After a few lines of thunderstorms rolled through yesterday, the river is at least a foot higher today, but the drop-dead gorgeous weather has returned, and it was a perfect morning in Estabrook Park.
First off, I am happy to report that the scene of Canada geese and goslings downriver that I ended with on Monday is not the last we’ll see of them, because they were back again this morning. Man, those goslings are really starting to look like tweens.
On my way up to the pond from the river, the red squirrel that used to greet me along the way, but whom we haven’t seen in three weeks, was back in its regular spot. “Howdy, Pardner!”
The pond was quiet again today, so I continued on to the north end, and look who I found showing its face: our ginormous river snapping turtle.
Just a bit north of there, a young colleague of mine had spotted a second, much newer, batch of goslings.
The warblers are still thick throughout the park, I counted individuals from 12 species this morning, and here’s one of the best posers, a palm warbler. They often forage at eye level or below, and kindly arrange for the sun to be at my back as it lights them up. “Thanks, Li’l Buddy!”
As I continued north, to the Port Washington Road bridge, this darling female Baltimore oriole took a cue from the palm warbler, but sweetened the deal with some blue background. “Nice job, Sweetie!”
At the bridge, I found a barn swallow perching for a moment on the bottom flange of a concrete I-beam, …
And its partner, who had been on this nearby nest installed on the bottom flange of a galvanized steel I-beam used for cross bracing, took off as soon as I noticed it. I waited a while in hopes that it would return, but then I skedaddled in case it was avoiding me. If you click on the image so you can zoom in, you can see the individual beak-fulls of mud used to build up the nest. “Yum!”
On my way back south, I stayed up on the bluff in hopes of spotting some of the singers I heard on my way north, but this time not quite so high overhead and with better lighting. My first reward for my efforts was spotting this little American toad. I’ve heard the toads singing near the river once already this spring, and one of these days they should start singing in earnest. I suspect this little one is too young, but maybe it feels the pull of the water at this time of year anyway.
The white-crowned sparrows, easily confused with the white throated sparrows, have been energetically singing a very different song lately, and here’s one, lit up just the way I’d hoped.
Meanwhile, right overhead, our first olive-sided flycatcher of the season was busy flying sorties off this branch to catch flies.
Back down by the river, this black-throated green warbler made me work a lot harder for a picture than the palm warbler did.
Lastly, for you floraphiles out there, here’s a newly blooming eastern shooting star (Primula meadia).
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 