Full Circle

The rain did quit by morning, and the sun even came out around noon, but man-oh-man it sure was cold in the breeze before then. After a couple of hours outside, I had to go back to my apartment, get warmed up, and put on more layers before going out again.

When the sun was out, however, and especially if you could get out of the breeze, it sure was nice. So nice, in fact, that I saw my first butterfly of the season, this skittish peacock (Aglais io), whom we haven’t seen since September. I read that they hibernate instead of migrating, same as the mourning cloaks in Estabrook Park, so they can be the first on the scene as soon as the weather is warm enough.

The graylag geese goslings we first saw just yesterday were also enjoying the warm sun after lunch.

As was this chiffchaff, one of the first birds I ever photographed here.

And this willow warbler, whom we also saw last summer.

The main event, for me anyway, was this kestrel hunting.

Here it is again after collecting a very plump-looking rodent.

And here’s a closer shot from later in the day when the clouds had mostly cleared out.

Finally, here’s a patch of butterbur blossoms (Petasites hybridus), that have sprung up all over the place in the past two weeks.

And that concludes the Dutch portion of our program, at least for now. I fly back home on Tuesday, and I hope to have something pretty from Estabrook Park to show you when I write again.