The rain didn’t start until 6:30 this morning, but I thought I had a little more time than that, so our tent is now hanging in the basement to dry. Oh well. Getting your gear washed for free is just one of the many benefits of camping. Right?
Anyway, before the rain arrived, I did get one more chance to visit with the sora that forages along the edge of the Black River.
As I was concentrating on the sora, I started to notice a familiar voice above, and it turned out to be coming from this colorful creature. It’s a Baltimore oriole, of course, but I hadn’t seen or heard a single one all week, and they’ve also been pretty scarce in Estabrook lately, so the sound was slightly out of context. Nevertheless, it was great to see one that hasn’t flown south yet, so let’s all wish it “safe travels!”
I still recognized this guy right away, on the other hand, and the marsh that surrounds the Black River is still pretty full of them, but it won’t be long till they’ve all gone south for the winter, as well.
It was the double-crested cormorants that I caught in the actual act of flying south, or at least trying to, but their v-formation appears to be having a little trouble up front. Perhaps the lead bird was getting tired, but no one else wanted to take a turn.
That’s about enough of gray-sky backgrounds and/or poorly lit scenes for one post, so here’s another look, from the first encounter, of the pileated woodpecker.
I didn’t see any dragonflies this morning, so here’s a Halloween pennant from Wednesday.
Finally, I didn’t see any butterflies, either, so here’s a black swallowtail, also from Wednesday, when the photogenic bugs were clearly more plentiful.
The forecast looks pretty good for tomorrow morning, with light winds and chance of precipitation hovering around 20%. Plus, sunrise is still before 6am, so I can still meet folks who want to start our weekly wildlife walk at 7am. If that’s too early for you, I’ll swing back by at 8am. Come on out and let’s see what’s changed, if anything, during the week I’ve been gone.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 