It was cloudy and breezy in Estabrook Park this morning, but it felt a little warmer than yesterday, and it didn’t rain on me, so it was not a bad morning for April.
My first treat of the day was hearing and then finally seeing a brown thrasher again. This time it was by the skate park.
The learning started with another turkey sighting, back on our side of the river and just east of the boat ramp. First, I learned that it can be tricky telling males from females from just a picture like this. This one has more of a red wattle on the neck than the hen from last week, but not as much as the tom she was with. So, it could be a young male, which I’ve also just learned are called “jakes“. This one also has more of a “snood“, an entirely new word for me, hanging over its beak than the hen from last week, but not one so long as the tom she was with.
This next picture looks mostly the same, but it has one small difference. Can you spot it? Well, it turns out that turkeys can do this with their snoods, and it suggests that this is a jake who I am making nervous. “Sorry, Buddy! I’ll leave you alone so you can relax.”
After that, I stopped by the pond, where this wood duck drake did not require me to learn any new terminology.
I did hear an eastern towhee again today by the pond, and it sounded pretty deep into the woods, so here’s one that is also in the woods from one week ago, but wasn’t quite as deep.
Finally, it appears that all our little dark-eyed juncos have flown north for the summer, I haven’t seen one in nearly a week, so here’s the last picture I captured of one, on the 19th. “See you next fall!”
Lastly, I see that the date on the village website is now correct for my presentation tomorrow, but the start time is still a little early. The correct time is 6:30pm. Baby steps, right? At least now you’ll arrive on the right day, and if you’re early, we’ll have time to chat while I set things up.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 