Man, by the looks of things in Estabrook Park this morning, those of you who live around here must have really had some weather while Anne and I were galivanting around Europe. Trees are down and there’s snow on the ground, but spring is back again, and birds are really on the move.
The first big treat for me was not only seeing this secretive character, an American woodcock (Scolopax minor), but actually capturing an image of one on film for my very first time. Woo-hoo!
And then the treats just kept coming. Here’s our first horned grebe of the year. It sure isn’t as fancy as the one we saw last year, but it’s only the third one I’ve ever seen in Estabrook, so hooray!
In the water around the grebe, there were Canada geese and mallards, of course, but also common mergansers, a red-breasted merganser, and a coot, all of which we’ve already seen this year. The big surprise was a pair of blue-winged teals, another first for the year, and here’s the drake giving us his best show. Outstanding!
Meanwhile, the parade of newcomers continued back on shore with our first brown creeper of the year. Yippee!
Right below the creeper, a quartet of golden-crowned kinglets also foraged frantically for calories to ingest. Yeehaw!
Finally, I stopped by the pond, and look who had just arrived to check out the newly installed nesting boxes. Our first pair of wood ducks of the year. Hallelujah!
I couldn’t have cooked up a better welcome home if I tried.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 