It was a surprisingly nice morning in Estabrook Park, considering that the weather forecast just last evening had pretty confidently called for rain. Sure, it was cool, with the air temperature just below freezing, and the cloud cover was pretty thick, but the wind was light, and not a raindrop fell, so I call that a win!
My second big surprise was seeing the beaver again so soon, and this time it was heading upstream along the near shore, but I sure could have used a little more light.
About 100 yards farther upstream, as I approached the abandoned bridge abutment, I spotted a little shape as it hopped up onto a low perch. A quick glance through my binoculars revealed another eastern phoebe, and it was giving me a chance to try a different background. The old concrete monolith is popular with graffiti artists, the side that faces downstream is adorned with some intricate symbol drawn in blues and pinks, and our little cutie was parked right in front of it. How fun is that?
Anyway, at the islands above the falls, we still have a couple of stragglers who have not yet flown north, and here’s a common merganser hen. I’d like to think she’s taking a good look around and thinking to herself, “I’m gonna miss this place when I go.”
One of the two horned grebes is also still with us, but it was keeping an eye on me and did not appear to be enjoying a similar contemplative moment. “Sorry, Sweetie!”
The surprise of the morning, at least at the islands, was this belted kingfisher putting in another, but still infrequent, visit. I sure hope he can find a she soon and settle down for the summer.
And, in case you are unimpressed with my attempt above to blend nature and urban art, here’s another phoebe posing in front of a perfectly natural background of last year’s dried grasses and forbs.
Finally, the wood ducks on the pond have also been an on-again-off-again sighting recently, and here’s a pair flipping that switch back on again this morning. I have not yet seen any indication that they have even noticed the newly reinstalled nesting boxes on the island, let alone have an opinion about their desirability, sorry Gene, but there’s still plenty of time for that.
Lastly, thanks for all the congratulatory messages in response to yesterday’s 6th anniversary announcement. There’s a distinct possibility that I’d be spending as much time in the park even without your positive feedback, simply because I enjoy it so much, but your “atta boys” sure do sweeten the deal!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 