I got a late start in Estabrook Park this morning, for reasons, but there were very few other folks there, so I don’t think my tardiness had a negative effect on my wildlife viewing.
Things were pretty quiet at the river, however, so I was counting on the pond to take up the slack, and we got off to a nice start with this male red-bellied woodpecker, who appeared to be looking for something or someone. He wasn’t foraging, basking in the sun, nor calling, which are the activities I usually see them busy at, so I don’t know what he was up to, but he did let me sneak a nice enough picture before he moved on.
Then this mature Cooper’s hawk swooped in, and that was the end of the “little bird” show at the pond. Thankfully, it also let me sneak a nice shot before it made a try for some of the sparrows on the island, and it then bolted off in search of other prey that it might catch off-guard.
Finally, it was time for me to get home for the holiday feast Anne was preparing, and what the woodpecker was doing or what the hawk caught for its own lunch will just have to remain a mystery.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 