Our streak of nice weather continued this morning with nicely frozen trails and clear skies.
The great blue heron was up early and had found itself a nice sunny spot on the far shore.
Northern cardinals were singing to the heavens from seemingly every available perch.
Above the falls, one pair of buffleheads had extricated itself from their little pack.
Between the islands, I counted 10 common mergansers, more than I think I’ve ever seen, and here are the 5 closest together that I could capture.
The most interesting spectacle of the morning, however, were these three hooded merganser drakes vying for the attention of one hen. It appears that an important judging criterion is the size and fullness of the hood, which I guess isn’t very surprising given the fact that they have “hoods” at all.
It reminds me of one of those awards shows song and dance numbers with a female singer and a bunch of guys in tuxedoes. Best of luck, guys!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 