It is a picture-perfect Monday morning, but I’ve got an 8am online meeting, so I’ll have to wait until later today to visit Estabrook Park. In the meantime, recent days have been so fruitful that I’ve accumulated a few extra pictures that I hope will tide you over.
We’ve had a pair of female or juvenile hooded mergansers visiting on the river, but they keep near the far shore, so I haven’t been able to get a portrait. Instead, here’s one of the little cuties drying off amongst the mallards and Canada geese on Saturday.
Here’s a second look at the visiting yellowlegs, also on Saturday, and in water deep enough to hide its long yellow legs.
Here’s a green heron showing us just how long its neck can get.
Here’s a family of mallards with ducklings looking nearly all grown up, but not quite.
Here’s a young robin stretching one of its newly functional wings.
Finally, here’s one more monarch picture, this time on Canada thistle.
I almost didn’t go out this morning. I was on a bike ride on the Oak Leaf trail yesterday when the Canada wildfire smoke rolled in, and at 7:30 this morning, two full hours after sunrise, I had to turn on a light to read the paper. Then my friend, Lisa, texted about a turtle trying to cross the road from the pond, and a good breeze out of the west soon cleared the skies, so I couldn’t resist.
At first, it was just another beautiful morning for a walk in the park, but I wasn’t getting many pictures. Oh, sure, the indigo bunting was in his usual spot at the south end, and the sky behind him was nearly the same color, …
the great egret was back, after a brief absence, …
and even the osprey, whom we haven’t seen in a while, did a flyby, …
but the main event, at least for me, occurred north of the northern island as I was scanning the sandbars for the yellowlegs. It started with this very fresh-looking mourning cloak, who kept its wings closed at first, …
but then relaxed enough to open them up for us. Wow!
Then the magic really started when this beauty flew in, perhaps to sip moisture from the river mud while also soaking up some sun. It took a while to settle down, and I thought I had lost it a couple of times, but then it finally parked and let me take this portrait. I didn’t think I had ever seen one before, and sure enough, from the comfort of my dining room table, I looked it up to find that it is our very first hackberry emperor (Asterocampa celtis). I read that they are so-named because the common hackberry tree (Celtis occidentalis) “is the only host plant” and “food source for [its] larvae.”
Oh, and speaking of dragonflies, one of the pictures from yesterday that I couldn’t squeeze into the post was this male widow skimmer. We’ve seen females pretty regularly, but this is only the second male I’ve managed to get on film.
Okay, that’s probably enough bugs for one day for some readers, so let’s wrap this up with a nice portrait of an eclipse male wood duck on a branch over the pond from yesterday.
I had plenty of pictures left over from yesterday, and dear friends kept me up past my bedtime last evening with good food and great company, so I contemplated not visiting Estabrook Park this morning. When I saw the beautiful blue sky, however, I just couldn’t pass it up, so out the door I went, and thank goodness I did!
I hadn’t even gotten to the patch of wildflowers at the west edge of the soccer fields when I was greeted by this monarch butterfly sipping from American basswood tree blossoms.
When I finally did reach the patch of flowers, I found an American goldfinch feasting on Canada thistle blossoms that have gone to seed. Get a load of that gorgeous morning sun lighting up the scene.
Just a bit north of there, an American lady butterfly was soaking up some of that same sunlight.
Meanwhile, across the parkway, against the edge of the woods, and in the shade, a white-tailed buck was growing his antlers and trying to figure out what I was up to.
We had a surprise guest at the pond, this Cooper’s hawk checking out the breakfast menu.
The wood duck hen with her four remaining ducklings seemed less concerned that I would have expected, but maybe Coopers’ are too small for her to worry about.
On the river at the north end, the egret had finally moved on, but I watched a green heron catch itself a little fish and toss it back, right into its gullet, that is.
Higher above the river, a little squadron of rough-winged swallows was eating up the flying bugs, and here’s one on break for a moment.
Right below the swallow, a red admiral butterfly was preparing to open its wings to get itself some of that morning sun.
On my way back south, I hugged the river again, instead of taking the main path, which skirts around the east side of the bottom there, because I was surprised to see no killdeer on the river for the first time in weeks, and I thought I’d give them one more chance. Look who I saw instead! The return of “River Deer!” starring a buck with one antler and a doe.
Finally, the monarch butterflies are everywhere now, and here’s another one feeding on a musk thistle blossom back beside the soccer fields at the south end.
I did visit Estabrook yesterday afternoon, but I didn’t get a lot of pictures, and I got home late, so I figured I just wait and include them in today’s post. This morning, I waited out the clouds and brief shower, so the sun was shining, and the sky was blue by the time I arrived.
In any case, I haven’t seen wood ducks on the river in a while, but I counted twelve on the pond yesterday and again today. The two remaining original ducklings are grown enough that it is not easy to single them out, but the four remaining from the second batch still look like ducklings and stick together, so they are pretty easy to spot. Here they are settling in for their late afternoon nap.
Meanwhile, herons are pretty easy to find on the river these days, and here’s a great blue, …
But big enough to get excited about anyway, it would appear.
The Charadriiformes, specifically the waders, or shorebirds, depending upon which side of the pond you are on, also continue to be abundant. Here’s one of the many killdeer, and perhaps a young one based upon its apparent obliviousness to my proximity.
At first, I thought this was another sandpiper, perhaps a young solitary sandpiper, but no. Now that I can get a good look at it, I am thrilled to report that it is a “yellowlegs”, and of the two varieties, I’m gonna go with “greater” (Tringa melanoleuca). I’ve only seen them twice before, in May 2021, and then again in May 2022. The first time they were too far away to identify clearly, and the second time I went with “lesser,” so if the experts at ebird.org agree, this will be a completely new bird for me. “Woo Hoo, and welcome to Estabrook either way, Sweetie!”
Update: the experts at ebird.org did not agree and explained “the documentation … provided shows a Lesser Yellowlegs. The bill is straight and not very long. Just about as long as the depth of the head. Greater would be at least 1.5 times the depth of the head and slightly upturned”
Finally, while I was looking for butterflies on the blossoming thistles at the south end, I spotted these two monarchs doing their best to make more.
Lastly, someone was kind enough to leave me a fresh park beer by the falls, so thanks for that! It’s chilling in my fridge right now.
You may have noticed I skipped the park yesterday morning, so when I got a text message in the late afternoon about an egret on the river, I really couldn’t say that I’d already put in my time, so I hopped on my bike an rode up to the north end to see what I could see. Sure enough, I spotted the egret right away, but it was upriver, and I’d be shooting straight into the afternoon sun, so I hiked a bit farther north for a better shot. By the time I got back to the water, however, the egret was nowhere to be found. Dang! Instead, I could count five (5!) great blue herons fishing on the river, and here’s one of them enroute to a better spot.
As I continued searching, I finally found the egret again, but it had moved way downriver and over near the far shore, so I thought I’d try crossing over the Port Washington Road bridge to see if I could get any closer.
By the time I got to the bridge, however, the stinker had moved again, and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Instead, there was a cedar waxwing hunting bugs over the water just east of the bridge, and I caught it taking a short break on a branch in that sweet, sweet afternoon sun.
So, I turned around and dejectedly headed back south on the Estabrook Park side of the river. Before I rode back up to the road, however, I figured I’d give the river one more look, and look who I found, for the third time. I suspect the geese had urged it off the sandbar, and it retreated to a tree back on the near shore to preen. For an added bonus, there’s a kingfisher perched just above it.
In hopes of getting yet a better picture, I tried creeping out onto the rocks exposed by the low water. While I was there, the kingfisher caught a crayfish and perched on a low log at the edge of the island I was now approaching. I know I’ve seen mergansers and gulls with crayfish, but this might be my first picture of a kingfisher with a crayfish.
Also, a green heron flew up to a high perch over the island, perhaps to bask in the waning light.
And a killdeer stopped by looking worried, as usual.
But the egret was done with, or tired of, moving, kept its perch, and let me take this portrait. Ta da!
Anyway, on my way back home, I stopped by the pond to check on the wood ducks. The mom with the four remaining young ducklings was keeping watch while her charges rested. Here’s one at her foot.
And here are two more on a nearby log. The fourth was also there, but not as photogenic today as the other three.
I might have to visit Estabrook in the afternoon more often, eh?
It was a lovely morning in Estabrook Park, and it was also very quiet, but I’m not sure which conjunction should go where. I initially wrote that I didn’t see any new or surprising visitors, but I did see my first snowberry clearwing of the season. It was checking out a stand of milkweeds but was gone in a flash, and I failed to get a picture. Instead, the fishing birds showed more patience, so long as I didn’t try to get too close.
There was a pair of kingfishers on the pond, and I hoped to capture them both at once, but this female will have to do.
There was also a green heron, but I didn’t see it move.
The only one I saw catch anything, however, was this young great blue heron on the river.
On my way to the pond this morning, I found this cutie vacuuming up the mulberries sprinkled all over the lawn under that tree.
And, as I approached the river at the far north end, I spotted this fledgling Baltimore oriole picking away at the mulberries still on the tree there. So, if you have a hankering for mulberries, which I can attest are quite delicious, now is the time to go get some.
Speaking of times that are now, the black raspberries are becoming ripe, too, and they also are a taste sensation.
Back to the critters, I spotted four (4!) belted kingfishers all fishing together, so it appears that the breeding pair on or near the northern island have two fledglings. Yay! Sadly, they were all too busy fishing to pose anywhere near me. Instead, here’s a green heron who has been fishing on foot recently in the shallow river water on the east side of the northern island.
On my way back south, I enjoyed the family-safe show these amorous, or just friendly, gray squirrels were putting on from a branch high above the far shore.
Finally, there’s a new blossom in the park, probably creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides), and these particular examples are from beside of the river trail down the bluff from the beer garden.
This will be a short report. The day is beautiful, and the park looks refreshed after all the rain we got yesterday afternoon, but the critters seemed to be going about their business with a renewed sense of urgency, so pictures were hard to come by.
Luckily, this catbird picked a nicely exposed and sunny spot, with a nice blue-sky background, to sing his song.
The first family of wood ducks on the pond, now nearly grown, were busy taking care of their feathers after breakfast.
The second family, however, was still busy foraging.
A great blue heron also picked a nice sunny spot, just off the northern island, to digest a gullet full of fish.
After a slow start, monarchs are everywhere now, and here’s one basking a bit, perhaps to get rid of the last of yesterday’s soaking.
I am thrilled to report that we appear to have a recently fledged belted kingfisher on the river. I very seldomly see even two at a time, but here are three perched together, and the female on the far right looks like she’s still hoping to be fed by Mom or Dad.
Here’s a closer look at a female, and I can’t say for sure if she’s a fledgling or a parent, but the parents tend to resist letting me have a portrait like that.
Here’s a great blue heron over the pond early yesterday morning demonstrating maximal neck snakage.
And here’s one in flight over the river a little later that same morning with its neck uncharacteristically straight, as a crane would fly.
While out in Waterford with Anne’s family for the 4th, I took a walk around her folks’ place and saw a couple of sandhill cranes, but the sun was hot so the air was very wavy, and the birds were far away, so the pictures are terrible, even worse than the heron picture above. Instead, I was able to get nice and close to this female widow skimmer basking a bit in that same warm sun.
Meanwhile, there were a pair of red-tailed hawks soaring and calling overhead, and here’s one of them.
Back to this morning, I’ve completely lost track of all the mallard ducklings on the river, but here are a recent-looking trio strolling through the muck with their mom.
Then, as I was walking back south along the river, this red squirrel acted like it had never seen anything as strange as me before.
Finally, at the south end, at the west side of the soccer fields, where it is too wet to mow and the parks department lets a few flowers bloom, a stand of Canada thistle is attracting butterflies, and here’s a monarch sipping its fill of some sweet Canadian nectar.
Ah, that’s more like it! The smoke and humidity have moved on, and we had blue skies this morning like I haven’t seen in weeks. I was able to take advantage of it right away at the south end when a ruckus amongst the crows distracted this one enough from evading me for a moment.
At the crest of the bluff, by the beer garden, I was finally able to capture one of the many young grackles that have been foraging with their folks in the big outfield.
Back at the river, the Canada geese have returned from their brief absence, but I was more interested in this shot of a kingfisher perched over mallard ducklings and couldn’t believe my luck when a grackle photobombed the shot.
Back on land, I was looking for butterflies again, but this indigo bunting stole the show.
Finally, back at the far south end, I was looking for butterflies yet again, but house wrens were making a racket, and I was thrilled to get to see this scene. Here’s a fledgling waiting for its breakfast.
Here’s mom or dad delivering.
And then here they are telling me to get lost.
So, no new butterflies today, but here’s a glimpse of the top side of the wings of the first mystery butterfly from yesterday, and those white spots plus that red stripe make this a red admiral.
And here’s a glimpse of the top side of the wings of the second mystery butterfly from yesterday, and those black splotches on a red background, plus the bright white “c” in yesterday’s image, make this an eastern comma.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 
