We all stopped by my brother’s place yesterday afternoon, and as we sat around on his back patio chitchatting, this little cutie, a young or female ruby-throated hummingbird, sat with us for a moment or two.
That’s the only picture of wildlife I managed to get yesterday, so this morning my sister and I tried the Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary one more time. The first amazing sight was at least a dozen osprey all fishing from high out over the water. Unfortunately, they were much too far for me to capture on film, so here’s one more look at a clapper rail, instead.
The star of the morning, however, was this nondescript little sparrow. I had read that they could be seen here, and we kept seeing little sparrows flitting around in the tall grass, but they had managed to evade my camera so far. Thus, I was thrilled even to get this meager picture of one because it is the very first seaside sparrow (Ammospiza maritima) that I have ever seen.
We did see plenty of the other usual suspects this morning; oystercatchers, yellowlegs, plovers, etc; but no one was allowing pictures any better than what I’ve already shown you, and it was eventually time to go join my folks for breakfast. But as we were making our way back to the parking lot, it would seem that one of the seaside sparrows recognized how momentous this occasion was, and didn’t want me to leave with such a paltry image, so here it perched. “Thanks, Darling!”
Lastly, the butterflies out here are hiding someplace, but I haven’t been able to find where that is, so here’s one more look at a crescent from Estabrook Park.
Tomorrow, I make my way back to Milwaukee, but I don’t know if I’ll make it into Estabrook before dark, so I’ll try to post something to carry you through.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 