Temps were pretty mild this morning in Estabrook Park, but the clouds were thick, and the breeze was stiff, so I didn’t have very high expectations for my visit. I saw the hooded merganser and the wood duck on the pond again, but I figured they weren’t going anywhere, and the light might improve later, so I continued on to the river.

There was a great blue heron on the far side just above the falls, and the light wasn’t any better yet, but they’re sometimes skittish, so I took this picture while I could.

I only saw mallards on the river around the islands at the north end, so I headed back south with a pretty meager bird count so far. To get back to the pond, I took the path that runs through the woods on the south side of the dog park. Along the way, I spotted my first mourning dove, but don’t worry, it was too far away for a picture. Once I stopped walking, however, I just kept noticing more and more birds.

There were a couple dozen robins foraging in the bushes up the little bluff from the stream that runs from the pond to the river. Then a flock of starlings flew in, parked, and started chatting away. Hairy, downy, and red-bellied woodpeckers all started calling. A nuthatch, chickadees, and goldfinches chimed in. More doves arrived, and a blue jay joined the fray. It was getting crazy, and the cherry on top was that one of the goldfinches turned out to be a yellow-rumped warbler, and quite possibly my last one for the season.

They all kept their distance, too, so I didn’t even bother with my camera and just enjoyed the spectacle. There were representatives from six species I hadn’t yet seen today.

Eventually, the concentration of birds dissipated back to normal, and I continued to the pond. As I followed the path around the north end, I startled a Cooper’s hawk who might have been taking a sip at the water’s edge. Happily, it found this perch on the island, just 20 feet away, and let me take this portrait.

I continued on around the pond and found the hooded merganser again.

Along with the wood duck drake, who now appears to be dabbling solo. I haven’t seen the young hen who was with him on Wednesday since then.

Finally, on my way home from the pond, I was stunned to spot a second warbler, an orange-crowned this time, who appeared to be picking seeds out of that gone-by clump of goldenrod. I did see some bugs in the air today, but with the weather we’ve been having lately, I’m glad that it has a backup plan and that it only has to get to Memphis, about 560 miles away, to reach the northern edge of its winter range.

It was oddly quiet in Estabrook Park this morning. The weather was nice enough, with mostly clear skies, a light breeze, and temps about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday, but the critters were perhaps a bit shellshocked from the recent snowstorm. Nevertheless, there were a few up and about, so here they are.

There were six Canada geese on the pond when I arrived, and after I took a seat on the bench up on the west lawn, they clambered up on the lawn to join me. This particular character came so close, I thought if I held out my hand it might give my fingers a taste. I did not give that a try, but this might be the first time that I can tell where the black iris of a goose ends, and the pupil begins.

At the river, all I saw were mallards. No geese, no raptors, no kingfishers, no visitors. Instead, the best picture I could find was of this female northern cardinal on shore behind me calmly gorging on berries.

Time for another.

And then there was just one left. Well, two, if you count the one by her feet.

On my way back south, I did spot three blue herons, and this is the one warm enough to show its face.

Back at the pond, the light was a little better, and here’s the only wood duck I found today.

The big surprise was this sharp looking visitor, a female or immature male hooded merganser.

It just kept striking different poses against that pretty pond water.

How could I not take these pictures, right?

Anyway, that’s it for the birds today. I almost didn’t take this squirrel’s picture either, until I saw it had its little front paws curled under itself, presumably to warm them up. Plus, the blue sky always makes every picture better.

After the snow yesterday morning, the day cleared up for a bit, but then late in the afternoon, the snow came back, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped into the 20s. Happily, by this morning, the wind and precipitation were gone, and all that was left were beautiful blue skies, and about an inch of snow on anything that kept it off the ground.

There was even a bit of ice in places on the pond and the river, but this great blue heron found a clear spot to soak up some of the early-morning sun.

While this belted kingfisher had already been in for a dip and was energetically shaking and preening the water out of its feathers.

I didn’t see any sign of our five yellowlegs from yesterday, but the young bald eagle arrived high above the northern island by the time I was on my way back south.

By the beer garden, I found a couple of trees full of robins. The first tree was offering up little black seeds.

And the second tree was chock full of little red berries.

The berry tree also attracted this male downy woodpecker, but he was after a different meal.

When I stopped by the pond on my way north, I spotted a couple of wood ducks, but the sun hadn’t yet cleared the trees, so it was still pretty dark. Instead, I stopped by again on my way back south to see if I could get a wood duck picture with good light. At first, they were pretty shy, and I had to shoot across the pond.

But then a couple dozen geese flew in, which seemed to provide the wood ducks a sense of security, and I was able to get a nice portrait of the drake in all his finery.

Since we haven’t seen a lot of such a pretty blue sky lately, I tried to get as much use as I could out of it, so here’s a mourning dove, even though I know that not everyone is a fan.

And finally, here’s a male northern cardinal mid chirp.

It started snowing in Estabrook Park at around 7:45 this morning, and it is still drifting down now two and a half hours later. Despite the recent cold, the ground is still too warm for any accumulation except on the grass, bushes, and trees. I realize many folks are fewer than thrilled with this development, but it is a huge treat for me, even if it is a bit of a hassle to keep my camera dry. In any case, here are a few of the critters who continued going about their business despite the snow.

A belted kingfisher appears still to have a hope of catching a fish for breakfast.

As does this great blue heron.

These mallards seem totally unfazed.

Once I reach the northern island, I usually also scan the river all the way up to the bridge, about 1000 feet away, even if I’m not going to hike that far, just to see who else might be there, and today I hit the jackpot. I could just make out this little group of shore birds, but I couldn’t tell what they were exactly, so this time I did have to hike farther north for a better look.

Upon closer inspection, I believe I finally have a picture of greater yellowlegs in Estabrook, subject to expert approval from ebird.org, of course. We’ve seen lesser yellowlegs a few times before, and I spotted greaters in the Horicon marsh, but these five would be a first for me here. Keep your fingers crossed.

Back on shore, this dark-eyed junco foraged in the snowy grass.

Finally, back at the south end, beside the soccer fields, I spotted the phoebe again. Boy, I sure hope it can still accumulate enough calories, not only to stay warm, but also to fly a bit farther south to its winter range, which extends north just into Kentucky, about 400 miles away. “Hang in there, Kiddo! The forecast has us back into the 40s tomorrow and the 50s for the weekend.”

It was a beautiful, if brisk, morning in Estabrook Park, with clear skies and measured temps below freezing for the first time this season. I even had to wear gloves.

On my way north, I didn’t see anything exciting until I came upon this muskrat in the river between the two islands. It was repeatedly diving and surfacing, and I’m not sure to what end, butthe last time I saw one was on the pond back in July, so it was great to see one again anyway.

Even better, just beyond the muskrat, a young bald eagle stood perched over the northern island, and perhaps it is the same one we saw back in September.

On my way back south, I caught a glimpse through the bushes of this male belted kingfisher preening in the sun on a perch over the river. I tried to move a bit to get the sun at my back, but the kingfisher was having none of that.

Just a little downstream a male downy woodpecker was busily excavating a nesting cavity.

I don’t know how far he intends to go, but you can see he’s gotten pretty far already.

Finally, a white-tailed doe checked me out while simultaneously listening for anyone who might be trying to sneak up behind her.

I can’t make it to Estabrook Park today, but the forecast is for “cloudy”, and I think we’ve all seen enough grainy pictures with grey backgrounds lately. Instead, I’ve found a few recent pictures that I haven’t shown you yet, so here we go.

First up is another song sparrow posing sweetly by the river at the north end of the park from yesterday.

And here’s another look at the little red squirrel from yesterday, after it decided I was no threat and felt an itch that needed taking care of.

Here’s yet a another butterfly from the Dzalanyama Forest Reserve, and this little one basking in the early morning sun on some damp sand beside a little stream is an axehead skipper or axehead orange butterfly (Acada biseriata).

Here’s an African striped skink (Trachylepis striata) that I spotted in Lilongwe, hence the concrete curb it is slinking along. I read that “skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards, and most species of skinks have long, tapering tails they can shed if predators grab onto them. Such species generally can regenerate the lost part of a tail, though imperfectly. A lost tail can grow back within around three to four months.”

Back in the Dzalanyama Forest Reserve, here’s a Natal pansy or brown pansy butterfly (Junonia natalica)

And here’s a scarlet dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea). I read that their range extends north all the way into southern Europe, and even once in a while they stray into Britain.

Here’s another gaudy commodore butterfly (Precis octavia). I wonder who felt the need to disparage such a gorgeous creature with “gaudy“, right?

Here’s one more look at a female vervet monkey with her baby.

Finally, here’s one last look at a tiny Lang’s short-tailed blue or common zebra blue (Leptotes pirithous)

Okay, that’s enough of that. The forecast for tomorrow morning is “cool” but sunny. I might need gloves, but that’s a small price to pay for decent light and pretty blue backgrounds, if you ask me.

Fall has arrived at last, and temps fell from the high 60s yesterday afternoon to the high 30s this morning. Plus, the skies were crystal clear, and the air was nearly still, so there was even a bit of radiation frost on the grass at sunrise. That warm sun, the blue skies, and still a bit of fall foliage left on the trees made for some nice pictures, and here’s a red-bellied woodpecker rustling up its breakfast.

Here’s a song sparrow that I interrupted from its foraging, and now it is giving me the evil eye until I move on so it can get back to work.

At the far north end, I thought I saw an eagle flying north, but I couldn’t get a good enough look to be sure, and then I heard a raptor call from across the river. It turns out we still have an osprey around, but I couldn’t get a picture to turn out.

Instead, I found a pair of red-tailed hawks perched high above our side of the river, and here’s the one that wasn’t too buried in the branches.

On my way back south, I found another young-looking red squirrel, who paused from its busy schedule to keep tabs on me.

And then I saw the osprey again perched over the water just east of the southern island. Counting the Cooper’s hawk and peregrine falcon on Monday, and the bald eagle and pair of merlins on Tuesday, that makes six raptors for the week. Sweet!

Then, as I tried to reposition for an even better shot, it took off while I wasn’t looking, but I soon found it flying north with a fresh catch in tow!

At the southern tip of the same island, this great blue heron was basking in the sun and could barely keep its eyes open, despite the commotion above.

Even crazier, at the southern-most staircase, near where I had seen the pair of merlins on Tuesday, I found the osprey again, and this time I could get close enough for a portrait. What a morning this was turning out to be.

At the far south end, I was surprised to find an easter phoebe still hanging around. I bet it will struggle to fill its belly with flying bugs today.

Lastly, here’s a mourning dove that was hiding deep in the leaves that remain.

Well, the rain did stop eventually, and the temperatures remain mild, for now, but the skies are still dark this morning, and I had a helper along with short legs who didn’t want to explore farther than the pond this time.

We did, however, spot this male belted kingfisher perched over the pond before some nice fall foliage, …

And this male wood duck stretching a wing just above the water.

But then we had to head back home, which gives me the opportunity to show you some of the insects Anne and I saw in Dzalanyama Forest Reserve of Malawi. This first beauty is a gaudy commodore butterfly (Precis octavia).

Besides butterflies, there were a few dragonflies, and this stunner appears to be a common tiger or common tigertail (Ictinogomphus ferox), a clubtail in the Gomphidae family.

This next darling butterfly, a Lang’s short-tailed blue or common zebra blue (Leptotes pirithous), was tiny and perched on a stick lying on the ground just outside our cabin door.

On the day we hiked to a highpoint to peer into Mozambique, I noticed a piece of straw on the ground moving oddly, and that’s because it was actually an African stick mantis (Hoplocorypha macra), instead.

On the day we hiked along the stream, we kept seeing this one type of butterfly, who turned out to be of the species serene sailer or river sailer (Neptis serena), and who absolutely refused to let me get a picture. At one point, after several failed attempts, Anne asked how I ever got butterfly pictures at all. Anyway, when I went back early the next morning, this particular specimen was more interestied in warming up in the sun than in evading my camera, so here we are.

I would have never spotted this next spectacular creature if I hadn’t noticed it flying in for a landing. I can’t get an exact ID, but it was pretty big, and it appears to be an antlion, possibly in the Palpares genus.

Lastly, we saw several striking orange/tan butterflies on our hikes, and this one appears to be a darker commodore (Precis antilope)

Well, the forecast calls some clearer, if cooler, skies, so keep your fingers crossed for some sun tomorrow morning.

The forecast is for rain all morning tomorrow (today when you are reading this), so I finally have an opportunity to show you the last of my trip pictures. When Anne was searching for flights from Malawai, where we had been for her research, to Delft, where I was going to a conference, they all seemed to go through Nampula, in northeastern Mozambique, so we decided to pop in for a visit to check it out.

Now, Nampula didn’t strike us as much of a tourist destination, but the nearby Island of Mozambique on the other hand, a certified UNESCO World Heritage Site, was another matter. One notable building on the island is the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Baluarte, which was “built by the Portuguese in 1522″, and is now “considered to be the oldest European building in the southern hemisphere!”

Anyway, the island is “now entirely urbanised,” so the wildlife there has adapted to live near humans, and this is who we saw. One of the most common creatures was the pied crow, same as we saw in Malawi.

There were also plenty of slightly-smaller house crows aka Indian, greynecked, Ceylon, or Colombo crows (Corvus splendens), which I have glimpsed before I started this project, but which is a new bird for us.

I also saw my very first cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), despite the fact that Estabrook Park appears to be in their breeding range. Perhaps we don’t have enough cattle, with whom I read they “maintain a special relationship”, in the park to attract them.

Given the relative proximity to Lilongwe, we shouldn’t be too surprised to see a blue waxbill as well.

Even though the island is urbanized, it is an island in the Indian Ocean, after all, so some shorebirds might be expected, and here’s a common sandpiper, which we last saw in the Sečovlje Saltpans of Slovenia.

On our last evening on the island, I finally came down with something, probably from the ice in the caipirinha I ill-advisedly enjoyed over dinner, and I was laying low the next morning. That was until Anne came back from her walk all excited about an egret she had seen foraging on the mud exposed by low tide. As the trooper that I like to imagine that I am, I dutifully strapped on my camera and headed out with her to find a slew of little egrets, which we also first saw in Slovenia, but in less-fancy plumage this time.

But there was something else out there, and it kept pretty far from dry land, so it was hard to get a good look at it. At first I thought it was a eurasian curlew, whom we last saw in South Holland, but upon closer inspection, that pretty-clearly “striped crown” marks it as a Eurasian or common whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) instead, a species I have not seen before. Woo Hoo! Thanks, Mozambique, and thanks, Anne!

Finally, it should come as no surprise that “the most widely distributed wild bird,” which is also “strongly associated with human habitation,” would be found in such a location, and sure enough, here’s a house sparrow.

Back in Estabrook Park, the forecast is mixed for Friday morning, so let’s hope it clears up enough for me to go get some more pictures.

I got off to a slow start in Estabrook Park this morning. It wasn’t raining very hard, but if I get any drops on my lens, I’m pretty much done for the day, so I waited out the precipitation. When I finally did venture in, I was happy to find plenty of critters still out and about. Perhaps they had waited out the rain as well and were busy making up for lost time.

I was particularly surprised to find this young male yellow-bellied sapsucker on the east side of the pond so late in the season. I expected that they had all already flown south, but I underestimated this procrastinator.

There are also still wood ducks on the pond, and here’s a pair already taking their morning nap.

There was a flock of hungry cedar waxwings around, which is always a treat, and here’s one scarfing down berries on the west side of the pond.

I eventually headed to the river, and I was greeted by this young and curious red squirrel beside the water.

A bit farther north, something spooked this young white-tailed buck on the southern island, and then the poor thing got photobombed by a great blue heron. He’s having a rough morning.

At the north end, another merlin was perched high above the northern island. Perhaps it is one of the pair from yesterday.

There was a big fish, probably chinook salmon, breaking the surface of the shallow river water.

On my way back south, I came across this dark-eyed junco on the side of the bluff coming down from the beer garden.

Just a bit farther south, this ruby-crowned kinglet was foraging in a willow tree right along the river.

I normally don’t take a lot of eastern gray squirrel pictures, but this one munching on a nut really dared me to.

Finally, here’s another hermit thrush, but this one was really doing its best to show off its distinctive cinnamon tail.