Hawk in Lower Gardens

About 21 degrees at 8:30 a.m. and overcast. Pretty chilly, but thanks to Ian, I am wearing wool pants today and am very comfortable.

On arrival to the lower gardens I saw a large shape in the trees bordering the golf course and the lower gardens. Yes, it was a hawk. I've made an assumption that it was a red-tailed hawk and just as I honed in on it with the binoculars it flew off. the ends of it's wings curled up as it flew off to another tree. Saw some blue jays, robins, chicka-dees, tree sparrows and mockingbirds.

In the upper gardens I saw that the bee hives have been put to bed! Maybe they were a while ago and I didn't notice.  At any rate, the first little creature I saw as I walked up the path was a male downy woodpecker very busy for himself high up in a tree. There was a beautiful pair of cardinals in the big tree in the middle of the gardens chip chipping away. Lots of tree sparrows and goldfinches foraging. The tree sparrows (pictured to right) and a song sparrow or two were very busy on the ground today, poking around in the gardens looking for something decent to eat.

The pond is pretty well frozen now. Saw a herd of juncos between the path and the pond as well as some goldfinches. They seemed to be hanging out together.

The Christmas Bird Count is tomorrow. A Nor' Easter is forecasted for tonight and tomorrow. I really hope they don't cancel it...

It's Really Cold!

20 degrees and though I'm dressed for it, I know I'm not going to last too long out here.

I heard chickadees as I entered the lower gardens and spot this mockingbird and a flock of very puffed up goldfinches. I feel so bad for them. It must have been a nasty night. It's amazing to me how these tiny little creatures survive this kind of cold - and of course it will get colder yet.... They certainly have a lot of fortitude. And there's a song sparrow fat as can be making little peeping noises as well as an American tree sparrow flitting about. I know where I'd be if I was a bird in this cold - inside one of the bird houses scattered around or inside a cavity in a tree!

The deer have been here as I can see the cloven hoof prints in the snow( pictured above). I'm still hoping to catch a glimpse of them. Upper gardens pretty quiet.  Winter is definitely making its presence known. A downy woodpecker, a nuthatch and a noisy blue jay are the only other birds I see as I wind my way down to the river and back through the Woodcock meadow.

The pond is lightly frozen over and the river is starting to freeze near its banks. One day last year, I went down to the river and saw a large frozen carp staring at me through the ice. Very creepy. Hope all the fish are safely buried in the muck of the river.

Sunny Sunday

Sunny morning, still and cold.

1 Canada Goose 4 Blue Jay 1 American Crow 8 Black-capped Chickadee 4 Tufted Titmouse 3 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet 1 American Robin 3 Northern Mockingbird 3 American Tree Sparrow 11 Song Sparrow 14 Dark-eyed Junco 2 Northern Cardinal 4 House Finch 8 American Goldfinch

Tree Sparrows and Goldfinches

7:15 a.m. and 42 degrees. Pretty gray out. Rain predicted for this afternoon and then turning to snow this evening.

The lower gardens is covered with goldfinches. They have covered a certain kind of wildflower in a large patch and it's so quiet you can hear them munching and foraging around! There are too many for me to count.

The upper gardens had several tree sparrows and a song sparrow concentrated in one garden that they seemed very enamored of. There was something delicious in there and it was fun to watch them congregating and munching and talking to each other. It was like a social club! Caught a glimpse of the red-bellied woodpecker on the edge of the woods next to the path. The squawking mocker was there as well and it became his mission to chase a bright red cardinal all around the garden. There were blue jays, robins, and nuthatches in various areas of the park, but that's all I saw.

I ran into Ian right before I had to leave, and he had seen a golden-crowned kinglet in the lower gardens!

Bluebird Sighting!

Low 40's, clear and sunny - a beautiful day. Got to the park around 7:45. The lower gardens were rather quiet - some robins, goldfinches, juncos, bluejays and a rabbit which I was almost on top of before we discovered each other and it ran away with its white tail bobbing behind it! Today I smelled that musky smell down in the lower gardens. Wondering if it is indeed the smell of fox....

Decided to explore the upper gardens. On the way up, the wildflower field that was filled with robins last week is now filled with crows. That is one of the things that makes exploring this park so much fun. You never know what you're going to see next!

At any rate, the upper gardens were dead quiet. Not a bird in sight. Just as I was rounding the bend on the soccer field side, there was a flurry of activity. First there was a bush full of house finches and goldfinches. There was a mockingbird that sounded like it was saying "uh oh" at me as if I had invaded it's territory. Then I heard some strange whistling noise. I looked up into the big tree in the center of the gardens and there was a bluebird!!! I couldn't believe it. I haven't seen one in so long. However, I feel like I saw one just about this time of year last year - late November, early December. I ran into Haynes up there and he had seen a single bluebird last week! Is it the same one? Is it passing through or will it winter here? I should have asked it!

The only other birds I saw were on the path to the soccer field. Saw goldfinches, song sparrows, juncos, blue jays, house finches and a white throated sparrow.

Thanksgiving and a Pair of Hermit Thrushes!

40's and very foggy, but quiet and beautiful except for the fact that the birds are highly excited and active today. Do they think we're done with winter and this is spring?

The lower gardens were very busy this morning. Tons of robins, goldfinches, song sparrows and bluejays, juncos and house finches chasing each other in pairs and generally making quite a racket!

I was looking at what I thought was a tree full of robins when it turned out they were cedar waxwings and with them was a hermit thrush.  Not only did I see it once, but I saw it again on the path to the soccer field, and then, not only did I see one, but I saw a pair (blurry picture to right)!!!!! I was really excited. Also saw one white throated sparrow in lower gardens and a downy woodpecker.

The wildflower field was covered with robins. On the way to the gardens, I smelled that musky odor which I am now pretty sure is the fox. In the upper gardens were some titmice, nuthatches, goldfinches and American tree sparrows.

Not much else of note, but it really was very atmospheric there today with the fog everywhere and the sun trying to poke through, but not succeeding.

Wildflower Field Mowed and Special Visitor!

7:30 a.m. and 42 degrees. Today when I arrived at the park I could see the wildflower field had been mowed and it was all covered with frost. I know that yesterday as I was leaving a huge truck was there, so I guess I wasn't all that surprised.

What did surprise me though was a fox that I could see on the path across from the field! I think it was a red fox in winter gear, but not 100% sure. As soon as it saw me it disappeared so I stayed on the path near the entrance and watched the birds in the brush. There were white throated sparrows foraging on the ground ahead of me. Then all of a sudden I caught some movement in the field and looked up. There was the fox leaping around in the field. It looked like he was jumping and dancing and running around in circles. It reminded me of a cat playing with its toy. When I looked at it through the binoculars I saw that it was actually playing with something! I was horrified that it was a bird, but it was a rodent of some kind because it definitely had a fleshy, long tail. I guess it would have to be a mouse or a rat or something like that. It played for quite a while and then disappeared into the woods between the upper gardens and the path to the soccer field. I walked the field looking for the rodent, but couldn't find it.

As far as birds are concerned,  I saw all the regulars today. Lots and lots of blue jays, song sparrows, goldfinches, tufted titmice, juncos, chickadees, robins, cardinal (picture right), a male house finch and several nuthatches in the same location I saw them in yesterday.

The light was beautiful as it shone through the trees.