Bob and I did make it to Vermont yesterday afternoon, the rest of the crew also arrived, and I did get out to the Lake Champlain waterfront nice and early this morning, but somebody must have tipped off the birds that I was going to go looking for them, because they kept themselves well-hidden so far.
I did have one fun close-call when I realized that a gull I was watching was actually an osprey carrying a fish, and then a bald eagle approached to see if the osprey needed any help with that. By the time I could bring my camera to bear, however, the stinkers flew right in front of the sun, and I lost them. At least I wasn’t trying to track them with my binoculars. Phew!
Thus, I’m forced to go back, at least for today, to the deep well that was coastal Maine. This first statuesque bird, a great egret, was hunting in the Scarborough Marsh, and we have seen them in Estabrook Park once in a while, but none have stopped in lately, and here’s hoping we get one this year.
Here’s one of the willets taking a break from flying around.
The tricolored heron kept its distance, so this is the best shot it would let me have.
I mentioned that the least terns were nesting, and here’s one of them on its carefully crafted depression in the sand.
The piping plover kept to the shoreline, probably because that’s where the food was, so here it is amongst the seaweed and clamshells.
The eider drake did give us a nice look at its face.
Finally, Bob and I did get out for a minute before he drove us to VT, and here’s an eider hen with her fuzzy little duckling.
Well, just about everyone is up by now, and we’ve gotta get on with our day, so wish me luck with the local fauna, and I’ll see what I can come up with for tomorrow.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 