Yesterday afternoon was so nice, I went out again and ran into our newest little buddy, the friendly American coot, at the south end again, almost within sight of the Capitol Ave bridge.

Then, this morning, I finally confirmed that there are indeed at least too coots on the river. Maybe our friendly coot from the south end met up with the shy coot from the north end. As with most birds, they look so similar, I’ll never know for sure, but here they are heading to the west side across from the mud flats in the pretty morning sun.

Above the falls, I spotted this pair of mallard drakes soaking up that morning sun after a pretty cold night. There was frost on the grass as I made my way to the river. One of our beaver poked its nose out of the water near there, too, but ducked back under as soon as it spotted me and must have kept swimming south because I didn’t see it again.

At the north end, there were a few wood ducks around, at least one hen, and at least 3 drakes. Here are two drakes who found a spot where the blue sky reflects nicely off the muddy water.

Here’s a tree trunk stretching out over the water from the northern island, and it was pretty crowded this morning. How many birds can you find on it?

I had hoped that I might find a warbler again in the trees east of the meadow there, but they were quiet this morning so I reluctantly headed back south. The river trail was seeing pretty good traffic by then, so I forded the little oxbow pond and kept close to the river.

As luck would have it, I found some litter to collect, and as I concentrated on picking it up without losing my phone or my keys, a big commotion erupted on the southern island just across the channel from me. A pair of mallards came first, on the wing and quacking for all they were worth, followed closely by a Canada goose doing the same. As I turned to gawk at the skeptical, I spotted a huge dark form land on a big branch high above.

At first I thought it was a hawk, but it was far too big for that. Then I thought maybe a young eagle who hadn’t gotten its white feather yet. Finally it dawned on me that this must, at long last, be an owl, a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus).

Well, I did the best mix I could manage of “as fast as I can” and “don’t make any sudden moves” and got out my camera. Meanwhile, our new guest quickly hopped down the branch into a less-conspicuous location.

It looks like that might be a thick grape vine beside the tree trunk that it found to hide behind. Here it is keeping an eye on me, at least for the moment.

Finally, it settled in behind that vine, and succeeded in waiting me out.

So, for the second time this week, I floated home on a cloud, at least until my reverie was broken by the call of this cardinal that was almost as bright as he was.

Long-time readers may recall last spring when a fellow bird enthusiast tipped me off to the great horned owls and owlets residing over at Newton and Prospect. Well, now we can finally say that we’ve seen at least one of them in Estabrook Park, too.

PS. Both geese were incubating away this morning on the island in the pond, so our string of good luck appears to be holding.

It did turn into a pretty morning, but it started out pretty grey. There is nothing new to report at the pond, which is good news as this point. Both geese were incubating at their respective ends of the island, and a third couple appear to have given up for the season. Well, two out of three is still two times better than last year.

At the river, I spotted a solo blue-winged teal drake off the mudflats with a pair of mallards. Here he is cutting in front of the mallard hen. With that face, I guess we should expect that he’d be cheeky, eh?

Here he is just chilling and cutting in front of anybody.

Just above the falls, I spotted the solo red-breasted merganser hen or immature male.

At the north end, the kingfishers toyed with me, and I didn’t even try today. Instead I found this guy who appears for all the world to be a male brown-headed cowbird, perhaps searching for that female we saw last Sunday.

While I was looking up, this Cooper’s hawk took off and climbed through a couple of lazy circles before heading west.

Finally, still at the north end, I spotted at long last our first warbler for the season. I’ve been hearing of sightings for a couple of weeks now, but this is the first one I’ve been able to capture in an image. It is a male yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) in “Myrtle” plumage, on his way to breeding grounds that start upstate and continue to Hudson Bay.

He was very busy mining this tree for bugs and just about a nimble as a chickadee or a kinglet. It took me forever to get even these half-way decent shots.

The sky was turning blue and the sun was warm as I came home from campus for lunch, so I had my hopes up, but by the time I ate and took care of some work chores, the clouds were back and the wind was cold. Oh well.

I went out anyway, and I don’t think I saw a single mammal, let alone reptiles, amphibians, or insects. Luckily, there were a few birds about, and here they are.

The belted kingfishers were active at the north end, and I think I finally captured an image of a female with her decorative chestnut flanks.

Here’s the male who was in the vicinity.

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Also at the north end was this lone female, or immature male, red-breasted merganser.

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Finally, on the shore of the northern island was this lone American coot, perhaps the same one we saw there yesterday on that same island. It sure was not as friendly as the one that came to visit me much farther south yesterday.

Speaking of that friendly coot from yesterday, here’s another picture.

And one more, without goop hanging out of its bill this time.

Okay. Last one from yesterday, and this time one of the beaver, in which you can just see a bit of its grey tail on the ground just under its mouth.

The forecast is for mostly sunny to sunny tomorrow morning, so keep your fingers crossed.

The park was very quiet this morning, under a cold grey sky, and things got off to a pretty slow start. When I arrived at the pond, this little critter was gleaning scraps that the geese and ducks failed to find on the west lawn.

The goose on the southern tip of the island was still on her nest, and as I walked around to the north side to check on the second one, I accidentally spooked these two.

That’s right, a pair of blue-winged teals right on our tiny little pond. They booked clockwise around the island, so I headed counterclockwise to meet them on the other side, where I was able to capture this slightly nicer portrait of the drake. Oh, and the second goose is also still incubating.

There was a kingfisher again, and I think a female for a change, but she eluded me, so I headed down to the river. Neither robin was on her nest this morning, but that’s not necessarily bad news yet. They could be still laying their clutches and not yet incubating.

Above the falls, I stopped to scan ahead to see if there is anybody I should try not too spook, and look who I saw. Hot Diggity Dog! With that white beak and black body, it sure looks like an American coot, so I headed off in hot pursuit, taking the back way, where I hoped it wouldn’t see me coming.

When I got up beside that northern island, there was no coot to be found, sadly, but as I searched in vain, I did spot another teal, this time a solo drake amongst the geese.

Oh well. I figured I might as well pick up the new trash brought in by the high water, and after a bit, look who decided to show up.

This is indeed an American coot (Fulica americana) stopping to preen right under the fallen tree trunk on which the muskrat rested two days ago. Ha!

With a spring in my step, I headed back south along the river, and I hadn’t gotten more than a couple hundred yards, when this handsome downy woodpecker couple obliged me as they foraged in front of a nice dark background, instead of the grey sky, which had brightened.

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So, now I was pretty anxious to get home, and I continued along the river, but took the higher path, where I expected to find much less litter to distract and slow me down. This was my reward. I probably wasn’t even 20 feet away when he or she popped out of the water and paused a bit to scratch a few itches before continuing upstream.

This one even showed off its webbed hind foot.

Now I really wanted to get home, but I had to stopped for this pretty little sight. That’s early meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum) looking like the buds of a bunch of flowers before it opens up and turns into green leaves instead.

Here’s a quick look at the progression from tiny purple balls into little green leaves.

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Okay, now I am finally heading home, but there’s this one spot right on the water where a bunch of fresh white Styrofoam™ scraps has accumulated, and it is actually still early, and I even still have a couple of empty bags in my pocket, so I make just one more stop.

As I’m crouched down, intently picking up mostly just the bigger pieces so at least it isn’t an eyesore from the trail, look who I just happened to notice also intently foraging. An American coot again, giving me a third chance for a decent photo!

I don’t know if there is more than one on the river right now, but this little rascal was hardly 6 feet away from me, and maybe didn’t notice me either, until I looked up. At that point, I guess it figured that if I was going to eat it, I would have already, so it just kept on foraging as I slowly took out my camera to started taking pictures. I absolutely could not believe my luck. It eventually worked its way around the tiny peninsula of drift wood I was on, and then calmly headed down river.

Will wonders ever cease? A that point, I just floated home on a cloud and found my keys on the first try, securely zipped into my fleece breast pocket, right where I put them.

Two geese were still incubating on the island in the pond, this cool morning, but it is not clear if the third goose is even laying eggs yet. We’ll know soon enough, I guess.

The breakout star at the pond this morning is this cheerful little white-throated sparrow, belting out Oh-sweet-Canada in the brief morning sun for all to hear.

Along the river, Mrs. Robin was working on her nest again this morning. There was a lot of rotating and strenuous looking pushing, but I guess that’s how it’s done.

Just below her, on the river, Mrs. Mallard took a nap.

While Mr. Mallard kept a watchful eye on me.

Meanwhile, a young red-tailed hawk flew lazy circles over the Oak Leaf Trail.

Finally, I found a few trout lilies that must have received enough warm sun yesterday afternoon to open up for us, and here’s the most photogenic one, even with that stick by its side.

Lastly, I somehow averted disaster again this morning. When I first got home, I couldn’t find my keys, and I figured I’d lost them somewhere along the river. They sadly do not have a feature to show me on a map where they are, and Anne was out. So after waiting around for a few minutes, I headed back into the park, which worked out nicely because that’s when I spotted the lilies and the hawk. Anyway, Anne returned, let me in, and that’s when I found my keys zipped up nice and secure in the breast pocket of my fleece, exactly where I put them to keep them safe. Ha! I really outsmarted myself this time.

The big news from Estabrook this morning is that it appears as though a third pair of geese might have finally found a nesting site. She was off it again by the time I left, and it’s not on the island, so we’ll have to see if they can make a go of it there, but best of luck to them!

Meanwhile, I am pleased to report that the incubation continues on both the northern and southern tips of the island.

At the river, I found another robin nesting in a spot that seems far too obvious, so I hope that works out, too. The one we saw a couple of days ago was on the nest again as I walked past. Fingers crossed for both of them. Sorry about the blurry picture, but I’m trying to be as unobtrusive as I can so they don’t abandon.

Just a bit north of there, was another pair of geese making all the appearances of hoping desperately to find a nesting site of their own, literally looking high and low, but nothing in that vicinity looked promising to me. Oof, that’s gotta be an awful feeling.

At the north end, I spotted one of our furry little aquatic friends again, a muskrat this time.

On my way back south, I found this cute pair of mourning doves foraging beside the little stream that runs from the pond down to the river. All winter, they were surprisingly shy, so I was very surprise to see how unperturbed they appeared to be today.

Lastly, I spotted this little clutch of eggs on the back side of a small tree trunk, and I wonder what they’ll hatch into.

Finally, there are a couple of new splashes of color in the park. At the south end, beside the river, I found this specimen, about the size of a quarter that Pl@ntNet assures me with 97.7% confidence is Bristly buttercup (Ranunculus hispidus)

At the north end, also beside the river, are these pretty white and blue violets, apparently a hybrid (Viola melissifolia).

The orb-weavers (Araneidae) are back, and with the sun coming out this morning after the rain and heavy fog last night, their artistry looked amazing! I didn’t see any of the actual spiders themselves, but their work was unmistakable.

Also just in, the female red-winged blackbirds have finally arrived at the pond. I read that the males arrive first, to stake out territory, and then the females fly in a bit later. Well, later is now, so there’d better be some good territory staked out is all I’m saying.

She was calling, too, and maybe to this handsome devil across the pond.

Also at the pond, the goose on the southern tip of the island was off her nest again, but I could clearly see 4 eggs in it now. They say that she won’t incubate until she’s laid all her eggs so that they hatch at about the same time, and maybe she’s still got one or two left in the hopper.

A few wood ducks were also there this morning. Here’s the hen with her current pretty boy checking out the lawn will the other two drakes were on the island plotting their schemes.

The morning sun also brought out the turtles, who’ve been laying low, literally under water, while we got our April showers.

Finally, a kingfisher came by the pond for the first time this season that I’ve seen, and he perched perfectly at the top of a dead birch tree on the island against a bright blue sky. Magic! I hustled around to the other side to get the sun at my back. I was approaching as carefully as I knew how, because they are so skittish, but just before I got to a clear shot through the brush and trees, the geese got into an argument, again, and she was out of there. This is what I was left with. Dang.

Oh well. On to the river, where I was surprised to find Mrs. Gadwall is still kicking around. At first I thought she was a mallard, but when she high-tailed it for the far shore as soon as she saw me, I should have realized who she was. Luckily, the far shore happened to be closer that its ever been, so here you go. Plus, she couldn’t have been to bothered by my presence too much because she immediately went about preening herself, and this is one of the few shots I got in which she’s actually looking our way.

The northern flickers are still plentiful and shy as ever.

As are the cardinals northern cardinals, but less shy.

For some reason, the black-capped chickadees were especially photogenic this morning.

Plus, I spotted a couple working on their nest. It first I thought they were finding something to eat in the top of a dead tree trunk, but as I worked my way around to the back side, I found that they were actively excavating a nesting hole. I had no idea.

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Sure enough, the fine folks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology describe their nest placement as “nest boxes, small natural cavities, or abandoned Downy Woodpecker cavities; often excavate their own cavities.“

Finally, the cowbirds have just arrived, too, and here’s a female rustling up some breakfast.

PS. I finally scored a reach extender that somebody left behind in the park last week, and I thought I’d never use one, but I discovered that they sure come in handy when I’m trying to fish some litter out of the water. This morning, I finally tied my old camera strap to it so I could sling it over my shoulder, like Dead Pool, and that thing was handy as heck. Who could have known?

I know. I know. That’s redundant, but I just mean to distinguish from all the other things moms get to, such as eating, sleeping, and drinking the Chardonnay.

Anyway, the exciting news is that the goose who lost her eggs is trying again, this time on a new nest that is shallow enough for us to see the eggs, and I can count three of them! Oh happy day! and fingers crossed, everybody.

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Meanwhile, the goose on the northern tip of the island is still on her nest.

Finally, here are the two ganders making dang sure nobody crosses the line separating the north end of the island from the south end.

While I was checking on the geese, I spotted these two birds on a branch, and wondered what they were up to. From afar, I thought maybe there were waxwings, whom I often see in pairs.

Well, it turns out that was is a female cardinal, which you can probably tell from the picture above, and she’s got some nesting material in her beak.

And the other one is a white-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), also with nesting material. In this species, the males and females do not have different plumage, so let’s just say she’s a female for the sake of today’s narrative. I’ve been hearing their call for the last week or so, which I now read is pronounced “Oh-sweet-canada,” and I was wondering when I’d finally spot one.

I still wonder what they were doing up their together, though. Maybe just exchanging knowing glances.

Anyway, down on the river, here’s a mallard hen looking for something up high in a tree, although they are said to nest on the ground, so I don’t know what she’s after. I didn’t even know they went up into trees at all until I saw her fly up there this morning.

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Meanwhile, here’s a couple of drakes lazily drifting down the river together below her like a couple of bros having a swell time.

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Right above them was this wood duck hen on a branch, perhaps scoping out nesting sites, which indeed are up in trees.

As these three amigos paddle up river along the far shore.

Lastly, here’s a robin wrestling a piece of straw into her nest just over the river trial.

PS. Here’s you splash of color, after all those browns, greens, and greys, a scraggly forsythia growing wild on the slope below the beer garden.

It was a super quiet morning in the park, with hardly any people and hardly any critters. The most exciting new find is by my colleague, Mike from Riverwest, who posts his pictures on instagram under “ByThePushOfAButton“. We met for the first time yesterday afternoon as I made my way south on the east side and he was coming north on the west side. I think he recognized my funny-shaped head and called across the water to say “hi”.

Anyway, he didn’t let on at the time, sly devil, but he had just taken a couple of pictures of an American coot (Fulica americana). Please follow this link to see his amazing pictures and be sure to click on the little heart symbol to give him some encouragement. I tried in vain to find it again this morning, and even ran into Mike again, who hadn’t seen it either. Dang.

The one new find I have is this little Eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) on a branch over the river above the falls.

The more interesting sight, however, is probably this grackle, also on a branch over the river. First it called over another one.

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And then they stared at the sky. Maybe its a ritual of some kind.

And that’s it for the critters, so thank goodness for the plants!

Here’s a bigger version of glories of the snow (Scilla luciliae) that’s a completely different species and even genus from of the little ones we saw last week (Chionodoxa forbesii). It’s more closely related to the squills that are making blue carpets everywhere.

Meanwhile, the trout lilies, possibly (Erythronium albidum), are up and just about ready to open.

A pussy willow, possibly (Salix caprea), is open over the pond.

White violets are up beside the river.

And I think that’s all for now!

Between class and the rain, I’m not sure if I’ll make it to the park today, but as previously advertised, yesterday was such an amazing day, I’ve got some pictures left over for just such an occasion.

First up is this cute little ruby-crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula) grooming itself beside the pond. Thanks to a helpful tip from Charles, I knew to look for the white eyeliner if I couldn’t see the crown color, which I read “is usually concealed”, to distinguish it from its golden-crowned cousin.

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Here are a couple more new blooms, a tiny grape hyacinth beside the pond, and a creeping charlie (Glechoma hederacea) beside the river.

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Robins are as plentiful as ever throughout the park, and the particular one is keeping an eye on me as it makes for a promising pile of leaves on the ground between us.

The toadshade (Trillium sessile) or red trillium has bolted out of the ground in the recent warm weather.

A mourning dove found the morning sun so nice beside the pond, it didn’t even mind me taking this picture for a change.

There. We’re all caught up, and I’d better find something good for tomorrow.