Wow! – Signs of Life in Estabrook Park

My morning got off to an amazing start when Anne got me up at 3:50am to see the ISS pass over. The new meteorologist on TMJ4 news mentioned it last evening, and this counts because we went to the south parking lot of Estabrook Park for some pretty good viewing conditions to the west. There are a zillion websites that will tell you when and where to look for it, and I used heavens-above.com, which worked well for me. Also, while you’re up, Venus is shining brightly in the east just before dawn, and it is supposed to just keep getting brighter for the rest of the summer.

Meanwhile, back on earth, I was treated to this little one-act play, right after breakfast. The pictures are meh, but the dramatic tension when mom looks back after bolting off without her fawn, and the Hollywood ending? Be still my heart! I should be talking to Disney about the movie rights, eh?

After yesterday’s report, ever-inquisitive and long-time reader, Carolyn, asked how the mulberries taste, and I can now assert that the “red” ones are quite delicious. So are the raspberries, by the way. Don’t just take my word for it. Would this scraggly-looking teenager steer you wrong? If you’re a little squeamish about eating them off the ground, you can always just pick them from the tree, instead.

I also spotted a few more of our old friends near the river yesterday afternoon. There was a mallard with 4 ducklings, but the pictures are too poor even for this rag. Instead, these three are somewhat presentable. From left/top to right/bottom, we’ve got a green heron putting out his unique call, what looks to be an immature American goldfinch munching on seeds, and an indigo bunting not hiding from me for once.