I know it can’t last, nor should it, but in the meantime, this warm, dry spell sure is easy to take. We had clear skies, nearly still air, and about 60 °F at sunrise in Estabrook Park this morning.
I spotted this darling little eastern phoebe beside the river just as the sun started reaching down over the bluff, and it seemed more interested in the sun’s progress than in worrying about me taking pictures.
At the pond, I noticed a light shape in the bushes, and I excitedly snapped this picture. When I realized that it was a goldfinch in its drab winter coat, I actually thought to myself, “oh, it’s you,” which reminded me of that old song. If you’ve been searching for a good earworm today, you’re welcome.
There are still plenty of wood ducks on the pond, but I liked the lighting for this little cutie, the first one I’ve seen on the river in a while.
Farther north, I was pleasantly surprised to find a yellow-bellied sap sucker still kicking around. They were hot and heavy for a moment, closer to the first of the month, but it appears that some are still trickling through. Yay!
Meanwhile, the orange-crowned warblers remain a pretty regular find.
Out on the water, another bird I rarely get to see any more is this dapper-looking killdeer.
The wigeon is still with us, …
and this morning it looked like it had a new friend. I’m not quite sure who it is yet, but it looks a tad shorter than the wigeon, which is already smaller than mallards, so maybe it is a blue-winged teal. Hopefully, the experts will weigh in soon.
Finally, on my way south, there were plenty of sparrows foraging in the grass beside the river, and here’s a sharp-looking Lincoln’s sparrow. It turns out that some folks did see and photograph a grasshopper sparrow yesterday at Lakeshore State Park, and I got all excited once or twice when I spotted a lightly-colored bird today, but none were light enough, yet.
Lastly, with weather like this, the skippers and sulphurs were busy getting their last sips in, and here’s yet one more of the latter.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 