It was a dark morning in Estabrook Park, but the predicted storms never materialized, though it did sprinkle a bit, and the air stayed pretty still, so it was a nice enough time to look for wildlife.
My first surprise was finding this young-looking great blue heron with a crayfish just below the falls, and it may have been as surprised as I was. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that combination before.
Yesterday’s plethora of shorebirds around the islands upriver has subsided, and I only saw this one least sandpiper today, in addition to a couple of spotted sandpipers and killdeer. It sure was fun for a while, though!
The mallard ducklings continue to grow up, and this trio looks like middle schoolers.
These wood ducks, on the other hand, look like high schoolers.
The big surprise of today, however, was brought to my attention by a noisy mob of crows, and it’s the first great horned owl I’ve seen in the park since back in February. “Welcome back, Gorgeous!” Once I finally spotted the bird, I had to back up so I could fit it all in the frame, and if you’re a detail lover, as you know I am, this image will be worth your click.
Since I’ve got a little room left today, here’s one more look at the doe and fawn from Sunday. The kid looks like it still wants to play, but mom looks like she might be done.
Finally, here’s a crescent butterfly from the still-unmowed weed patch at the north end yesterday, when the sun was out.
Lastly, as I was cleaning up after some anglers, I found that they left me a little thank you gift. Sweet! That’s the first white Russian anyone’s ever left me, and it’s chillin’ in my fridge as I write this.
As of now, we’re forecast to be done with this leaky weather by tomorrow morning, so viewing should be good, and I wonder who I’ll see next. Tune in to find out.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 