Well, we finally got some much-needed rain, and Estabrook Park looked and felt a bit renewed this morning, but I wasn’t expecting the sub-50°F start. Good thing I hadn’t thrown my coat away yet.
Perhaps the change in the weather prompted this great blue heron to say to itself, “I haven’t tried the pond in a while. I wonder how the fish are up there? I believe this is the first time I’ve seen one there this season, and by the looks of things, the fish are nice and big up there.
Once I parked myself on the bench, the wood duck hen decided I was harmless and steamed right over with her three rugrats in tow to sample the algae by the west lawn.
I was listening for birds along the river, and there was one that sounded odd, until I turned around to find that it was this little rascal right behind me instead.
There were dozens of swifts, rough-winged swallows, barn swallows, and even some bank swallows furiously hunting over the river at the north end, but I struggle to get a picture even in good light, so I left them be and headed back south.
Just above the falls, I spotted this mallard hen with one almost-grown-looking duckling. They paused for a second to give me a look…
and then went right back to business as usual.
Finally, our master angler was in its usual spot below the falls, and I didn’t even have to wait a minute before it showed me how it is done.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 