It was a little cloudy and a little breezy this morning in Estabrook Park, but it was also a glorious 40°F, so quite a welcome taste of the spring weather to come. I feared that the river path would be a mud bath, but it must have been just clear enough and just cool enough overnight for radiant cooling to do the rest, and the mud was nice and firm, at least for the first hour and a half.
The nice weather and/or Presidents Day brought out a couple of walkers I haven’t seen in a while, so it was great to catch up as we headed for the river. The ice is melting, but much of it has a nice reflective layer of snow on top, so it’s taking its sweet time. In the widening gaps, we saw Canada geese, mallards, common mergansers, a few common goldeneyes, and here’s a hen of the latter.
The lone red-breasted merganser drake is still with us, as well, and here he is just about to hide behind a mallard pair.
The next most interesting critter we saw on our walk was a white-throated sparrow by the pond, but it evaded my camera, and then it was time for folks to get on with their day. I headed home, too, and on my way, this little red squirrel seemed to be quite upset with me. It scampered around for a bit and eventually ended up on this perch where it could shout down at me. “I’m not sure what I did, but I sure am sorry, sweetie! Oh, and you’ve got a little mud on your nose.”
Finally, as I neared the south end, I found this white-breasted nuthatch busily foraging away and far too busy to pay me no nevermind.
Since I’ve come up short on local pictures once again, here are a few second looks at some of the beauties we saw in Nicaragua. Here’s another look at the bare-throated tiger-heron pair, in which he looks like he’s shouting “Woo hoo! We’re looking for nesting sites!” while she appears to be contemplating the actual logistics of building a nest there and with this lunatic.
Here’s another look at the common squirrel-cuckoo at the Apoyo Lagoon Natural Reserve, which better shows its decurved cuckoo bill.
Lastly, here’s another look at the young black-crowned night-heron struggling to get a huge fish lined up to slide into its gullet.
It is supposed to be cooler and cloudier tomorrow, so who knows what I’ll find, but I’ll be sure to show you whatever it is. Oh, and before I forget, I’ve got a few new talks lined up, and I’ll be the only one on the agenda, at least for my allotted time slot, so if you still haven’t had a chance to grill me on camera settings before a live audience, check out these upcoming opportunities.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 