Monthly Archives: April 2021

Wow! No snow, yet, but is sure as chilly this morning. Luckily, the goose eggs have moms to keep them warm, and the robin eggs might have the same, but one seemed not so sure this morning. She eventually climbed in, but it took her a while. I wonder what’s up with that. As IContinue reading “April puts a pause on spring…”

It was a cool and damp morning in Estabrook after the brief early shower, and all four moms-to-be were keeping their eggs warm: the two geese on the island and the two robins along the river. I hardly saw another creature, mammalian or avian, but I did finally manage to capture an image sufficient forContinue reading “Why do they let me publish without a title?”

It was another beautiful April morning in the park, and I am thrilled to report that the incubating appears to continue undisturbed on the island in the pond. Here’s a quick shot of the two geese on their nests as the ganders keep watch nearby. Along the river, both our robins appear now to beContinue reading “A whole lotta incubatin’ goin’ on.”

Yesterday afternoon was so nice, I went out again and ran into our newest little buddy, the friendly American coot, at the south end again, almost within sight of the Capitol Ave bridge. Then, this morning, I finally confirmed that there are indeed at least too coots on the river. Maybe our friendly coot fromContinue reading “Hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo!”

It did turn into a pretty morning, but it started out pretty grey. There is nothing new to report at the pond, which is good news as this point. Both geese were incubating at their respective ends of the island, and a third couple appear to have given up for the season. Well, two outContinue reading “A warbler at last…”

The sky was turning blue and the sun was warm as I came home from campus for lunch, so I had my hopes up, but by the time I ate and took care of some work chores, the clouds were back and the wind was cold. Oh well. I went out anyway, and I don’tContinue reading “An afternoon for the birds”

The park was very quiet this morning, under a cold grey sky, and things got off to a pretty slow start. When I arrived at the pond, this little critter was gleaning scraps that the geese and ducks failed to find on the west lawn. The goose on the southern tip of the island wasContinue reading “Not a bad outing…”

Two geese were still incubating on the island in the pond, this cool morning, but it is not clear if the third goose is even laying eggs yet. We’ll know soon enough, I guess. The breakout star at the pond this morning is this cheerful little white-throated sparrow, belting out Oh-sweet-Canada in the brief morningContinue reading “Oh-sweet-Canada…”

The big news from Estabrook this morning is that it appears as though a third pair of geese might have finally found a nesting site. She was off it again by the time I left, and it’s not on the island, so we’ll have to see if they can make a go of it there,Continue reading “And then there were three…”

The orb-weavers (Araneidae) are back, and with the sun coming out this morning after the rain and heavy fog last night, their artistry looked amazing! I didn’t see any of the actual spiders themselves, but their work was unmistakable. Also just in, the female red-winged blackbirds have finally arrived at the pond. I read thatContinue reading “Out came the sun and dried up all the rain…”