The beautiful weather continues in Connecticut, and I was glad to have the time to get out this morning before the day got underway.
The first pleasant surprise was being reminded of the woosh-woosh-woosh sound that mute swans make as they fly over. Even better was spotting it after it landed.
I don’t believe I’ve managed to capture this scene on film before, so here it is: a chipmunk with a mouth full of nesting material. I guess it’s getting to be that time of year, eh?
I had been a bit surprised by the lack of warblers, and it turns out that I was simply looking in the wrong spots. On my way to the Farmington Canal Trail, I passed a gravel parking lot surrounded by weeds, and those weeds were full of little birds. There were sparrows, finches, wrens, a warbling vireo, and this very shy but unmistakable yellow warbler.
And here’s a warbler that I recognized more by its behavior than its plumage. As soon as it posed like this, I thought to myself, “Why, hello there, Doctor Palm Warbler!”
Anyway, since sometimes a look at the backside can help with identification, it soon was kind enough to oblige.
Finally, your “butterfly” of the day is gonna have to be this huge sweetheart underwing moth (Catocala amatrix) that joined us last evening.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 