More CT sights

It was a bit cooler, but the sky was still clear, and the breeze a bit lighter in Connecticut this morning, so it was another fine day for checking out the wildlife along the Farmington Canal Trail.

My first surprise was to find that most of the geese were gone from the pond, but I did find a pair of wood ducks instead. They were quite shy, however, so this is yet another picture taken through a fence and a few sticks.

I was even more excited to spot this quintet of ring-necked ducks, who were a little less shy, and we saw here just last spring, but which I might have only seen one time in Estabrook Park.

Best of all, the otters were back, if a bit farther away, and this one caught something that it munched on for a while.

I had time to hike farther south today, so I got to see this stunner, a red-shouldered hawk.

I soon saw a second one, and they eventually flew a ways to find a perch together in the warm morning sun.

I also saw a few mallards and geese along the way, but it’s always a treat to find American black ducks.

Finally, the titmice seemed bolder today, and this one posed especially nicely.