Birds, birds and SUN!

Been raining for about a month now, making up for the dry summer I suppose, anyway, now that it's finally December the sun came out. I was inside all day, and inside now :), but it looked quite cheerful through the window. Yesterday, while making breakfast, I heard a flicker cry out. When I looked out the window I saw the flicker on the power line as well as the usual morning crows, who drop in on a regular basis so see if I've left them any treats, I guess I'm on the morning route, a flock of starlings which suddenly flew up out of the small yard, a couple of stellar jays bouncing in the shrubby lilac bush(es), some blackcaps and the birds that I believe are unfortunately called tits. It was a bit enchanting. I thought at first that perhaps someone had thrown some bread in the yard, but no. The jays were eating a hard seed from the inside of a berry, when I opened the door to take some compost out, most of the birds flew away, minus the jays, who stayed for about an hour. Curious, as we don't usually have them, they are normally up the block a bit in the oak trees. I threw out some nuts for the crows, I like watching them eat them, they have the shells on (peanuts), but the crows still try to jam as many as possible in their beaks before waddling off. Even if there are enough, sometimes they will attack one another, with one crow standing on another that has been thrown on it's back. I haven't been able to tell if it's territorial or dominance or...? I find it somewhat disturbing.

Today as I was running to catch the bus I noticed there were hundreds of crows both in the oak trees and the grassy knoll of the resevoir, I think they were playing. Flocks of geese hang out there as well, mowing down the grass bite by bite. I suppose since it's fenced in, they don't have to worry about being chased or harrassed and so can just go about their business. About a month ago the resevoir was drained for cleaning, and when the water had gotten to a low level, flocks of crows descended in to the basin, lounging on the shoreline and flapping in the shallow water as if it was their own Costa del Sol. Now that it's full again, with wires across it to keep out the birds, they've retreated to the further outposts of the "park."