The wind has finally subsided, and the sky is still clear, so it was a nearly perfect, if chilly, morning for a visit to Estabrook Park. I saw a hungry Cooper’s hawk try for little birds three separate times today, and this picture is at the pond after it came up empty on its second attempt. The third time was the most “fun” to watch, however, because dozens of juncos and sparrows leapt off the ground for their lives as it swooped over.
With the still air, the water on the pond was flat as a mirror.
The big surprise today at the river was this quartet of deer sneaking between the islands.
We have another new bird for the fall migration, and this time it’s this rusty blackbird.
This is my first blue-headed vireo of the season, but they’ve been spotted in Estabrook already this month.
Meanwhile, the wigeon is still with us and has teamed up with the gadwalls. In the image below, the wigeon is on the right, and one of the two gadwalls I saw today is on the left.
As I was trying to get a decent picture of the ducks out on the water, this ruby-crowned kinglet put on such a nice show while foraging through the willow shoots growing out of the riverbank that I just couldn’t resist taking its picture.
This next picture is pretty terrible, I admit. The bird looked like a black silhouette against a backdrop of leaves lit up by the sun, so I really had to over expose it with my camera and then try to clean it up on my laptop, but, if my identification is correct, this might be my best wood thrush picture yet. Sheesh, they are elusive little skulkers.
There were a few phoebes hunting bugs over the river, and I checked every one carefully in hopes that one might be a vermillion flycatcher, but I had no luck with that. Instead, I did get this pretty picture.
Back at the pond, the great blue heron had arrived, and the water was still pretty smooth, so here you go.
On my way back to the river for one more check, I spotted my only sapsucker of the morning, and this might be the last we see of them until they come through again in the spring.
Lastly, I was surprised to find the weeds by the soccer fields nearly empty, given the warm sun, but perhaps the butterflies were still too chilled from the cold overnight. Happily, the situation by the Church House must have been a smidge warmer, so here’s one more sulphur to act as our butterfly of the day.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 