The snow did finally arrive, even though the sun stayed hidden until I got back home, so there was a nice change of scenery after all, and I’ll take it!
Our new gadwall drake was still on the lower river, and he appeared to be having icing issues that the mallards were not facing, but he seemed unfazed by the situation, thankfully.
Who knows. Maybe it’s a feature, not a flaw, and the ice acts as a protective layer, like on the sherbet in Mom’s freezer.
The river below the falls was so jammed up with ice and snow that it was backing up the water enough to make the falls almost disappear. I could not make an attractive picture of it this morning, despite my best efforts, so you’ll just have to use your imagination for now.
The water above the falls was similarly jammed up, but with Canada geese instead, which are far more photogenic, and here are a few napping on the ice.
Above the falls, I did not see our kestrel again, but at least three of the common mergansers from last year were back and fishing among the ice floes, and here are two of them catching their breath for a moment.
On my way back south, I thought I spotted a junco, which would have made a nice picture with the snow, but it didn’t take off right away, the way juncos usually do, and that’s because it was one of the trio of bluebirds from last year, instead. It was great to see all three again, eventually, but I could never get more than two in a single image.
This one, with subdued colors, looks like a female.
And the one on the right below, with the vibrant colors, looks like a male.
Finally, on my way home, this red-bellied woodpecker struck a pose, while sampling the snow, that I just couldn’t ignore.
Lastly, the forecast is for nice and cool temps for a while, so I have a hope that the snow will stick around for a bit.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
Lovely pictures
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