Happy Tax Day!

As happens from time to time, our streak of beautiful weather continued this morning, with even less of a breeze, and I got out nice and early to enjoy it. Oddly enough, however, the critters in Estabrook Park were much quieter than yesterday. I suspect some have already moved north.

I was thrilled to see that all eight goslings on the pond made it through their first night, and here they are filling up on lawn grass under the careful guard of Mom and Dad.

Here’s a closer look at the little pipsqueaks.

The warm sun had this quartet of painted turtles up on a log in the pond.

And that’s it for the sights today, if you can believe it. Luckily, sights were so plentiful yesterday, that I’ve got some left over to take up the slack. Here’s yet another of my attempts at a decent ruby-crowned kinglet portrait. It least he’s showing us his ruby crown.

Here’s a bright yellow American goldfinch munching on box elder blossoms and contrasting nicely with the blue sky

Here’s a female red-bellied woodpecker digging away on the big birch tree in front of the dog park. Long-time readers may recall that “the female … accepts the nesting site by completing the excavation and entering the nest hole,” so he and we can have a hope that this is what is going on here. “Oh Honey! I was definitely going to get around to finishing that.”

Here’s one more look at the yellow-rumped warbler from Friday.

And finally, here’s our first clouded sulphur of the season.