Missing some degrees, but still happy

53 I was promised!  Okay, not promised exactly, but that was the predicted temperature this afternoon.  It sounds very close to 46, but I would have been quite a bit happier with 53.  Also, it was much cloudier than expected.

This egret at the pond didn't look too overwhelmed by the weather either.

But it sure brightened my day!  I haven't seen one here in quite some time.  I hope either an egret or heron takes up residence at the pond this year, having the black crowned night herons so nearby was really a joy last year.  :-)

Coming up towards the park road, this blue jay seemed really upset.

Maybe because the wind was messing up its 'do!  I hate it when that happens!

The red-headed woodpecker was not evident.  I mean, I just swung by, I didn't search.  I did check for kestrels, this is where I saw that one, but neither one came by today.

Up to the boathouse, where things were fairly quiet.  There are still lots of white-throated sparrows around, but they are looking a bit more motley.  There are still some very beautiful vivid ones, but not as many.  Out on the point I was enjoying being around some activity - cardinals (looking quite lovely indeed), sparrows, titmouses, white-breasted nuthatches.  Then a red-winged blackbird flew right at me and landed on a tree just about 10 feet in front of me.  I love when they fly towards me!  The angle was bad, so the pictures are crap, but it was lovely in real life.

Over to the oven, where it was pretty quiet.  Then a hawk flew over in ever-higher circles, I couldn't tell where it eventually went.  I think it was a red-tailed hawk based on the shape, but I could not see much color or pattern so that's really just a guess.  My only hawk of the day!  It's funny, some days I see them so much and some days they just seem to all be elsewhere.  I wonder if that's just random, or if there is some pattern to it that I just don't know yet.

The most interesting thing at the oven was this dark-eyed junco bathing.  I love their tails.

As I left the oven, this downy came over quite close and posed.

I love the pattern on the backs of their heads!

I went around the ramble a bit before heading down the park road on the west side.  On the lake (Ladies Pavillion I think) they were filming 30 Rock.  An egret and Alec Baldwin on the same walk - gotta love new York City!

Later in the afternoon I saw a peregrine falcon outside the window!  At first I thought it was a pigeon because we haven't seen a falcon here for quite some time.  But I had a good (albeit too brief) view and I could see that it was much more serious than a pigeon, especially wing-wise, and I could definitely see the markings on its face.  However it left as I raced around frantically looking for the camera.  Sooooooo.......... I went for the camera first.  Before the binocs.  What does that say?