We did break camp today and safely delivered the grandson to his mom early this afternoon, with only a few “mystery” bites under his shirt. We speculated at length about who might have caused them, but Anne was sure that it was none of my suggestions, and the best we could surmise is that it probably wasn’t anybody too dangerous.
On to the more-photogenic wildlife! After I returned from the library yesterday afternoon, where I had gone to tell you about my morning, Anne told me she had found a pollinator garden not too far from our site, so I went to check it out. The garden was nice, but I wasn’t seeing anyone new until this cutie caught my eye at the edge of the woods just beyond the garden. That’s a hooded warbler, and long-time readers may recall that I was able to show you one from Belize last fall, and I’ve heard them in Estabrook, but they have evaded my camera there so far. “I’ll catch you there someday, you little rascal!”
This morning, I paid another visit to the impoundment, and my first surprise was finding that the least sandpiper had been replaced by this lesser yellowlegs. Ha!
The wigeon had been replaced by this green-winged teal. It was quite the game of switcheroo.
The canvasback drake was still there and had been joined by a hen, but their pictures were even worse than yesterday’s. Instead, the best picture I managed at the impoundment this morning was this ruddy duck drake. I’ve seen them in Connecticut, Port Washington, and Horicon Marsh, but they’ve made like the hooded warbler and have kept me waiting in Estabrook.
On my way back to our campsite, I stopped at the Little Manitowoc Slough again, and this time it was an eastern kingbird that posed like a pro.
This barn swallow didn’t do to bad either, but I could tell that my proximity was starting to make it nervous, so I backed off and left it alone after this picture.
Finally, after I got back to our site, and we had everything packed up, there was plenty of time for another visit to the pollinator garden, and the star of the show today was this male ruby-throated hummingbird.
Then it was time to head home. The end.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 