Summer Marches On.

Sorry for the radio silence last week. Anne and I went out east for a family event, and I brought all my gear, which has worked just fine in the past, but not so much this time. Oh well. Live and learn.

Anyway, it was a bit of a dark and damp morning to return to Estabrook Park, but I needed the exercise, so this is who I saw. There are now about a dozen wood ducks, mostly ducklings just about all grown up, on the pond, and here are seven of them drying out after breakfast.

The kingfishers continue to put on a show, and I counted three at once on the river today, but the one I saw catch a fish was this female over the pond.

The rain must have held off last week because the river water is finally low enough to reveal good swaths of river bottom, and here’s a spotted sandpiper taking advantage of the situation.

The big surprise at the river, however, was spotting this young, late-season mallard duckling with its mom.

Finally, I didn’t see any deer today, and this chipmunk with a mouth full of dead leaves on the side of a tree will have to do,

This week, Anne’s extended family is camping at Kohler-Andrae State Park, where I’ve also had some luck before, and the forecast for tomorrow morning is good, so I’m heading up tonight for an early start. Wish me luck!