The sun didn’t rise until nearly 8 o’clock this morning, and the temps didn’t even break into the 60s today, but the skies were clear, the breeze wasn’t too strong, and the birds were out, so I was finally able to sneak up on one of the several great spotted woodpeckers searching for a soul mate. You may recall that I first noticed this new behavior last weekend.
I also caught a blue tit in the nice bright morning sunlight. You can tell it’s starting to get cold out when the little birds start looking so plump.
As luck would have it, a great tit stopped by with some especially fine plumage, which sure helps us distinguish between these two similar birds.
I don’t believe I saw the kestrel today, and I initially thought this might be one, but I now believe that it’s a Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), instead. Notice how the wings appear to have dark stripes instead of just a light and dark pattern, the feathers at the wing tips extend behind the trailing edge of the rest of the wing, and the leading edge is a little more lumpy, compared to the kestrel.
It sure isn’t a buzzard, which have a lot more dark on their undersides, and peregrine falcons resemble kestrels, so that make it a brand-new bird for us. Woo hoo!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
Your pictures are a delight! Thank you for continuing to do this. I hope you are enjoying your work and your new surroundings.
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