What a difference 24 hours can make. Yesterday morning, I wore a poofy coat for warmth, and I was glad I did. This morning, I wore only a windbreaker over a thin fleece, and I had to strip it off before I got home.
The critters in Estabrook Park really seemed to respond to the warmth as well, and here are the seven goslings on the west lawn by the pond napping without Mom keeping them warm. Instead, she was busy preening, along with Dad, just out of frame.
Meanwhile, I spotted my first river goslings of the year, four separate broods, in fact, and here’s one that just hopped off the downstream island with eleven!
Just upstream of the goslings and on our shore, here’s my first spotted sandpiper of May. Unlike the solitary, which we just saw yesterday, these don’t go far, and we can hope to see them on and off all summer. Yay!
A bit farther upstream, here’s our first catbird of the season, but not the year. You may recall that crazy one we had hanging out in January and February.
Near the catbird, but a lot higher in a tree was a legit new arrival for the year, our first indigo bunting. I had heard their song as soon as I reached the islands in the river, but it took me to the upstream end of the upstream island to finally lay eyes on one.
On my way back home, I was thinking to myself, “wow, that’s almost all of them. All except for the flycatchers.” And then I heard this little cutie, our first flycatcher of the year, specifically a least flycatcher.
Finally, your blossom of the day is this tiny self-heal, which is feeding and being pollinated by our first bumblebee of the year, which I believe is a two-spotted bumblebee (Bombus bimaculatus).
The forecast for tomorrow is for more of the same, so I can’t wait to see who arrives next.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 