It was a nice enough morning in Estabrook Park, and the critters were mostly out and about, but I didn’t see many scenes that were particularly photo-worthy, so I pulled the plug on my visit after a couple of hours and hustled up to Havenwoods State Forest to join the Milwaukee Birders by 8:30 a.m. for their “Second Saturdays” bird walk. I’ve only been there in the winter, so let’s see who the summer has brought with it.
The first treat was seeing three (3!) American kestrels, which I understand are part of a family with two fledglings. I’m not sure if this is a parent or fledgling, but it sure is a pretty bird, isn’t it?
House wrens are not nearly as exotic as kestrels, but they are quite the singers, and this guy was no exception.
We see orchard orioles once in a while in Estabrook, but they must not find there the habitat they are looking for, because they never stick around. Instead, Havenwoods must fit the bill because we saw a pair of them today, and here’s the male.
The same must be true for marsh wrens, because look who I found in the cattails at the edge of one of the ponds they have.
Given the big, open fields, I would have been surprised if there were not meadowlarks, but they did keep out of sight until the last field we checked.
The wildflowers in those big, open fields also attract butterflies, and I counted at least five species, and this is our first red-spotted purple of the year. I hope to see one in Estabrook soon.
I realize I also just showed you a wood nymph last Sunday, but this one posed to nicely with such good lighting, that I couldn’t help myself.
Similarly, I just showed you a wood satyr on Thursday, but how often do you get to see a nymph and a satyr on the same day, so you can really compare and contrast them? Plus, we got a completely different pose today.
Well, that turned out to be totally worth the bike ride up there, and I may have to do it again sometime.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 