hot dogs and beans, and watched TV much of the evening, though we saved Downtown Abbey for today or tomorrow.