At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the amazingly beautiful weather continued this morning in the home of the Charter Oak. With all of the relatives arriving for my folks’ anniversary this weekend, I haven’t had much time to get out, but here are a few pictures I’ve accumulated over the last few days.
First up is another look at the great blue heron perched on the railing of the short viewing pier over the small pond near my exit from the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail.
One surprising sight of this trip, at least for me, has been large flocks of several dozen brown-headed cowbirds foraging together on lawns. I see groups of perhaps a half dozen in Estabrook, and perhaps larger groups do form, but I just haven’t seen them there yet. In any case, it’s fascinating for me to see the proof that they do group up at all even though each one has been raised in the nest of some other species.
If you don’t recall, they are brood parasites, and I read that “young cowbirds are not exposed to species-typical visual and auditory information [as] other birds {are]. Despite this, they are able to develop species-typical singing, social, and breeding behaviors. Cowbird brains are wired to respond to the vocalizations of other cowbirds, allowing young to find and join flocks of their own species. These vocalizations are consistent across all cowbird populations, and serve as a sort of species-recognition password. If a young cowbird is not exposed to these “password” vocalizations by a certain age, it will mistakenly imprint on the host species.” Wild, isn’t it?
Back at the little weed patch beside my folks’ house, I found a handsome autumn meadowhawk, and we see plenty of them in Estabrook around this time of year, but I believe that this is my first one out here, at least on film.
Finally, here’s a tiny least skipper perched on some right-sized forget-me-not blossoms.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 