Partly sunny and
warm, 84 degrees, and humid
Goosepond Mountain State Park
is a 1,558 acre open area park located along Rte 17M in Chester, NY. While there are quite a few miles of
trails located throughout the park, it is pretty much undeveloped and has
limited parking. From the parking
lot just west of the Ranger’s residence, you can access an easy walking
trail/boardwalk which winds through the grasslands and swamp. This is the path we took today in
search of our shot of the day.
Our birds of the day were the
Cedar waxwings perched atop a dead snag just as we entered the park. Several American robins shared the
perch, but the waxwings were certainly the stars of the show. With berries and insects being the main
staple of the waxwings, this is prime habitat for them. They are sociable birds and it is rare
to see a solitary waxwing. Such
was the case today as they congregated on this dead tree. One individual appeared to be doing a Dracula impersonation as I took his photo!
Butterflies were also
abundant, taking advantage of the many blooming wildflowers along the trails
edge. Our first encounter was with
a find specimen of a Spicebush swallowtail. The bluish swash along the hindwings makes this butterfly
one of the easier ones to identify.
Monarchs and Tiger
swallowtails were also present in good number, but the next one to catch my
attention was this Question Mark.
I’ve have seen them before here at Goosepond and today this individual
was close enough to get a decent image of even if somewhat concealed by the
shadows of the bush in which it had landed.
Song sparrows, Blue jays, a
Red-tailed hawk and a lone Indigo bunting rounded out the avian cast of
characters on this overcast day, but this is an area certainly worth checking
into from time to time.
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