The clouds were thicker, lower, and wetter than yesterday in Estabrook Park this morning, but the wind was even lighter, so at least “the hearing” was good.
Here’s what a great blue heron on the river looks like under these conditions.
After putting in an appearance for me early yesterday, and then evading the wildlife walkers soon after, look who decided to show its face again this morning. Yup, the great egret was back, and it appeared to be as interested in my whereabouts as I was in its.
If that neck seems long to you, as it sure does to me, you’ll be fascinated to learn that that’s because the great egret’s neck is about 1.5 times longer than the length of its body, whereas the great blue heron’s neck is actually longer but may not look as long because it’s only about 1.2 times longer than its body, although both have the same 20 or 21 neck vertebrae, depending on how you count them.
Since I didn’t see one all week at Kohler-Andrae, and we couldn’t find any yesterday in Estabrook, I thought that maybe all the killdeer had already flown south, but my thoughts were premature, as this little cutie demonstrated today.
I did see spotted sandpipers up north, some of you may recall, and we did see them in Estabrook yesterday, so I wasn’t surprised to see them again today. The picture from yesterday, however, came out a bit nicer, so here it is.
Similarly, I did see plenty of green herons last week and a couple on the pond yesterday, and I was still happy to see one again today, but I like yesterday’s picture better. Oh, and green herons also have 20 to 21 neck vertebrae, just like its big cousins, but they only amount to about the same length as its body, when fully extended.
I didn’t see any turtles today, but conditions must have been right yesterday for this mismatched pair to climb up on a log. The larger one towards the back is a red-eared or pond slider, and the smaller one towards the front is a painted turtle.
Finally, the only butterfly I saw today was a tiny least skipper, and it was so close I had to take its picture with my phone, so allow me to use one more picture from yesterday, when the butterflies were plentiful. Here’s a Huron skipper, aka Huron sachem, which I just happened to show you for the first time exactly two years ago today. Ha!
Once again, we find ourselves in some kind of weather holding pattern, and the forecast for tomorrow looks about the same as today’s, if maybe a little drier. We’ll find out for sure soon enough.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 