The weather was beautiful this morning in Estabrook Park, and things got off to a great start when I spotted a great blue heron at the river.
But then the sightings really dried up. I did see the beaver again, but it was going away from me this time, and I was able to ID plenty of birds by sounds or from glimpses, but several fewer than yesterday. Folks who participated in the Urban Ecology Center bird walk in Riverside Park reported a similar lack of abundance. Let’s hope it’s just a short-term glitch.
By the time I was coming back downstream from the far north end, I hadn’t heard a nuthatch yet, so I swung by the tree they had been on a week ago, and sure enough, the pair was there. Even better, they were actively carrying nesting material into that hole in the tree. Yippee!
Here it is on its way out of the hole to go get another beak full. I watched it go in and out at least three times before I could time my shot to catch it just as it went in and just as it came out, so they are hard at work.
And that’s it for today, I’m sad to say. Luckily, I still have some shots left over from the past week, so here’s another look at the rusty blackbird from Sunday.
Here’s the thrasher at the pond, also on Sunday, but I didn’t show you until Monday.
Finally, here’s a second look at the sedge wren from yesterday.
Now I’ve gotta get some sleep because we’re supposed to be out the door at 3:55am tomorrow to go watch the Greater Prairie Chicken Booming. I sure hope the rain we’re due to get overnight is done by showtime.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
HI Andrew, for whatever it’s worth, around noon on Wed. 4/22, when I was biking through Estabrook Park and stopped at the Beer Garden to see how high the river was, I also saw on the west side of the river, resting in the trees, and then flying around in big circles, two birds which appeared to be a pair of eagles and also appeared to be a couple – very large raptors, definitely larger than red-tailed hawks (birds I know from my yard). I didn’t have binoculars to check them out, but they looked magnificent. They alighted in the trees just on the west side of the river a couple times, and then flew around in large circles. Maybe you’ll find them again. Or maybe they were some other kind of raptor. Best wishes, as always, Jean G.
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