Not one, not two, but three surprise guests!

It was an odd morning in Estabrook Park. It was warmer than yesterday, but even darker, and breezy in unprotected areas. I did see most of the regulars, but nobody looked particularly photogenic today, I hadn’t seen any surprise guests, and I hadn’t even taken one picture by the time I started my way back south from the far north end.

Then I heard a high-pitched call that sounded like maybe a raptor. Despite being a little pressed for time at that point, I was also desperate for something to show you, so I headed back north to a spot I knew would give me a good view of the northern island, and that’s when I spotted this beauty. For those of you who don’t recognize it, this is a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Woo Hoo! They’ve become more common lately, and I read we even had three fledglings in Milwaukee County this year, but spotting them is still always a pleasure.

Then, farther south, I took the last stairway up the bluff from the path along the river, and I couldn’t believe my luck when I spotted this little cutie almost right overhead. That prominent white eyebrow marks this as a merlin (Falco columbarius), and we’re in their migration territory, so we don’t get to see them too often.

Best of all, while I was taking this picture, I could hear a call from another bird nearby! Right across the parkway, there was a second merlin similarly perched in the top of another tree, and I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever seen two of them together. Sweet!

And that’s it for Estabrook Park this morning, so since I have plenty of room left in this post, here are a couple more pictures from Malawi. First, a couple more agama lizards.