It had gotten cold enough overnight for a skin of ice to form on the puddles, but it was back above freezing by this morning. Plus, the wind wasn’t too strong, and the clouds were pretty thin, so it was a fine time for watching wildlife in Estabrook Park.
My first treat was catching this muskrat enjoying its breakfast at the edge of the river, where we often saw it right around this time last year.
The green-winged teal drake was still with us, but a little harder to photograph than yesterday.
One reason it might have been jumpier today was the presence of this little scamp, one of our island mink. When I first spotted it, it was being escorted by at least two geese and a few mallards as it swam from our riverbank to the island, a behavior that I’ve seen before.
Another treat was one of our great horned owls being kind enough to show its face again.
The biggest treat of the morning for me, however, was spotting this female ring-necked duck. As far as I can tell, I’ve only seen one in Estabrook once before, so here’s hoping it sticks around for a bit. Maybe it could team up with the teal.
Meanwhile, we still have a goldeneye drake, …
and a red-breasted merganser drake.
Plus, there were three wood duck drakes on the pond, of which here’s one, so it was quite a morning for colorful ducks!
Finally, the forecast for tomorrow morning looks perfect, so let’s hope that the critters are up and about, to take advantage of it.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
Gorgeous shots, Andy! Great to hear what’s going on there each day. Thank you for the fun updates!
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