What a curious morning it was. The weather was nice enough, with seasonably cool temps, a bit of a breeze, and crystal-clear skies, but the critters were few and far between for some reason. On my first swing by the pond, there wasn’t a single bird on the water, and it wasn’t even frozen over, although there was some ice. Weird.
At the river, I finally found something interesting, this cute little muskrat just staring at me. The one yesterday was far below the falls, and this one was above the falls, so it is unlikely to be the same animal, but it was acting in the same odd way. Usually, they tuck under the water once they spot me, and I seldom see them again, especially if I am this close. But now suddenly, they are mean-mugging me instead, and I wonder if I should start watching my back?
At the north end, it was almost a ghost town. There were no herons, eagles, hawks, geese, or kingfishers, and even the owl was out. All I saw was a few mallards and a herring gull, and on my way back south I didn’t see anything interesting again until I got to the point downriver where I take a left to visit the pond again. There I found a tree sparrow, who evaded my camera, and in the same bush probably the same hermit thrush as yesterday, but who seems to know the drill now. It makes a nice pose, I take a quick picture, I go on my way, and it can go right back to its own business. Nobody has to fly away in a panic, and everyone is happy.
Back at the pond, our mallard hen with no tail feathers, who had been missing earlier, had reappeared. Phew! She could well be the largest bird I saw today.
Finally, as I walked around the pond to see if anyone else had shown up, I did spot this little downy woodpecker right at eye level and giving a little branch a thorough going over.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 