More birds than parks, but just barely…

It was a pretty nice morning in Estabrook Park, especially compared to earlier in the week, but it felt as though we might be past the peak of migration. There were still warblers about, but it seemed as though they had thinned out a bit.

Anyway, I got to the pond nice and early, and a belted kingfisher was already busy fishing from a tree on the island.

By the river, as I was wondering where all the warblers had gone, this male blue-gray gnatcatcher seemed to be shouting “what am I, chopped liver?”

Then it was time to head down to Warnimont Park, in Cudahy, to join John Kasper’s weekly bird walk, and the highlight of the show for me was this ruby-throated hummingbird that Dan spotted for us. I’ve glimpsed them already in Estabrook this year, but none of them have posed for me like this, yet.

I was also able to get our second butterfly picture of the year, of this American Lady.

I have a couple of other nice pictures from this morning, but I’d like to share a few I got yesterday afternoon after finishing my post. I read that a couple of “rare” birds had been seen by the lake front, so I rode my bike down to Veteran’s Park to see what I could find. Here’s our very first snow goose (Anser caerulescens), who we hope is just taking a break on its long flight to the shores of Hudson Bay. We appear to be in their “migration” range, but I guess they don’t stop in very often.

On my way back north, I stopped next at McKinley Beach and found our very first ruddy turnstones (Arenaria interpres) all decked out in their breeding plumage.

Finally, right beside the turnstones was this single semipalmated plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), also a first, and looking “like [a] miniature killdeer, but with only one black band across the breast.” It is also on its way to breeding grounds around Hudson Bay, so “Safe travels, little cuties!”

Lastly, your blossom of the day is this stunning purple Virginia waterleaf, which is starting to open throughout Estabrook and can be found in shades of white, through blue, and all the way to this gorgeous purple.