It almost felt like summer again in Estabrook with temps starting in the 60s and quickly reaching the 70s under a warm sun and a picture-perfect blue sky.
The little yellow duckling was swimming around on the pond again this morning, along with nearly two dozen wood ducks, and here’s a handsome one.
There were no herons or anything else new, so I quickly moved on to the river. At the north end, I spotted this male and female belted kingfisher having an animated conversation in the top of a tree over the island.
As I was watching that drama unfold, a third kingfisher caught a fish in the river and landed on this log to choke it down. First the kingfisher thrashed the fish a few times to subdue it.
And then down the hatch it went.
Meanwhile, back on shore, the little birds were getting their breakfasts, too.
A golden-crowned kinglet was too busy foraging to pose as nicely as the one last week, but it did take a moment to show us its golden-crown.
Here’s a dark-eyed junco just back from summering in Canada and already in its wintering grounds. You’re here, little buddy! Welcome back! You made it! Yay!
As I was doing my best to capture a decent junco image as they stuck to the shaded riverbank, a blue heron landed in a well-lit branch on the far shore.
About halfway between the north and south end, at the base of the stairs down from the middle playground and where the stream from the pond reaches the river, is a nice big and wide low area, and this morning it was really abuzz. The acrobatic chickadees were feasting on cutleaf coneflower seeds again, but I’ve already shown you pictures of them the previous two days. Instead, check out this pretty little Nashville warbler.
Without taking a step, I could also see this an “nonbreeding adult/immature” palm warbler.
And, just when I thought we might have seen the last of them for the season, here’s a green heron out on the river.
Finally, I stopped by the patch of asters I discovered blooming beside the Oak Leaf Trail yesterday to look for butterflies again, and there was just this sulphur today. The two spots and pink fringe suggest its probably a pink-edged sulphur, maybe the same one as before.
Lastly, since I’ve gotta go to school in the morning, and so many pictures came out presentable this morning, I’ve saved some for tomorrow. Check in then for the rest of what I saw today.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 