Monthly Archives: July 2020

What a nice cool morning, for a change, eh? It sure keeps the bugs down for a bit. Happily, I was out yesterday afternoon when the bugs were livin’ large, and it turns out that right here in Estabrook Park we’ve got many more kinds of skipper butterflies, besides the two we’ve already seen, thenContinue reading “Skippers Galore!”

What a beautiful morning it was: not too hot, not too cool, and very still. Many of the birds are starting to quiet down, especially the grackles and red-winged blackbirds, so the few that are still singing, wrens and buntings, really stand out. Happily, there are still plenty of creatures, old and new, willing toContinue reading “Lots of wings and legs today.”

Ha! As soon as I say we haven’t seen ducklings in days, look who shows up on the river. And just to keep things interesting, a female or juvenile common merganser (Mergus merganser), which I don’t believe we’ve seen in the park before, was heading down river this morning. After I caught just enough ofContinue reading “Not done yet!”

As we approach the dog days of summer, with the heliacal rising of the dog star, Sirius, scheduled for August 15, things seem to be slowing down in the park. I haven’t seen a duckling in days, and I hope, as I know you do too, that they merely moved on to fresher water, butContinue reading “Slowing down”

I did see the doe and fawn again today, but they were in the brush, and neither were in the mood for hanging out, so no pictures. Instead, all I’ve got for you is bugs. The first bug is this red admiral (Vanessa atalanta), which we first saw back in June, on a eastern purpleContinue reading “Just bugs”

Here’s Red, the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) I met this morning in the grass by the parkway north of the Benjamin Church House. Red was on a mission, but I think maybe the landscape has changed since he last came this way, and he was not going to like what he found. Therefore, withContinue reading “The Wanderer”

It was another fabulous morning in Estabrook Park, and I was just walking up the middle of the parkway, which has been close to car traffic since Memorial Day weekend, and I was approaching the middle parking lot, when this young deer, still sporting spots, simply could not figure out what to make of me.Continue reading “An Enchanted Morning.”

It was another gorgeous morning in the park with cool air, calm winds, and sunny skies. Most of the critters were laying low, it seems, and I didn’t see a single duck. There were at least 3 belted kingfishers, however, on the same branch as yesterday, but the pictures aren’t even as good, so I’llContinue reading “Pick your poison…”

It was a nice cool morning and a good thing that I could wear long pants and sleeves because man-o-man the mosquitos are getting thick out there! I sprayed insect repellent straight on my face after getting bit in my eyebrow! Luckily, I thought to close my eyes first. At least I stayed out ofContinue reading “A cool day in July…”

I’ll spare you the suspense and report that the biggest down was me falling into the river. Don’t worry! The camera is fine, and I’ll dry out. I did manage to get this picture, however, of the mallard hen with her two nearly-grown ducklings before I went in. We’ve seen them a few times beforeContinue reading “A morning of ups and downs in Estabrook”