I found the forecast last evening for the weather this morning to be very exciting. Sure, it was going to be cloudy, and it might even sprinkle, but the temps were supposed to be seasonably cool, not cold, and winds were supposed to be dead still, so just perfect conditions for bugs to waft into the air and for me to hear the warblers twittering amongst themselves as they gobbled them up.
The first interesting twitter I heard, however, was from this rusty blackbird, one of a pair, high in the oak tree at the north end of the soccer fields. We haven’t seen one since back in March.
The river was quiet at the midpoint, and on my way to the pond, the screech-owl was, too.
The main story of the day, though, has got to be the hatching of seven (7!) darling goslings. Here they are with Mom and Dad up on the lawn on the west side of the pond. Boy, she’s gotta be thrilled to stretch her legs and get something to eat, for a change. Right? I had gotten a tip from a reader yesterday afternoon, who had gone looking for that purple finch, but found goslings instead. A fine consolation prize indeed.
Careful readers with a good memory may recall that just 28 days ago, when I first spotted Mom on her nest, I said “we’ve got just 32 to 48 days to wait.” Now, either these eggs hatched early, or she had been on her nest while I was in Colorado, and was taking a short break when I stopped by the pond on the 25th. I suspect the latter scenario is the more-likely.
Here’s a closeup of one of the hungry little rascals.
Back at the river, and at the north end, I found one more pair of blue-winged teals, and here’s the drake pausing for a quick preening.
Back on shore, I did eventually hear a lot of warblers, but they were almost all yellow-rumped, and the still air let them stay up nice and high in the trees, which I had obviously failed to anticipate. Luckily, there were a few palm warblers around, as well, and they often seem to be a lot more comfortable with the camera, so here’s our first palm warbler picture of the year.
Finally, the new blossom of the day is this white trout lily.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
Could you give a specific location on the screech owl? I am a wildlife photographer
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Dear H. Liska,
To avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, I am purposely vague on social media about the location of birds that are vulnerable or frequent a certain location. If you were to join us on a Monday wildlife walk or email me directly, at the address I imply on the contact page, I could give you more information.
Andy
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