December just keeps getting better!

The recent deep freeze in Estabrook Park continues to back off gradually, and the temps this morning were in the high 20s, the breezes were light, and so the wind chill was up into the high teens. Plus, the thick cloud cover that hid the sunrise soon dispersed, and it turned into a nice sunny day.

Even before the sun came out, this muskrat was enjoying the relative warmth by having its breakfast up on the riverbank.

Things were quiet at the north end, and the only interesting picture was one of the great horned owls, whom the crows left alone today, so I headed to the pond, and the clouds were gone by the time I arrived. I could not have asked for a better background for this Cooper’s hawk who swooped in to perch high above the Oak Leaf Trail that runs just to the east of the pond. Perhaps it is the same bird we saw beside the Oak Leaf at the south end on Thanksgiving day.

Meanwhile, this little red squirrel just across the path from the pond, possibly the same one we saw last Friday, was gnawing through the tough outer shell of a black walnut. I’m sure it knows what sort of tasty treat lies inside.

As I searched for who else might make a nice picture beside the pond, I found this cozy little scene of a hole in a hollow log rimmed with ice crystals. The moisture could just be from the log itself, but I prefer to believe that it came from the lungs of a little critter enjoying some protection from the cold and wind.

The huge surprise for the day came as I hiked back to the river from the pond. On the way, I checked a hole in a tree that I had seen a couple of blue jays agitated over a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been trying to check it every day, but there has often not been enough light to see anything inside, or even if there was light, I couldn’t see if anyone was home. Well, today is the day when the sunlight and the occupancy aligned, and look who was there, our first screech owl since all the way back to April 2022! Woo Hoo!

Finally, I continued south along the river with hopes of spotting our redhead or some other new visitor, but I didn’t have any luck with that today. Instead, these mallards were kind enough to squeeze together in the bright sunlight for a nice group portrait. As usual, though, one or two goofballs are looking the other way right when the shutter goes off.

Lastly, just when I thought this morning couldn’t get any better, look what some charitable park goer left for me. I’m not even sure exactly what it is, but I do like the sound of “Island Punch”.