It must have rained overnight, because there were puddles on the path, and there were some clouds darkening the sky at sunrise, but they cleared out pretty quickly, and it became a perfectly nice morning in Estabrook Park.
A peregrine falcon was back in the radio tower over the far riverbank and calling for someone’s attention.
On the water directly below, a family of wood ducks were out for their morning swim.
At the pond, the female belted kingfisher was back and must have already taken a dip.
Back at the river and above the falls, another batch of wood duck ducklings looked brand new.
On my second visit to the pond, the family with four ducklings were all on break.
Meanwhile, the one duckling left from one of the first batches was getting a good preening from Mom.
It appears that the nuthatches have fledged, and this youngster stayed at the top of the tree and chattered at Mom and Dad …
as they furiously foraged lower on the tree.
At the weeds beside the soccer field, the butterfly of the day was this fresh-looking black swallowtail.
I also found there my first female common green darner, with a reddish brown abdomen instead of the “intense blue” on the males I’ve seen. Boy, they are huge, she was about three inches long with a four-inch wingspan.
Finally, a snowberry clearwing gave the bee balm a rest and sampled the thistle nectar.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 