There was barely enough light to read by, let alone take pictures, but the rain wasn’t due to start for a couple of hours, and I needed the exercise anyway, so I headed over to Estabrook Park to see what I could see.
I was happy to find three green herons nearly in a row along the eastern shore of the pond, so I snuck around to the east side and arrived just in time to watch the middle one use that amazing neck and catch a nice little fish for its breakfast.
In the little channel beside the river near the north end, the trio of mallard ducklings were looking as healthy as ever, and after mom realized I was harmless…
they went right back to the breakfast buffet.
At the north end I finally caught a goldfinch sporting his fresh breeding plumage.
and I finally caught a glimpse of one of the killdeer I’ve been hearing for a while, even if it was hiding behind the weeds.
On my way back south, a pair of mourning doves were uncharacteristically unperturbed by me, so I took this portrait of one of them.
Finally, here’s a black-and-white warbler from yesterday morning. They are usually foraging along tree trunks and limbs so energetically when I see them, that I almost didn’t recognize this one just sitting there.
Lastly, check out this amazing image of a mink on the riverbank captured by Thomas Reich. I’ve been dreaming of a picture like this for years, but all I’ve managed so far is this soggy swimmer in the pond. You can find more of Thomas’s work on the instagram at @1classydude.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
Nature looks so different, equally beautiful, in the rain, doesn’t it?
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