March settles back down…

After the crazy weather lately, it was nice to have some normal March conditions for a change. Temps were seasonably cool, and it was partly cloudy, but the winds were light, and it definitely was not precipitating.

The critters seemed to be enjoying the return to normalcy as much as I was, and here’s the eastern phoebe looking like it might have a belly full of bugs for the first time since it arrived. A reader I met later by the pond even commented on the appearance of gnats in the air.

The northern flickers are finally back for real. I’ve caught glimpses of them for at least a week, but today there were at least two separate individuals, I could hear them calling, and I finally managed to capture a picture of one. This handsome devil is even giving us a peek at the white patch on his lower back. Usually when I see that, the bird is already in flight, and it means that “yup, I missed getting a flicker picture, again.”

The huge surprise of the morning for me was spotting a pair of blue-winged teal drakes on the river near the upstream island. Just a week ago, they were considered “rare” in Milwaukee County, and now these two were kind enough to climb up on a log so I could take their portraits. The one in the foreground is even giving us a peek at its namesake teal speculum feathers.

Even better, they brought their northern shoveler pals with them. In total, there were four shoveler hens and four shoveler drakes. This is the kind of congregation I might hope to see at Lake Shore State Park, so I’m beyond thrilled to have gotten to see it in Estabrook.

Here’s just one pair of shovelers, and I believe this might be the best shoveler picture I’ve managed to take in the park so far.

When I spotted this hooded merganser drake in the mix, I thought to myself, “Sure, why not throw in a hoodie, too.”

As you might imagine, I blew a lot of film on that opportunity, but I eventually figured I must have at least a couple of presentable pictures, and so I headed toward the pond. On the way, I found a pair of killdeer on the softball field again, but there was no choreography this time. I suspect they are attracted to that spot because it is the closest thing to “beach sand” in the area.

The pond was full of mallards and wood ducks, but this pair put on the best show when they demonstrated why they’re called “wood” ducks.

Finally, as I approached the southern soccer fields on my way home, I found this little cutie looking a lot more comfortable with the weather than the one did on Sunday.