Man, we are in some kind of beautiful weather pattern lately, and it’s just been one gorgeous day after another. The cormorant was fishing in the pond, and a wood duck was dabbling on the river.
The surprise in the park this morning was not a new critter but critters in a new spot. The doe and her two fawns, which we’ve often seen on the soccer fields at the south end, were visiting the north end, perhaps to sample the vegetables in the wildflower meadow, were we saw the buck back in July.
A beaver, but just one this time, was back at the same downed cottonwood as yesterday munching on bark again. It would dive under the water, the branch would jiggle a little bit, and then it would come back up with a new piece of bark to work on.
A chipmunk was making quite a racket in a tree right beside the stairs from the beer garden to the falls, and I know I’ve shown you a few pictures of them before, but this one was trying so hard to get my attention and then posing so nicely that I just couldn’t resist.
I don’t have good data on the fluctuations in nectar production by the various flowers in the park from day to day or week to week, but it has been dry lately, and perhaps we’re in a little bit of a low spot because this looks like some serious competition on a bull thistle blossom. The female dark morph eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) didn’t stick around long after the bumblebee showed up.
This monarch was just sitting it out for now on what look to be sow thistle blossoms that have long gone by.
Finally, I spotted yet another fish in the river that is new to me. Can you help me identify it? I’d say it was about 3 inches long. Maybe a young bass?
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 