Monthly Archives: February 2021

Today seemed a bit like an odd and dark repeat of yesterday. The temps were about the same, but the sky was blanketed by heavy grey clouds, and that seemed to throw everything off. I only spotted a few female common mergansers on the lower river, and was doing my best to spot more, whenContinue reading “Fade to grey…”

Our string of pitch-perfect weather continues, and it was another glorious morning in the park. Right off the bat, as I was checking on the female common mergansers we’ve been seeing regularly at the south end, I annoyed a hawk on the near shore, who flew across to the other side to keep hunting, glareContinue reading “The Day of the Raptors”

It wasn’t as cold as yesterday so my eyelashes didn’t freeze this morning, but sustained temps near 0°F and about a foot of snow on the ground is about as good as we get it here in southeastern Wisconsin, and the hardy critters seem to be coping just fine. The five female common mergansers wereContinue reading “The deep of winter settles in…”

The weather app on my phone reported -8°F this morning, so I was curious to see what activity I could find in the park. The only mammals I saw were two guys and a dog, but the birds were mostly going about their business not much differently than yesterday. On the lower river, a trioContinue reading “Life goes on…”

It was one of those magical mornings when every footstep squeaks in the clean white snow packed firmly onto the path. If your trying to sneak up on something, you’d better step off into the deep soft stuff. The lower river had most of the regulars, a few mallard pairs, a few female common mergansers,Continue reading “The deep freeze settles in…”

The park was crowded yesterday morning, I suppose with folks trying to get their visit in before the forecast precipitation came, so I wasn’t able to find much to show you. My best shots are of this raft of female common mergansers and one male common goldeneye on the lower river. I was bummed notContinue reading “Winter ain’t done with us yet…”

I had the deep pleasure of walking home from campus late yesterday afternoon, along the river from Hubbard Park to Estabrook Park, after the clouds cleared out, the breeze calmed down, and the sun lit everything with a gorgeous setting glow. It was an absolute pleasure, but I wish I had brought my camera, asContinue reading “Love survives and a new kid arrives…”

First the loss. The raft of common mergansers were on the lower river again this morning, and it is tricky to count them all because of their movement and the convoluted topography of the river bank, but I’m sure there are at least a dozen or more, with roughly three to four females per male.Continue reading “Lunch lost and love found…”

Man, oh man, I sure hope you got a chance to get outside today, and not just to shovel your car out of a snowbank, because it was a stunner. I had to go to campus early, so didn’t hit the park till this afternoon when the sun came out and the sky turned thatContinue reading “The sun comes out…”