Autumn is sure here now…

Anne and I arrived home safe, sound, and on time last evening, which is always nice. In Estabrook Park this morning it was cool, but not cold, windy, and sunny, which is also nice for a November day in southeastern Wisconsin. The critters seemed miffed, however, perhaps because I was away for so long, and I struggled to see many, let alone get pictures. The pond appeared empty of waterfowl, but I heard that folks saw a bald eagle soaring overhead, which I completely missed. Dang.

Anyway, this female belted kingfisher over the river was one of the few who not only showed up but also let me sneak a picture. “Thanks, Sweetie!”

Given the air temperature, I was giving the insects a pass today, so I was quite pleasantly surprised to spot this dragonfly, another autumn meadowhawk, of which we’ve seen a few this fall.

And that, sadly, was all I was able to manage this morning. The silver lining is that it leaves a lot of space for more trip pictures, so here they are.

The bare-throated tiger heron at Crooked Tree Lodge must have been unimpressed of the picture I took of its cousin beside the road in Guatemala, because it really put on a show Wednesday after lunch, although it looks less than please with the chore.

We saw plenty of yellow-crowned night herons on Caye Caulker, but I hadn’t seen a black-crowned night heron all trip. That was until the boat ride at Crooked Tree. There was a youngster, like the ones we see from time to time at the pond in Estabrook, but it’s hard to beat the dashing look of a mature adult.

There was no shortage of insects at Crooked Tree, believe you me, and this little beauty, a spot-tailed dasher (Micrathyria aequalis), may be the smallest dragonfly I’ve ever seen.

Finally, another bug on the smaller side and just as pretty was the Hermes satyr (Hermeuptychia hermes), of which there were quite a few.

Lastly, back in Estabrook, the work crew has completely hauled away the pile of broken limestone that they excavated from the river bottom, and now they appear to be wrapping up relandscaping their work area.

The forecast for tomorrow is a little cooler, a little less wind, and a lot less sun, so enjoy the blue sky while you can.