It was a gorgeous morning out here in the Constitution State, and my sister and I dutifully set out before the sun crested the horizon, but I didn’t get a lot of pictures to show for it.
I did see this little cutie right beside the trail, and we’ve seen plenty of eastern cottontails before, but I’ve recently learned that they are not native to New England. Instead, I need to keep my eyes peeled for the New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), which is indeed native here. Maybe someday I’ll be so lucky
Once I got back to my folks’ place, I was pleasantly surprised to find this chipping sparrow in their cedar tree. Their breeding range covers most of the continental US and a lot of Canada, but we don’t see much of them in Estabrook outside of spring and fall migration, and I wonder if the same is true out here.
Much less surprising was this dapper looking American goldfinch. They sure have been thick out here this trip.
Since the day was so nice, and I wasn’t getting much for bird pictures, I checked the weeds next door, and here’s a pearl crescent that was trying to sun itself among them.
Finally, the highlight of the day, at least for me, is this slightly roughed-up, but still quite identifiable, and my very first, red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops). This makes our third hairstreak butterfly, on top of the banded hairstreaks in Estabrook and a gray hairstreak out here last September.
Things are going to start getting busy out here tomorrow as relatives begin arriving for my folks’ 65th wedding anniversary, so opportunities to post might become few and far between, but I’ll do my best.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 