You’ll be relieved to know that I went to bed nice and early last evening so that I could get up on time this morning, and thank goodness I did because I’d hate to have missed out on this show. It is a little hard to see, because it was still so dark that the street lights were still on, but the osprey was in its recent usual spot on a light over the UWM parking lot, and there were also two crows on that same light: one on each side of the osprey. There were five crows altogether, scattered around, and it was almost as if they were more curious than agitated because they made nowhere near the ruckus they make when they are mobbing great horned owls or hawks. Fascinating.
Meanwhile, on our side of the river, this blue jay just sat in silence and watched along with me.
At the pond, I didn’t see our yellow-crowned night heron, but the young great blue heron was there and all poofed up for a moment.
There was also a green heron, which was a pleasant surprise because they’ve made themselves scarce recently.
When I reached the islands in the river, I was just in time, yet again, to catch this deer come out to sample the aquatic plant life. At first, I thought it was taking a drink of that sweet, sweet river water, …
but upon closer inspection, you can see a strand of plant matter dangling out of its mouth. It wasn’t just an accident, either, because I watched it enjoy multiple helpings. I sure had not seen that before.
The big surprise of the day came soon after when I glimpsed a large bird flying over the water between the islands. At first, I thought it was the osprey, who had left its perch on the light to fish in the river, and I had seen twice again already. Then I thought it was a great blue heron, which regularly glide up and downstream over the river. Instead, it turned out to be this beauty, the first black-crowned night heron I’ve seen in Estabrook this year.
Now I really wanted to get back to the pond to find that dang yellow-crowned night heron, who I saw there just yesterday, so I could have a four-heron day, but first I hiked up to the bridge to check on the pigeons and swallows. I did get to see both, but the prettier sight was this cedar waxwing, who was one of a group that were alternately catching bugs out of the air over the river and then raiding the trees on shore for berries.
Well, I never did get to see the yellow-crowned heron today, so it’s merely just another a three-heron day, but I soldiered on, and here’s what I believe to be a “brown form female” powdered dancer damselfly in the patch of weeds beside the southern soccer fields.
Finally, your butterfly of the day is this fiery skipper resting on a bunch of fleabane buds in the meadow at the north end, which I am thrilled to report is still unmowed.
PS: I’d like to send a special thanks to my eagle-eyed sister for pointing out that mallard hens usually shepherd “ducklings”, not “goslings”, as I mistakenly wrote yesterday. Ugh, what a blockhead! Perhaps all that goose on duckling action we saw on Monday had made me loopy.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 