As is often the case, once I notice a new creature for the first time, I start to see them everywhere, and the Eurasian jay is a perfect example. They really are shy birds, quite similar to the blue jays in Estabrook, but now that I know where to look, I’m getting closer to making a decent portrait anyway. This one is even looking our way! Yay! It’s a beauty, ain’t it?
Speaking of Corvids, they are more plentiful now than ever, and here’s a magpie foraging on the back of one of the many sheep drying out in the morning sun. Yeah, besides horses and cows, we’ve got a lot of sheep here, too. I read that we also have a lot of pigs, and Anne reports seeing a few, but I don’t know yet where they are all kept.
While we’re enjoying birds of a certain size, I was surprised to see and hear more great spotted woodpeckers this weekend than I believe I’ve seen for the entire rest of the summer combined. On at least three occasions, I first heard an individual calling incessantly, and could quickly spot it in the top of a distant dead tree. I have failed to get close enough for a picture, however, and hoped that this would be one when I saw it. Instead, it turns out to be another pretty song thrush, which I’ve only seen once before, so that’s fun anyway.
Finally, here’s a ubiquitous bird, in fact “the most widely distributed wild bird” in the world, that I knew must be here but haven’t manage to capture on film until now. You guessed it, that’s a pair of house sparrows, just like we see in Estabrook Park or your back yard.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 