The wildfire smoke was back in Estabrook Park, but it wasn’t as thick as it was a few days ago, and the temps were nice and cool, so I guess we could call it a fair-to-midlin’ morning. I can’t say for sure what might have caused it, and it could be just a big coincidence, but the birds were a bit riled up today.
There were a pair of osprey over the river by the islands, and one of them seemed as though it could be a hungry fledgling, based on how it cried and cried. Every once in a while, it also flapped its wings, as if the crying wasn’t doing the job on its own. I did not see that cause a fish to be delivered either, but that could just be part of the weaning process.
The solitary sandpiper is still with us, and today was bath day. I’ve had the privilege of watching quite a few birds bathe, and it usually involves some thrashing in the water, but this bird took it to a new level that also included darting around.
The big show, however, came a little farther upstream. I couldn’t really tell who was the aggressor in the situation, but I got to watch a pair of kestrels get into it with a quartet of crows over the old candy factory building on Port Washington Road. Here’s the nicest shot I could get of a kestrel from over 100 yards away.
And here’s the best image of the altercation in action.
The show went on for a while, but once it eventually petered out, I hiked over to the meadow to look for interesting or pretty insects, and while I was there, I could hear a distinct call from up on the bluff. Better yet, it wasn’t a “once-and-done” call, so I headed out to see if I could find the source. Well, it took a while and a bit of luck, but the shy little lurker eventually did show its face, and it turns out to be only our second yellow-billed cuckoo ever. “Woo hoo, welcome back, and thanks for letting me know you’re in town!”
Finally, we also have another first-of-the-year sighting in the butterfly department. This is a banded hairstreak, but it looks a little worse for the wear compared to the last one we saw just about a year ago.
I won’t be able to join you for our weekly wildlife walk tomorrow morning because I’m heading out to Retzer for a week of master naturalist training. My current plan is to take pictures in the morning, before class starts, attend class all day, and then write up a post after class. We’ll soon see how that goes. Wish me luck!
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 