My sister and I went out looking for more open water on the old Farmington Canal this morning, but we completely struck out. The pond where we’ve seen river otters, green herons, and cormorants, was still completely iced over. So, we checked out Hannover Pond again after lunch, and before we even got there, we spotted this pretty face on the side of the road. It’s a turkey vulture, and it must have heard me gushing about the black vultures yesterday.
When we finally did reach the pond, I was stunned to find another odd duck, two of them in fact, this pair of American wigeons. We’ve seen them in Estabrook, but these are my sister’s first ever and my first in Connecticut. Yippee!
While working on getting a good wigeon shot, I spotted yet another odd duck dabbling at the far shore. They’re not quite as easy to see, but those are green-winged teals, which are also a first ever for Deb and a first in Connecticut for me. Holy Moly!
Not to be forgotten, the gadwall drake was still there, and here’s a new look.
Not all the action was out on the water, and there was a small raptor mixing it up with all the fish crows that congregate there. At first, I thought it was a Cooper’s hawk, because of how it looked in flight, but once it perched, I could see that it was a Merlin, and another first for Deb.
The merlin didn’t stay perched on the branch for long, but was soon back in the air playing “chase me, chase you” with the crows, and as I was trying my hardest to capture some of that action, a red-tailed hawk drifted over the pond. Unbelievable! It was chaos in the skies! This is the best action shot I managed.
Finally, here’s a pretty nice look at just the hawk.
We’ve got a lot of appointments tomorrow, starting in the morning, so I’m not sure when I’ll get to for a walk, but if and when I do, I’ll be sure to let you know what I see.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 