The air in Estabrook Park this morning was the chilliest it’s been, at least so far this fall, but the winds were very light and the sky was clear, so it was a very nice day to look for wildlife. I didn’t have a lot of time today, however, so I saw what I could and then hustled home.
The wood ducks and pair of hooded mergansers were still on the pond, but I didn’t see the pied-billed grebe, and the reason could be that it flew down to the river. With the cool air and still warm water, there was quite a mist hovering over the surface, but I believe you can still make out the bird in this image.
The treat of the day was the return of the great egret, or the arrival of a new one, and your guess is as good as mine on which it is. Anyway, it was kind enough to hop up onto this branch to let me take advantage of that nice blue sky for a change.
I did see a couple of double-crested cormorants again this morning, but with the mist over the water, they sure weren’t doing this. Instead, I took this picture of one drying its wing feathers in the sun on Thursday.
Another bird I’ve seen on and off during the work, and whose picture hasn’t yet made the cut, is this female rose-breasted grosbeak, and I captured this image on cloudy Monday.
Finally, I did see one monarch butterfly today, but I couldn’t get it to pose on a New England aster blossom. Instead, it insisted on staying right there on a stick against a background of green leaves. Oh well. I expect that we’ll be pining for green leaves soon enough.
I see we’re due for clouds to return tomorrow, and the air will be chilly again, but the winds should be the lightest they’ve been since I got back, so the listening should be great. Wish me luck!
