Not a bad way to start the weekend…

Wow, oh wow! What an epic morning! The skies were crystal clear, so I was able to get into Estabrook before 6am, for the first time this year. The air was cool, and forecast to be breezy, but the breeze took its time getting here, so I had a couple glorious hours with the critters, and they did not disappoint.

I reached the pond about on schedule, and the eight goslings were up and grazing, but the big surprise for me was spotting our first green heron of the year across the water.

It even let me sneak a closeup. “Welcome back, Beauty! And hot diggity dog!”

I then hiked over to the river, and as I headed north, I spotted a quartet of blue-winged teals steaming my way. I was all excited to get one more chance at a decent teal portrait for this year, when I spotted an osprey, another first of the season, over the northern island. All bets were off, and the teals would just have to wait for another day.

Before I could get any closer, its hunger got the best of it, and it went right back to fishing. I didn’t see it catch anything today, sadly, but maybe next time. Nice!

This herring gull, on the other hand, wasn’t as picky, and this huge fish, which appears to be no longer swimming under its own power, would do just fine. The gull had to keep diving for it after each bite because it kept sinking, but that barely slowed down the gull.

I eventually resumed my search for new sights, and I soon heard an unfamiliar tune. After a brief search, I found the source, which I then had to follow for a while as it flitted from branch to branch. Happily, it soon hit the mother lode, in the form of a huge dragonfly, and parked on a branch for a bit to wolf it down. Give a warm Estabrook Park welcome to our first blue-headed vireo of the season, freshly arrived from the Gulf Coast. Yee Haw!

But wait! There’s more! I finally tore myself away from the vireo just in time to catch this bald eagle soaring south over the river.

The eagle didn’t dawdle, so I turned my attention back to the trees, and look who showed up next: our first blue-grey gnatcatcher of the season, and also just in from the Gulf Coast. Woo Hoo! I absolutely love those Groucho Marx eyebrows on the males.

Next, I found this stunning yellow-bellied sapsucker. We best soak that view in because they breed up north, and so they won’t be sticking around here much longer.

Finally, I was back at the river, after another swing by the pond, and I heard a bird-of-prey-like call, so I immediately started searching the trees again. This time, however, the source was a bit farther away: high above and between the two antennae across the river. It appears that a big red-tailed hawk had glided too close to a smaller but more nimble peregrine falcon, and the falcon was letting it know in no uncertain terms. The hawk quickly took off, but the falcon lingered for a moment, and I managed to capture an image. Holy Smokes!

So that’s four different raptors and three first sightings for the season, so not a bad morning. Not bad at all.