The skies were nice and clear again, and the wind was not blowing quite as hard as yesterday, but it was still a pretty breezy morning, so I wasn’t sure who I might be able to see. The critters put on a good show, nevertheless, and my first little greeter this morning was this darling Tennessee warbler foraging in the gone-by goldenrod beside the soccer fields.
At the river, this dapper-looking song sparrow seemed momentarily transfixed by the beautiful morning.
When I first arrived at the north end, all I could find were mallards and Canada geese, but then an osprey dropped in to do a little fishing.
And then I spotted a pair of gadwalls, perhaps the same birds we saw last week, dabbling north of the northern island.
The biggest surprise, however, was finding this American wigeon near the gadwalls. I haven’t seen one here since 2021.
At the pond, the red-eared slider was up enjoying the sun one more time, …
a young, white-crowned sparrow was foraging on the path, …
a gray catbird was lurking in the bushes, …
and the great blue heron was preening before a nice backdrop of autumn colors.
Finally, when I was back at the soccer fields and checking for butterflies, a young bald eagle, perhaps the same one we saw last week at the north end, soared over.
Lastly, with the wind out of the west, the weeds there are pretty sheltered, and there were skippers and sulphurs sipping from some of the few flowers left in bloom. Since the previous butterfly of the day was a skipper, let’s go with a sulphur this time.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
Thank you so much for showing the juvenile eagle. It was a thrill to see.
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