Quite the welcome home party

Anne and I had a great time out east, but you also know how I always find it great to be back in Estabrook Park, and the mild winter weather this morning, with temps just below freezing, light winds, and even a bit of sun, sure didn’t hurt.

My first big surprise came as I approached the falls down the bluff from the Bier Garten and looked up river to get a preview. There appeared to be at least two common merganser drakes, and when I finally got up to the open water between the islands, I found three drakes and three hens. Even better, this quintet bunched up nicely for a group picture.

The surprises kept coming because I soon found this gadwall drake dabbling with the mallards in the river upstream of the northern island.

Meanwhile, on shore right behind me, this mature Cooper’s hawk was basking in the sunlight while it lasted.

The pond is still frozen over, so there’s not much chance of seeing a duck there, but the trees and bushes around it were full of little birds, and here’s one of the two fox sparrows I spotted.

Just below the fox sparrow, this white-throated sparrow appeared to stretch its neck just before it took off.

Finally, just as I was about to leave the park at the south end, this beauty swooped into one of the black walnut trees that guard the exit there, probably in pursuit of one of the squirrels that call it home. This isn’t the first time I’ve found a red-tailed hawk there, and I sure hope it won’t be the last.