I have led off today’s post in the past with a picture of Mother Goose sheltering her goslings on the west lawn by the pond, but spring is so ahead of schedule this year, that they have already hiked down to the river. Thus, the only mom on the pond today is the mallard hen with one duckling we first saw just yesterday.
The duckling is a real rapscallion and was continuously darting off somewhere while Mom drifted after it. At one point, she started scanning the sky intently, and…
at first I thought she was just being vigilant, but when she kept it up, I finally followed her gaze, and I needed binoculars to identify the two red-tailed hawks circling high above and off to the east. “Good job, Mom.”
The new bird for today is our first eastern wood pewee of the season, who alerted me to its arrival with its signature song.
I’ve been hearing great crested flycatchers for a few days now, but they are usually quite high in a tree, and this is the first one to put in an eye-level appearance.
I did not find the birds to be quite as thick in the trees today compared to yesterday, so here are a few day-old pictures to round things out. Here’s a black-throated green warbler, …
a northern parula, …
and a black-and-white warbler.
I did see the common merganser drake on the river today, but he was closer to shore yesterday.
Finally, here’s a mallard hen up in a tree by the pond this morning, and perhaps she was seeking the peace and quiet that she apparently yearns for.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 