It was much warmer in Estabrook Park this morning, and there was no hint of frost. Plus, the skies were still clear, so I was able to start nice and early, before the wind came up.
My first surprise came at the pond, where I spotted our first eastern kingbird of the year.
Below the kingbird, and on the water, I had noticed a sandpiper, and I thought it was a solitary, but after I thought I had the best picture I was going to get from the kingbird, I was pleasantly surprised to find that one sandpiper had turned into two, and the one on the right is indeed a solitary, but the one on the left is a spotted. How convenient of them to provide us with this guide for noticing the difference between the two! Besides the namesake spots on its breast, the spotted also has a distinct eyeline, which the solitary lacks.
As I neared the upstream island in the river, I heard a now-familiar call, like a robin with a slightly-scratchy throat, and I excitedly hurried up the bluff to find our first scarlet tanager of the year.
Out on the water, a few lesser yellowlegs were back again, more solitary sandpipers. bringing our shorebird species count for the morning to three.
Back up on the bluff, our first chestnut-sided warbler of the year put on a nice little show.
I could also hear a killdeer calling, and I even saw the one that hangs out farther downstream, but I didn’t take its picture today. Instead, to round out our quartet trio of shorebirds, here’s that killdeer on Tuesday.
Finally, back up on the bluff, here’s our first yellow-throated vireo of the year.
Lastly, your “blossom” of the day is this American yellow morel ascocarp, or fruiting body. I hear they’re tasty, especially when fried in butter with garlic. “Yum!”
Then I hustled home to drop off my camera and binoculars in time to join the Friends of Estabrook Park weedout, and we mostly pulled garlic mustard from the area recently cleared of buckthorn by the southern parking lot. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Dang, I wished I had know, because I would have helped,” then you’re in luck, because they’re having another one on Sunday, May 18, from 9-12.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 