Given the humidity, with a dew point in the low 70s, it was about as nice a morning in Estabrook Park as one could hope for. The temps were also in the low 70s, the air was still, and the sky was clear. For a slight change of pace, I skipped the pond on my way north, so I got to the meadow a little earlier than usual, and there I found the doe enjoying her breakfast alone again.

We’ve been seeing her pretty regularly there lately, so the bigger surprise was spotting this hawk perched high above. I figured it was a red-tailed hawk, whom we haven’t seen much of lately, but when I got home, my panel of experts pointed out that it is more likely our broad-winged hawk back again. “Woo hoo, and welcome back, Gorgeous!”

It was a pretty long shot, so I immediately backtracked to get up onto the bluff in hopes of a better picture, but the hawk had already cleared out by the time I caught sight of where it had been perched. Oh well. It was worth a try, and my consolation came in the form of this chipmunk who really wanted to finish enjoying that mulberry before scampering off.

Back in the meadow, the weeds were full of spider webs bejeweled with dew, and one still had a spider in it, who turned out to be this striking Arabesque orbweaver (Neoscona arabesca), who I believe to be the first representative of that species I’ve ever seen.

This next critter, which I found in the middle of the gravel path through the middle of the meadow is nearly as much a symbol of summer to me as are the cicadas singing in the trees. It’s our first road-duster of the year aka Carolina grasshopper, and I read that they “do not migrate,” but instead “overwinter as eggs.” Once they hatch, they can “complete development in [26 to 52 days],” depending on the temperature, so that helps explain the timing of their appearance.

When I finally did reach the pond, I found a youngish great blue heron slinking in the shadows along the far shore and momentarily striking this picturesque pose.

But the bigger surprise was finding this young black-crowned night heron in the bushes just above it and catching just the perfect ray of sunlight.

Finally, the ears of this eastern tailed-blue must have been ringing from my post yesterday, so today it gave us a fresh look at the tails and eye spots on its hind wing, although it didn’t stick around long enough for me to notice if it was wiggling them.

The forecast for tomorrow morning looks almost as good as today’s, so come on out for our weekly wildlife walk if you’re in town. Based on recent participation, we’ll be still doing both the 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. starts. If traffic goofs you up, and you miss both of those times, just look for my phone number hidden in the wildlife walk page, shoot me a text, and I’ll let you know where you can find us.