What an absolutely fabulous morning it was in Estabrook Park. The air was cool, crisp, and still, the skies were crystal clear, and the river path mud was frozen solid. There was even enough light for me to head out before 7am for the first time this year.
My first reward for starting so early was finding the American coot from yesterday still just waking up from the night and not yet busy rustling up its breakfast.
A bit further north I found another sleepy head, a common merganser drake, perhaps waiting for the sun to rise before getting to work diving for his own breakfast.
The big surprise for the day came at the north end where I found my first red-winged blackbird of the season perched high over the northern island and loudly announcing his arrival.
He was soon joined by a male northern cardinal, who chimed right in with his own song.
As I was trying to get a decent picture of the cardinal and blackbird on the island, I caught a glimpse of this grey squirrel sneaking into its nesting cavity in a huge maple tree. I gave it a few “tsk, tsk, tsks”, in hopes that it might come to see who was making that noise, and sure enough, here it taking a peek.
Finally, the pond is completely refrozen, although I wouldn’t walk on the new ice if I were heavier than a squirrel. I found five cardinals perched together in a tree above it and warming up in the bright morning sun. Here’s the one least obscured by branches and against that beautiful blue sky.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 