The clouds this morning in Kohler-Andrae State Park were thinner than I feared, but some early-morning fog made up for that, at least for a while. Thus, when I finally spotted this pair of sandhill cranes literally standing atop one of their namesake sand hills, I ended up with a bit of a moody picture. Ah well.
Another sight I was thrilled to get eyes on, at last, was this red-tailed hawk, who was even kind enough to announce its impending arrival with that iconic call. “Good morning, to you, too!”
The hawk couldn’t stay long, and after it left, I checked the other nearby trees. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise to find a second raptor, this darling American kestrel, sitting quietly in the next tree over. Talk about getting off to a good start!
One of the most popular features of the park is the nice beach it has along Lake Michigan, and there are a couple of spots where ring-billed gulls accumulate to rest on the sand. I was gratified that my habit of checking all the gulls for a misfit paid off this morning when I came across this handsome devil, a Caspian tern. Ha!
I was especially glad to find this little cutie, a young spotted sandpiper, because I had inadvertently spooked it off the beach the first time I encountered it, and instead of just flitting a few dozen yards up or down the shore, it made like it was flying to Michigan. I did better the second time, and this image was my reward.
I know I just showed you a white-tailed deer just yesterday, but who could possibly resist these two little sweeties?
Finally, I didn’t see any butterflies or dragonflies this morning, so here’s a common wood-nymph I saw late yesterday morning on the Ancient Shores trail.
The forecast for tomorrow morning looks similar to the one for today, so let’s hope the critters are similarly accommodating.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 