I had a nice and uneventful trip to Dallas yesterday, and I got in early enough to stop at a park on my way to my hotel. The first bird who would sit for a picture was this northern mockingbird, which hasn’t been reported in Estabrook Park since 2021, and I’ve never seen there, but I do get to see pretty often in Connecticut.
The Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) were pretty noisy, and this one stood still long enough for a picture. It appears that one has never been reported in all of Wisconsin, but I did see one in Illinois when Anne and I drove down to see the eclipse a couple of years ago, and somehow I never showed you. Sorry!
The star of the show, for me at least, has got to be this amazing scissor-tailed flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus), the first one I’ve ever captured on film. I searched for them in Nicaragua, and I glimpsed one a couple of times, but none ever perched on a wire in the open for me like this. Wow!
Finally, the cherry on top was this gorgeous variegated fritillary butterfly, which we only saw in Estabrook for the first time last summer. Woo hoo!
Alrighty, the students also made it safely down to Texas last evening, and I hope they got a good night’s sleep, so that they’re ready for the first day of the human-powered vehicle competition today. Wish us luck, cause I bet we’re gonna need it!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
Best of luck & Wear Your Helmets!!
Thank you for the beautiful photos.
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