Perhaps everyone is getting a little tired of the amazing streak of fabulous weather we’ve been experiencing and the resulting need, real or imagined, to be out there enjoying it all the time because things were pretty quiet in Estabrook Park this morning. I didn’t see a single heron. Nevertheless, not everyone was sleeping in, and we’ll just have to make do with the pictures we’ve got.
The wood duck hen and her three ducklings were on the pond and taking a moment to dry out a bit and preen themselves up.
I found the mallard hen and her trio of ducklings beside the southern island, and I was surprised to find a drake paddling with them. Who does he think he is, after all, a Canada goose gander?
But then I looked up, and it all made sense.
On my way back south, I found this little cutie hiding behind some leaves.
Near the south end, the biggest surprise of the day was this mallard hen with her octet of ducklings in tow.
And look who I spotted skulking up the far shore. You can just make out a black-billed cuckoo hiding amongst the grape leaves. Don’t look too closely though because my lens chose to focus on those nice bright leaves instead of the sneaky bird behind them.
Finally, the forget-me-nots, probably wood forget-me-not or woodland forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), are starting to bloom all along the riverbank. I know they are invasive, but they sure are pretty.
Lastly, when I was out taking pictures of the doe and fawn in my neighbor’s back yard, long-time-reader Austin came out to say hi, and as we chatted, he mentioned that he had seen a sora in is garage, of all places. Better yet, he was kind enough to send in this photo.
Let’s all hope that the little sweetie found a waterfront.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 