More firsts, and some nice seconds…

I could tell there had been quite a storm in Estabrook Park overnight by the number of trees and branches down, including the last big dead tree over the upstream island. That’s were we saw the osprey perched just yesterday, and I don’t know if the big raptors we get to see there will like the remaining tall live tree that is now leafing out. We’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.

Anywho, the forecast for this morning proved to be accurate, and the weather was beautiful, with clear, blue skies, warm temps, and a light breeze, so I had high hopes.

My first treat came after I returned to the river from the pond and headed upstream from the falls. As I approached the downstream island, this prothonotary warbler appeared to have been dissatisfied with the pictures I took of the previous one, and so he proceeded to set the record straight.

Oh, we played cat and mouse for a few minutes, but then he either got used to me or was too hungry to worry about me, and then we made some pretty nice pictures, given the available light.

When I figured that I must have gotten what I needed, I continued upstream, and as I approached the second island, I found a second brood of mallard ducklings, this time with eleven. The first brood, of nine, was also around, but how many duckling pictures can one take?

The next relatively new sight came on my way back south and up on the bluff, where I found this female or nonbreeding male scarlet tanager, depending on how dark those wings look.

Just across the lawn from the tanager, I could hear the call of this Wilson’s warbler, but man-o-man, did it ever make me work for this picture, such as it is.

By the time I got back to the pond, it felt like a summer’s day, and that brings out the dragonflies, so here’s your first dragonfly of the year, a black saddlebags, which I only managed to get a decent picture of just last year, and that was at Kohler-Andrae State Park. The Bug Lady explains that “they are one of a dozen or so American dragonflies that migrate,” so that explains how it got here so soon.

By the way, while we’re at the pond, it appears that the geese really did marched their goslings down to the river this time, because there was no sign of them during either of my visits this morning.

Now, back to birds. It is hilarious, in hindsight, that I complained about how hard the Wilson’s warbler made me work, because compared to this next bird, that was child’s play. This is my very first picture of an ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla). I’ve heard their distinctive call plenty of times before, including just last Saturday, but I’ve only ever laid eyes on one once before. Now I just need one to feel about this picture the way the prothonotary warbler felt about his. In any case, I read that they get their unusual name from their “nest, a leaf-covered dome [on the ground] resembling an old-fashioned outdoor oven,” which the female “weaves … from the inside as a single, integrated piece.”

Dragonflies aren’t the only insects brought out by the warm weather. I saw a couple of butterflies flutter by at the pond, but both kept going. Instead, I caught this monarch taking a breather, but only for a second, a bit farther south. “Welcome back, Beautiful!”

Finally, your blossom of the day is our very own eastern shooting star. Yes, I know only one blossom is open, so far, but they’re growing right beside a trail, and I wanted to get a picture before some mishap befalls them.

Not impressed? How ’bout now?

Lastly, the forecast for tomorrow morning calls for clouds and wind, so don’t get your hopes up.