The thaw that began in January continues, but it was cool enough last night, and skies were clear enough to add radiant cooling, so that much of the river trail mud had refrozen, and I could walk on it again this morning.
There are still a few common mergansers around on the river, but who knows for how long, now that most of the ice is gone, so here’s a handsome drake just in case this is our last chance.
Ditto for this common goldeneye drake, even though he refused to let me see the sun light up his face.
I haven’t seen the owls this week, and someone has suggested that they might be tending a nest somewhere nearby, which would be fantastic, so keep your fingers crossed. In their stead, here’s a Cooper’s hawk watching over the meadow beside the river at the north end.
Finally, as I approached the river from the pond, for one last look, I spotted this red-tailed hawk appearing to be drying itself off in the sun. I was lucky enough to find a path around to its south that gave it a nice wide berth so that I could get this picture with the sun at my back to light up its beautiful plumage.
Boy, if the rest of February turns out like today, I’ll wish it lasted for more than just 28 days. 😉
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 