Given my luck at the lakefront yesterday, I opted to try someplace inland today, and the Centennial Woods Natural Area on the UVM campus looked perfect, on paper. So, I let Bob sleep in and roped Steve, another old high school buddy and now also a member of the Estabrook Cinematic Universe, into driving me out there early this morning. He went for a trail run while I tried to find you some pictures.
The woods were wonderful and the wildlife was plentiful there, but it seemed to be intent on reminding me that this isn’t supposed to be easy. For example, here’s a gorgeous viceroy butterfly, which we’ve even seen in Estabrook before, that kept itself half hidden behind some fern leaves. Sheesh!
The hardest pill to swallow, however, was this pileated woodpecker, which I’ve only ever gotten to see a couple of times so far, who called to get my attention, hopped up the side of this tree about as fast as I could move my camera, and then was gone. Dang it!
Then it was time to go back to the Airbnb, have some breakfast, collect the whole crew, and go check out the amazing nearby Shelburne Farms. There, my luck changed. Before we even left the parking lot, there was an occupied osprey nest almost right over the far end of it.
And this savannah sparrow posed like a statue on the split rail fence around it.
We hiked over to the enormous and ornate barn they have, and this turkey vulture made a nice, slow, and low pass right over it.
We continued hiking to the lake shore to check out the historic Shelburne Farms Inn, and there was a female common merganser, which we haven’t seen in Estabrook since early April, drying out on the rocks at the water’s edge.
Finally, in the nice stand of sugar maples they have, this eastern chipmunk asked the savannah sparrow to “hold my beer.”
Our weekend reunion wraps up tomorrow, and then Bob and I will drive back across New Hampshire to his place in Maine. It will be interesting to see, at least for me, where I find something to show you: Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, or even Namibia. Time will tell!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 