Despite the crazy weather that rolled in yesterday afternoon, with pouring rain, hail, howling winds, and even some snow, spring arrived anyway, and it was a pretty nice morning in Estabrook Park.
My first treat of the day came early when I spotted my first golden-crowned kinglets of the year. This picture is actually from a second pair later in the morning when the light was much better, but the little rascals hop around so fast that I still struggled to get a presentable picture.
Even better, I found my first brown creepers of the year, three of them, and just like the kinglets, they move so quickly that all I could manage was this blurry picture today, but I promise to do better soon.
Out on the river and above the falls, we still have a goldeneye drake hanging around, but I didn’t see the hen with him today, and maybe that’s why he looks a little grumpy.
Meanwhile, a bit farther upstream, the hooded merganser drake was joined by this hen today. Good for them!
Another sure sign of spring was finding my first nesting bird of the year, this pigeon under the Port Washington Rd bridge. You may recall, that’s where we saw pigeon chicks last summer, and I read that they can have “1-6 broods” in a year, so perhaps this is just the first of many.
I saw the wood ducks, mallards, and geese at the pond, but I was happiest to see a couple of American tree sparrows. Once things settle down for the summer, I don’t see them in Estabrook much.
Finally, this little critter seemed unsure if it was safe to come out of its den today.
But it eventually did, and I suspect it found the day to be quite to its liking.
Lastly, I’m popping out to Colorado to see my siblings this afternoon, and I’ll bring my gear, but I can’t make any promises, so don’t be alarmed by a momentary disruption in service. I’ll be back in time for my North Shore School for Seniors class next week on Tuesday afternoon. Maybe I’ll see you there!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 