A Visit to Riverside Park with Sasha

29 November, 2025

     After a snowy overnight, with everywhere white and glistening, it was a perfect day for an outing with our little Princess Sasha.

     Her parents, Shishir and Megha, deserve a great deal of credit for bringing out their daughter to enjoy winter, and have some intimate contact with wildlife.

     This blog will be heavy on pictures of Sasha, so you will have lots to delight your eyes.

     On the way to the car there is a large rock where people often leave seeds. An American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) was taking advantage of the buffet.

     As you may see it was a little gloomy, but conditions brightened up as the afternoon progressed.

     Several Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) both male and female decorated the trees.

     Sasha was anxious to feed some Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) so we moved along the trail.

     Sasha and I were ahead of her mom and dad and we looked back to make sure they were following along.

     Soon we were on the boardwalk and the chickadees wasted no time in coming to feed.

     Happiness is a chickadee on the hand, augmented by the largest ear muffs I have ever seen!

     Cardinals seemed exceptionally abundant and were not reluctant to feed close at hand along the rail.

     Several American Tree Sparrows approached close by.

     White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) is an exceptionally handsome sparrow and we were captivated by a couple of them, often feeding with other species.

     Sasha was in full feeding mode.

     She and I moved on a little, again glancing back to keep a watchful eye out for her parents.

     We carried on.

     It was rare that a few chickadees were not right alongside us.

     Perhaps a class of young grade schoolers had a bird house building project and attached them here and there. Certainly, they were more bright than functional.

     Sasha, in that irrepressible way of the young, enjoyed the snow in every way that she could.

     Here are three generations gathered together for a picture.

     The only ducks on the river were Mallards (Anas platyrynchos) and Sasha could not resist trying to feed them too.

     She went to the water's edge and kneeled down with seed in hand.

     The ducks swan right up to her hand but were not quite brave enough to take the food. With more time to invest it could be done, I am sure.

     Dusk was starting to close in and it was time to make our way back to the car. Having fed the chickadees from her hand many times, we placed a little seed on her hat, and without a moment's delay, the birds were feeding merrily.

     Happiness comes in simple packages.

     I am sure that Sasha will not soon forget her first time feeding chickadees.

     And nor will we!