The temps had cooled off in Estabrook Park this morning, and the breeze had picked up a bit, but the clouds had cleared out, at least for a while, so I had a hope that the sun would light up some pretty pictures.
On my way to the pond, the screech-owl kept to the shade as it stared intently at something or someone in a neighboring tree, but I snuck a picture anyway.
I was thrilled to find the grebe at the pond again, and this time we had a little sun to light up the scene.
By the time I got to the river, the sun was high enough to bathe this great horned owl in a nice warm glow.
Initially, I could only hear this eastern towhee, our first for the year, and I spent some time searching for it without success, but I didn’t find it until I had given up and went to check on the birds out on the water. That’s when it hopped out of the shadows, right across the gravel road in front of me, and parked in the bright sun on the other side. “Hello, Handsome!”
There were some blue-winged teals and a common merganser out on the water, but no great pictures, and I didn’t have a lot of time, so I went back to the pond. That’s when I found the green heron again, but also basking in the nice, warm sun.
As I started to make my way home, I finally found a white-throated sparrow, perhaps one of the throng that had recently arrived, who wasn’t busily foraging.
Finally, here’s an eastern cottontail, just because.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 