Kohler-Andrae Day 3-ish

Oh, what a beautiful morning it was in Kohler-Andrae State Park. On my third try, I had the routine down pat, and I was done with breakfast and up on the cordwalk over the dunes in time to see this sight.

The deer were there to greet me, and here’s the first one.

I had heard turkeys on day 1-ish, but they eluded me until this morning, when I’d like to think that this sole hen came out to wish me a safe journey home.

A pair of sandhill cranes also gave me a glimpse from the cordwalk for the first time. On day two-ish, I didn’t spot them until I was walking back to camp along the park road.

I spotted some warblers again, and this time I had a little better, though still not great, luck with the camera. I believe the yellow throat and chest with light black stripes and a grey cap make this a female or immature Cape May warbler and my very first one, if true.

Meanwhile, in almost the next tree, this little devil remains a mystery. Its unstreaked yellow throat, chest, and belly, grey head, clear wingbars, and only slight white eye rings don’t quite fit Nashville, pine, orange-crowned, or female common yellowthroats. Argh! “How’d you get in without a name badge?”

Anyway, down on the cattail marsh, I finally found a sora skulking along the edge of the water.

And finally, along the old road, where I’ve seen monarchs, viceroys, and buckeyes, this stunning tiger swallowtail, a male based on the lack of blue spots on its hindwings, was finally willing to work with me to make the portrait such a beauty deserves.