It was a big day at Retzer today. The first surprise came early this morning when temps were in the low 50s as I hopped on my bike soon after sunrise, and I was thankful that it was a bit warmer when I headed home just before sunset this evening.
In the time I had before class started, I was thrilled to spot the first raptor I’ve seen at Retzer, this gorgeous kestrel on the hunt over their fabulous prairie. Yes, we did just see a pair in Estabrook, but this one is closer and against a prettier sky.
In the afternoon, we took a short field trip to go look for dragonflies, and I did spot a couple, but the big surprise was when one of my classmates noticed this yellow-billed cuckoo along the way. I know we just saw one in Estabrook, but this is only my third sighting, so bear with me.
Finally, we also went out looking for bumble bees, and I saw plenty of those, too, but the big treat for me was spotting this familiar looking creature. If you look closely, however, you might notice that instead of the alternating stripes of yellow and black that we just saw on a snowberry clearwing, this moth is darker with bands of olive green, tan, and burgundy, and that’s because this one is our very first hummingbird clearwing (Hemaris thysbe). Yippee! At long last, something we haven’t just seen at Estabrook!
Okay, now it’s crazy late, and I can’t wait to see what I find next at Retzer, so I want to get up early again tomorrow, and I’d better put this in the mail and get to bed ASAP.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 