There’s a new raptor in town!

Sorry that I’ve been away. My time and attention have been needed elsewhere.

It seems that quite a few birds made like trees and leaved since the last time I’ve been in Estabrook. I saw a blue heron glide overhead as I approached the pond, but if it had stopped in, it would have been the only one there. All the wood ducks appear to have moved on, even though we are supposed to be in their “year-round” region.

The river was quieter, too, but not empty, thank goodness. There were no geese, wood ducks, mergansers, or any of the visitors we see once in a while, but the kingfishers are still flitting from tree to tree, the killdeer are still foraging on the sandbars, and mallards are still dabbling just about everywhere.

Happily for us, however, there was one brand new bird in town.

In case you don’t immediately recognize that handsome face, our new hunter is an osprey (Pandion haliaetus) with the nice big fish it just caught and on some rocks exposed by the low water between the two islands at the north end.

I tried to give it enough room to feel comfortable, but it definitely saw me on the shore and soon took off for a branch on the far shore where it could continue working on that fish.

I had heard of Osprey sightings in Estabrook recently, and I might have even glimpsed one myself already, as it flew upstream, but I am really glad I got to see this one for sure with my own eyes before they all headed to the Gulf Coast for the winter.

And that’s all I’ve got for you today. I doubt that I can be back fulltime yet, but I’ll do my best and post when I can.