Look who I spotted hauling its groceries home across the pond early this morning. That’s right, it’s our resident muskrat, whom we haven’t seen since the middle of May.
Meanwhile, the kingfishers, of which there were two today, were over at the fish aisle, and goldfish must be on sale this week.
A green heron was there as well, but in a tough place to shoot, so here are the wood ducks, who were much more accommodating, instead.
Down at the river, I spotted this mass of goslings on the far shore just below the falls. I counted a total of seventeen, but this group of fourteen plus one adult made the better picture. I wonder if this is the same seventeen we saw several weeks ago.
Closer to our shore, a great blue heron was fishing again, and this time I got my shutter speed cranked up in time to get some action shots.
As I approached the north end, where we have seen the eagle many times before, look who was there today instead. It’s a red-tailed hawk, and the first one I’ve gotten a picture of in the park proper all spring. This one has no bands, so it is a different bird than the one we saw over Wilson Dr back on Easter.
Finally, the water and sandbars around the northern island were full of more geese, mallards, killdeer, and sandpipers, but the surprise guest was this beaver who was farther north than I’ve ever spotted one before. It eventually swam all the way to the far shore and north of the northern island before I lost track of it.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 