It was a soggy morning in Estabrook Park, and the rain was coming down pretty good at sunrise, but it didn’t last, I’m happy to say, and I was able to get out the door by about quarter after six.
My first treat of the day was finding our osprey perched on our side of the river and just about at eye level. If you click on the image so that you can zoom in, you can even see that it still has drops of rainwater on its back.
Given the weather, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that my next treat was this family of wood ducks on the river above the falls.
Meanwhile, just a hundred yards upstream, this family of mallards appeared to be settling in for a nap.
There was a second family of mallards on that sandbar, however, and the mom with the younger ducklings strode over and chased the first mom off. She’s now out of frame, but you can see her five ducklings now at attention and wide awake.
Then the first mom decided it was time to go, and I swear I could hear her ducklings clamoring “why do we have to go? We liked it there,” as they trailed behind her, and the look on her face sure sounds to me like “because I said so, that’s why.”
Back on shore, and high above the meadow at the north end, the biggish surprise of the day is our first rose-breasted grossbeak since early May. They’re not considered “rare” for this time of year, just “infrequent”.
The grossbeak was quiet today, but this young kingfisher made up for it with incessant calls of “Feed me! Feed me!”
Finally, in the weeds beside the soccer fields, I was thrilled to find this colorful Halloween pennant dragonfly on such a gray day.
Lastly, I did get a monarch picture today, but it’s kinda drab, and I think this summer azure picture from Monday, when I did have a nice monarch picture, came out better.
Oh, and don’t forget! The Friends of Estabrook Member Picnic is coming up on Tuesday, July 15 from 5 to 7:30 at the beer garden, and the invite explicitly states “feel free to bring new friends,” so come on out and join us if you’re able.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 