Some signs of spring already…

It was cloudy as heck this morning in Estabrook Park, so there ain’t no way our groundhog saw its shadow, and folklore has it that we should expect spring to arrive early this year.

Perhaps in preparation for that possibility, look who I saw excavating a nesting cavity already this morning.

This little cutie, a female downy woodpecker, that’s who. I watched her haul out about a dozen beak-fulls of wood chips. Then, perhaps, she got tired of me watching and flitted off. The cavity is right over the trail along the river, so who knows if she and her mate will eventually find it suitable.

That’s all I managed to get a picture of this morning, but I expect you’ll be thrilled to know that I still have a long-eared owl picture from our field trip last Wednesday. This one sure wasn’t going for the tall and slender look, though.

It’s supposed to be cloudy again tomorrow morning, but the air should be mild and still, so good conditions for finding wildlife. Come on out for our Wildlife Walk if you’re able. I didn’t see the catbird today, but someone saw it yesterday, and maybe we’ll get lucky tomorrow.