Wowzah! The wind sure is blowing in Estabrook Park this morning. Fortunately for this project, critters be hungry anyway, so there were still some sights to see. Once I sat down to seem less of a threat, the mallard hen and her duckling on the pond came over for their daily picture.
While I was sitting there, this guy came up on the lawn, waddled around behind me, and just parked there. I wonder what he wanted.
Happily, I took that picture and turned around in time to catch this action back on the water. “Soon enough, little cutie, soon enough.”
Meanwhile, this wood duck couple might be scouting nesting locations. There is a nesting box mounted on the island, but I don’t know if they use it.
After the pond, I headed over to the river and was dismayed to find the “raptor tree” on the northern island had succumbed to the high winds last night. Over the years, we have seen it provide perches for bald eagles, osprey, red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, merlins, peregrine falcons, great blue herons, great egrets, and belted kingfishers. There is another big dead tree on the island, and it is not as prominent, but I sure hope the birds find it to be as attractive.
In happier news, back on our shore, this robin was keeping her eggs warm.
While just a little farther inland, this grey squirrel was munching on grass seeds from the safety of a maple tree branch.
Lastly, as I searched in vain for a spotted sandpipers on the river, I glimpsed some turkey vultures drifting overhead, and as I counted for swallows hunting over the water, the crowd of turkey vultures eventually grew to eight (8!). I’ve seen similar groups in Connecticut, and the skies over the Amazon would have dozens at once, but this is the first time I’ve seen so many over Estabrook Park. If it’s an omen, I sure hope it’s a good one.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 