As seems to be the norm lately, the air was cold and calm, and the sky was thick with clouds that the sun would poke through once in a while. There is also still plenty of snow on the ground and tree branches to deaden the urban ambient noise, so it was another fine morning in Estabrook Park.
The first big surprise was finding six common merganser hens on the river just upstream of the islands. They looked right at home in the icy water, and with any luck, they’ll stick around all winter, or at least until the ice starts to melt. With even more luck, maybe some goldeneyes and buffleheads will join them.
Another pleasant surprise was spotting my first hermit thrush in a while.
My third surprise came with a fanfare of crow caws, when the trio of crows that were just hanging out on and around the upstream island suddenly made a beeline for our shore and began making a ruckus. Look who I found when I went to investigate, our first great horned owl in quite a while. I wish I had a way to know if this is the owlet, all grown up, or one of its parents, but I don’t. Sorry.
If you think its “horns” look especially perky today, well that’s because a murder of crows was breathing down its neck. By my last count, a total of eight crows had accumulated to urge the owl to go perch somewhere else.
Finally, things were pretty quiet at the pond, and perhaps this gorgeous Cooper’s hawk is part of the reason why.
It appears that we’re in for similar weather tomorrow, if a little warmer, a little breezier, and a little cloudier, so I hope that brief patch of pretty blue sky can see you through until Thursday.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 