Oof, the sky was, and as I write this still is, dark today, but critters gotta eat, so I managed to take some pictures anyway, even if they’re a bit dark and moody.
There was quite a crowd of wood ducks on the pond, I counted eleven, and this drake appears to be sporting the new fall line already.
I was happy to see that not all the sandpipers have already left for warmer waters, and here’s a nonbreeding/immature spotted sandpiper, who’s spots have not yet arrived, foraging on the rocks at the top of the falls.
At the north end, there was even a killdeer foraging on the vegetation that grows in the river and is now exposed by low water. I also saw two fly over, heading southwest, and they exchanged a few calls with the one below, but they decided not to join forces and continued on their way.
Finally, one of my favorite fall flowers is starting to open, New England aster, hairy Michaelmas-daisy, or Michaelmas daisy (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae formerly Aster novae-angliae) where. “‘Michaelmas daisy’ derives from the [tendency it has] to flower around September 29, the Feast of St. Michael,” and here’s a first look. With any luck, we’ll get plenty of pictures in the coming weeks of butterflies tanking up on these beauties for fall migration or winter hibernation, as the case may be.
Lastly, I’ve got another trip to go on, a short one this time, and due to all the positive feedback, I’ll cue up a few short posts to tide you over.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 