The weather this morning in Estabrook was as gorgeous as forecast, with seasonally cool temps, nearly still air, and crystal-clear skies. The mild conditions may have been responsible for the seeming sleepiness of the critters.
The sleeping raccoon was not much of a surprise. They are mostly nocturnal, and it was probably the same animal as we saw nearly one week ago.
This youngish white-tailed buck with asymmetrical antlers and standing across the water from the downstream island, whom we’ve also probably seen before, was oddly sluggish. It clearly saw me, and it let me take a bunch of pictures, but it barely moved. I eventually headed inland to get around him and leave him in peace.
As I was taking deer pictures, this female belted kingfisher swooped in and perched not too far from me. I half expected her to bolt as I turned to try to sneak a picture, but she didn’t budge either.
On my way back downstream after counting the mallards at the northwest end, I came across a deer in nearly the same spot, which I supposed was the same buck again. Upon closer inspection, however, this one has symmetrical antlers and looks a bit older than the first one. Despite the difference, it was just as sluggish as the first, and it barely moved as I circled around it to get the sun at my back. “Thanks buddy, of course, but are you guys okay?”
Back at the pond, I met a regular participant in our weekly wildlife walks, and she had come in hopes of spotting one of the redpolls I had reported yesterday. She had already visited the pond earlier, as had I, but neither one of us had found them yet. On our second pass, I got all excited when I spotted a back-lit junco because the beak was lighter in color, so possibly yellow, but then it flew off, and we could clearly see the white feathers on the edges of its tail. Dang.
Happily, we hit pay dirt just a couple dozen yards farther down the path. There were about six small birds busily digging seeds out of the birch catkins. My pictures didn’t come out quite as nice as yesterday’s, but at least this one is good enough to positively ID a coveted redpoll. Jenny was thrilled.
I headed back toward the river, and as I looked around for who might be there, this song sparrow began chirping from a log right in front of me. It actually took me a while to spot it because I never figured it would be sitting right there and out in the open like that. Well, it must have drunk from the same fountain as the raccoon, the kingfisher, and the bucks, because it just sat there and chirped while I kneeled down and got a nice song sparrow portrait.
Finally, I was thrilled to find an autumn meadowhawk dragonfly still around at this late date. It hugged the ground, so this isn’t the greatest picture, but I was happy to notice frost on the shady side of that fallen leaf on which it is perched, and this is probably the first time I got a living dragonfly and frost in the same shot.
Lastly, the forecast for tomorrow’s cleanup in Estabrook looks stupendous. By the kickoff at 10am, temps are supposed to reach 60°F already, and even a 13 mph breeze out of the west won’t be able to make it feel cooler than 57°. Harold has even sent out a follow-up email that confirms the availability of free beer for participants afterwards. The sun is supposed to be breaking through the clouds, and the temps will have soared to 62° by the time the beer starts flowing at noon.
If you’ve always wanted to help out at Estabrook, but haven’t been into cutting buckthorn, planting trees, or pulling garlic mustard, this is your big chance. There probably isn’t an easier volunteer job than strolling along the river path on a nice day in November for a couple of hours and collecting the litter left by the August flood, much of which is still clinging to branches in arm’s reach so you won’t even have to bend down to pick it up. Plus, it has been so dry lately, you probably won’t even have to get your feet wet. What more could you ask for?
If it fits in your schedule, I’d love to see you there. A litter-free background always makes my pictures look better.
PS: if you’re surprised to be seeing each image twice, don’t be alarmed. It is merely my current best attempt to make sure all readers see at least one image correctly. If both look correct to you, just think of it as a two-for-one sale.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
HI Andrew, I had a similar deer experience today in Lincoln Park, just west of the golf course: a buck with symmetrical antlers was standing on the grass between the sidewalk/bike trail and Hampton Ave. I didn’t want to risk riding past a buck bigger than I am, so I stopped about 10 yards away and yelled “Go away,” Nothing. I approached a bit and started waving my arms and yelling. Finally, he ambled away toward the river. Slow and lazy, as you said. Jean G.
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