I see that a change in the weather is on its way, but it hasn’t arrived in Estabrook Park yet, so this morning was pretty much the same as usual lately: cool, cloudy, and a little breezy.
With the recent departure of the wood ducks on the pond, it appears that everyone who is going south for the winter has done so, but the slow arrival of winter weather means that our guests from up north haven’t all felt compelled to come south yet. Thus, we are in peak “shoulder season“, and here are some of our peak shoulderers.
At the north end, as I searched in vain for a raptor or a new duck on the water, I spotted this cute little American tree sparrow foraging on the riverbank all by its lonesome. “Eat up, Sweetie. Your job might be a lot harder tomorrow.”
At the pond, I was glad to see that the female belted kingfisher is still with us, and perhaps those sticks between us gave her a sense of security, because she sure gave me more picture opportunities than usual.
As I was taking pictures of the kingfisher over the far side of the island, this female northern cardinal began filling up on sumac seeds above the near side, and every few nibbles, she would peek around the clump to keep tabs on me.
Finally, we still have great blue herons, and we probably will until the pond and river freeze over.
Lastly, I realize some people won’t like it, and for plenty of good reasons, but I sure do hope we get a change of scenery tomorrow.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 