They seem bolder when it’s colder.

It was colder than yesterday in Estabrook Park this morning, with temps in the low 20s, but the breeze was lighter, the sky was clearer, and I think there was less traffic noise, so conditions were great for a Black Friday visit.

My first surprise of the morning came at the pond when I spotted a muskrat foraging for vegetables in a spot where the ice hadn’t yet formed. We haven’t seen one since September, so it was nice to learn that at least one is still there.

The boldness, to which I am referring in the title, started with this white-breasted nuthatch beside the river. Sure, I can totally see how a critter might relax its tolerance for people a bit in the cold if the only alternative is to fly away, but this little cutie was already on the move, busily foraging along the trunks of trees at the water’s edge, and it just kept foraging right towards me. I eventually had to back up so I could even get a shot with my long lens, which sure beats the most common alternative. That it also struck this iconic pose for me was just whipped cream on the pie.

The next big surprise came on the exposed river bottom beside the upstream island. I heard a killdeer call before I saw them, but I dismissed it as a false positive because it is so late in the season. When I did finally check the water for odd ducks, I saw one killdeer at first, and it soon trotted over to its partner. Boy, I sure hope the sun warms up the mud enough for those two to glean the calories they need to continue their flight south.

When I turned inland, I spotted this huge red-tailed hawk perched high over the far side of the meadow. I snapped a picture right away, but then I faced the quandary of how to continue my route without disturbing the bird. I could have backtracked, but I tried a trick instead that has worked sometimes in the past, shielding my eyes with my hand as I walked past so that it could see that I wasn’t looking its way, and that worked today. Yay!

As I made my way back downstream atop the bluff, I came across a couple of crows foraging in the grass, and when they didn’t fly off right away, I tried to get between them and the sun so that it would light them up nicely. I gave myself 50/50 odds, with these usually quite shy birds, but today was my lucky day. Their new-found boldness really showed as I crouched behind a light pole, which I can’t believe would fool anyone, but they just kept foraging towards me. Since I was crouching down, backing up wasn’t a very good option this time, so I was glad to get this nice portrait before they got too close.

Finally, as I was checking all the house finches on my second visit to the pond, in hopes that a purple finch, pine siskin, or redpoll might be hiding amongst them, this house sparrow struck a pretty irresistible pose.

I see that the snow is supposed to start falling around sunrise tomorrow, but perhaps I’ll be able to sneak some pictures before it gets too heavy. Keep your fingers crossed.