It was a pretty morning in Estabrook Park, with clear skies and seasonably cool temps, but we could have used a little less of that stiff breeze out of the north. Luckily, there are plenty of places for us and the critters to get out of that breeze and let the bright sun warm us up. We had a nice turnout for the wildlife walk with five regulars and three newbies, and we opted to check out the river first. There, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the horned grebe is still with us. Sweet!
The big surprise, however, which Jenny and Barb claimed to have found together, was another palm warbler. The folks at ebird still considers them rare for this date, so it was a nice treat for the whole group. In the picture below, you can see that it even just caught a fly, so it’s not going hungry. Yay, and thanks to Jenny and Barb!
When we were done chasing the palm with our binoculars and cameras, we climbed back up onto the bluff just in time to spot a flock of about 30 double-crested cormorants fly pretty low right over our heads. As we were trying to determine just how many we saw, another, larger flock, which we estimated at 60 birds, followed right behind the first. Even better, we watched as a handful peeled off, circled the island a couple of times, and landed on the river. I raced back down to try for a picture, but they didn’t stay long, and all I was able to capture was them taking back off again.
Next, we headed for the pond, and there I finally managed to sneak our first picture for the year of a ruby-crowned kinglet. It didn’t give us a glimpse of its ruby crown, but that white eye-ring is a sure giveaway.
The other nice surprise at the pond was finding both the male belted kingfisher …
and the female, so we have a hope of seeing young kingfishers, once they fledge, on the river this summer. Woo hoo! As you can see, neither one was allowing portraits today, but we should have all summer for that.
Finally, there were four pairs of wood ducks floating around, and here’s a drake catching that morning sunlight just right. In fact, if you zoom in on his cheek (click on the image to view it in flickr), you can see he’s got a tiny fly catching a ride, and I’m sure there are plenty of kinglets and a few warblers who would love to help him with that.
I’ll be out next Monday, but John Kasper told me this morning that he’ll be there, and he’ll be happy to lead around any wildlife walkers that care to join him.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 