I biked in the Park Tuesday morning. It was unusually cool for the first of September, fifty-three degrees. I wore a base layer, with a fleece layer over it and wished that I had also worn full fingered gloves. The weather was cool and crisp, quite fall like. There was not a cloud in the sky and not a breath of wind either. I got this great picture of a juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron. I also got fifteen miles.
Even at six AM there was a lot of activity in the Park: The Dwight Davis Tennis Center was already abuzz with preparations for the US Tennis Association’s Wheelchair Championship; The Cricket Avenue boot camp fitness group, my name for them, was working out; Today’s header shows some of the Wash. U. Army ROTC doing PT; Finally, construction workers were gearing up for the day’s work in the Deer Lake area of the Park. They have a dozen or so rough limestone boulders to place along a stretch of the river that runs through the Park that heretofore was lined with bushes. This made perfect habitat for herons in the Park, I expect that what we will have in the end is perfect habitat for bird paparazzi.
Anne had the morning off, so she went biking in the Park later in the morning. Joanie called her while she was out riding and they decided to get together for lunch. They tried the Boat House, but it was too crowded, so they decamped to Kayak Coffee. She got fifteen miles also.
Regen concurs that this is a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron. Therefore the other one was a juvenile great blue heron, and Regen was incorrect (gasp).