I'm scared!

My lunchtime walk in Congress Park today was accompanied by many fewer ducklings then I had expected. Last week I saw three broods totaling 23 ducklings and today I only saw 8! Whether it was crows, cats, people, or other predators I don’t know, but I guess this is why Mallards have large broods.

The other major change I noticed in the park today is that the apple trees are in bloom:

Gray Catbird in blooming apple tree

In addition to the Gray Catbird enjoying the apple blossoms above, I also spotted Chestnut-sided and Yellow Warblers and an Eastern Kingbird, pretty good for a small urban park.

I’ll end this short post with a rather mangy Gray Squirrel:

mangy Gray Squirrel

Written by Corey
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.