It was another wonderful morning in Estabrook Park but in a very different way than yesterday. Instead of fresh snow, we had blue skies and bright sunshine. The skies were so clear, in fact, that there was enough light for me to venture into the park before 6:30 am, for the first time this year. Woo hoo!
Thus, I was able to check the whole river and even swing by the pond before our wildlife walkers started to arrive. Just as I headed to the beer garden parking lot, I found my first grackle at the pond for the year.
We had a nice turnout for our walk, and two folks claimed to be trying a group walk for the first time. What an honor that they chose ours! Meanwhile, one of our regulars had spotted a bald eagle over the river on their way in, so we set out in search of that first.
Along the way, we heard this guy, a red-bellied woodpecker, despite his red cap, announcing the availability of his new nesting cavity. “Good luck, Buddy!” Sure, I would have preferred to capture him looking our way, but I got my first good look at the back of his head instead, and I never knew they had such a ducktail going on back there.
Happily, we did get to see an eagle over the far riverbank by the islands. It was alone this time, so I can’t tell if this is the male or the female, but it was a nice treat for our newcomers either way.
Finally, since my recent picture count rollercoaster continues with another trough, here’s one more look at yesterday’s Oregon-type dark-eyed junco, but from the side this time.
I see that the blue skies are forecast to disappear by tomorrow morning, but so is the wind, so we’ll see soon enough if that deepens my picture trough or pulls me out of it. I did get a glimpse of my first chipmunk of the year, and maybe tomorrow it won’t be so shy.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 