I didn’t see the goslings this morning, but that could simply mean that they were down in a canal paddling around when I tried to look from across the field. You may be surprised to learn, however, that they are not even the only late-summer youngsters out on the polder. Here’s one of a clutch of pint-sized pheasants I also saw yesterday.
And here’s their mom keeping an eye on me.
I don’t know if it was just a coincidence, but there were also more buzzards in the air than I’ve seen before, and here are three.
The biggest surprise of today, however, was this good-sized, mud-covered crawfish crossing the bike path. We’ve seen smaller ones in Estabrook, and I knew they have them here as well, but I didn’t know they got this big. This one was moving pretty quickly, too, as though it were on a mission, and I tried to slow it down enough for a picture. It refused to grab a stick I placed in its claws, so I mistakenly thought they were just for show. When I tried to tug on its tail a bit with my fingers, it really let me have it, and the pincer tips were quite sharp. I hope I won’t be making that mistake again!
Finally, the sun eventually burned off all the morning fog and warmed things up enough for the butterflies to come out, so I stopped by the flower patch on my way home and found this red admiral tanking up on nectar.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 