Several more firsts of the season…

Man-oh-man, a guy sure could get used to this weather.

The pair of deer were on the soccer fields again this morning, and I was able to sit on one of the soccer net frames to take some pictures as they passed by. The youngster seemed a little curious, but Mom was not interested and kept right on moving.

After reconnecting with the deer, I wondered if I’d ever see the beaver again. Well, I don’t need to wonder any more.

After investigating something on the far shore, it returned to the water and headed back up stream, so I ran up the trail to see if I could get ahead of it. Sure enough, it eventually came steaming up the near side, but was in no mood to smile for the camera.

I didn’t see anybody new at the pond, so I continued to the north end of the river where I was surprised to spot a pair of common merganser hens at this late date.

There was also a quartet of hooded merganser hens, just like the one I saw outside of Delft, but they were super skittish and wouldn’t let me get a single shot. Instead, the great horned owl was back in its spot on the island, and it didn’t seem to mind at all when I took this picture. 😉

Speaking of shy birds, for all their bright color and loud singing, the northern cardinals have been giving me a cold shoulder so far this spring, until this morning. Here’s a male.

And here’s a female, who was also singing their signature song.

Finally, the yellow-rumped warblers were thick this morning, and I even found one foraging on the ground.

Lastly, I spotted my first butterfly in Estabrook of the season this morning, this slightly-roughed-up red admiral.

The Bug Lady explains that “red admiral adults and pupae are [normally] found in the south during the winter, and migrating admirals repopulate the north each spring. According to Ebner, in The Butterflies of Wisconsin, [however,] a few individuals may overwinter as adults in Wisconsin, emerging in the balmy days of late April and May.”