Some hits and a near miss…

It was cool this morning in Estabrook Park, but otherwise about as nice a day as you could hope for to start the holiday weekend, with clear skies and a very light breeze.

I found my first surprise at the pond, where this ruby-throated hummingbird was perched beside the paved path about waist high. I immediately froze and snapped this place-holder picture, which is our first in the park for the year. Then I slowly tried to move a bit to get that ugly stick out from between us, and the hummingbird took off in a flash, seemingly to remind me why I should always take place-holder pictures. “Thanks, Buddy!”

My next surprise came at the river, where a pair of Canada geese had a pair of very young-looking goslings out on the water. They must be new parents, because they couldn’t line up a nice group picture to save their lives, but at least this one gosling knew what to do.

My third surprise came on my way back south atop the bluff, where this bay-breasted warbler posed for the nicest portrait of the species so far. If you like to click on the images to see them in flickr, where you can zoom in to see all the details, this image has those details.

That an eastern wood-pewee on the next tree over would pose just as nicely, on the other hand, didn’t really come as much of a surprise. They just seem to like posing, or their manner of bug hunting simply requires them to perch on a low branch and watch for bugs in flight. It’s hard to say which is the more-likely, really.

If this next picture, of a green heron at the pond, seems a little wavy to you, don’t adjust your set, it really is wavy, because it’s actually a reflection off the water. I took the straight shot, too, but there were some branches in the way, and this reflection came out a lot nicer.

Finally, here’s one more picture from my trip down to the lakefront to see the snow goose on Thursday. This is a cliff swallow, and it appeared to be on some kind of mandatory break, or something, because it stayed perched right there on the top edge of the z-shaped sheet piling along the water’s edge no matter who walked by or how close they walked. I’m sure this is the nicest cliff swallow picture I’ve ever gotten and am likely to get.

Lastly, your blossoms of the day are these tiny sweet cicelys, which are opening at various places along the river path.