Central Park: Not as Dismal

Well the rain finally stopped, so I was off to the park!  I was going to try to see the bird that everyone is excited about by the castle.  When I first got to the park I got a bit sneezy so I stopped in a field and climbed onto a rock to have a dry place to sit down.  I took a Claratin, sat for a few minutes, rearranged everything, and then finally noticed that I had a view of this robin's nest.  She was sitting for a few minutes, then rushing out and doing some foraging, then coming back.  She really could have used some preening, not that you can tell here!

I went to the castle but someone was filming something, and I felt too awkward just hanging out to see this bird, especially because apparently it's hard to spot, so my odds were not good regardless.  I did see something small and possibly yellow fly away, so, there you go.  And there I went, to the turtle pond!

Saw this cormorant, I like these birds more and more, the more I see them.

Saw a few red-winged blackbirds, hopefully someday I'll get a decent picture of one in flight, they are really quite something.

Then this cardinal came by briefly, just to say hello, really.

I went over to the lake and saw this kinglet again.  Or at least I think of him as the same one.




What kind?  Ruby crowned!

The water thrush was there.  Another birder, a visitor from I think England, was there trying to get a picture.  We climbed way down into the oven, it was not easy, quite squishy and slippery.  I did get a closer view of the water thrush, but the pictures ....... well, they suck.  Oh well, maybe someday.

As I was leaving the park, walking around the southern shore of the lake, I saw a raccoon swimming across the lake!  It looked like it didn't particularly enjoy swimming, and was pretty bedraggled when it got out.  It sort of went into one tree, and made an odd disturbing sound, then ran off to find another tree.  It was not a happy encounter.

That's it for today.  Mostly I was just happy to be in the park again!