This morning in Estabrook was just as cold as yesterday, but the breeze was much lighter, and the sky was just as blue, so it was a very nice morning for a walk in the park. The common merganser hens are still with us, and either they are getting used to people walking up andContinue reading “About as nice as a day this cold can be…”
Monthly Archives: January 2026
A few familiar faces on a chilly day …
Well, it certainly was colder and windier than yesterday, with temps below zero and the wind chill in the negative twenties, but the sky was blue, and the sun was shining bright, so that was a very pleasant surprise. The critters were keeping close to the ground to keep out of the wind, which madeContinue reading “A few familiar faces on a chilly day …”
More oddities from far, far away…
Temps were in the single digits this morning, with a nice breeze out of the west that pushed the “feels like” temperature down into the negative teens. I’d even call that “brisk”, if not necessarily “bad news”. This is the middle of January in Wisconsin, after all. The unambiguous good news, on the other hand,Continue reading “More oddities from far, far away…”
Hunkering down in Estabrook Park…
After a short warmup following the snow yesterday, it cooled back down, we got another 3-4 inches overnight, temps are back down into the teens, and it has continued to snow lightly all day. Plus, I see we are not due to get above freezing for the rest of the month, so winter is backContinue reading “Hunkering down in Estabrook Park…”
Snow day or bath day? Why not both?
The promised snow did arrive this morning, and it kept me out of Estabrook Park till 10:30am. Happily, not all the critters were done with their mornings by then, and I was able to see a few. Here are the ones I managed to capture on film: A mature bald eagle over the far riverbank.Continue reading “Snow day or bath day? Why not both?”
Shy birds…
It was a gorgeous, if cool, morning in Estabrook Park, with even nicer weather than predicted. The critters, however, must have had something else on their minds, because they were not in a cooperative mood today. For example, this is the best look a fox sparrow on the island in the pond would let meContinue reading “Shy birds…”
Another thaw comes to an end…
What a fine Wisconsin-winter-weather welcome home I had this morning! When I landed at Mitchel late yesterday afternoon, I could tell it was warm out, and we saw on the news last evening that Milwaukee missed the record high temperature for yesterday’s date by one degree. And that’s a thin degree, on Herr Fahrenheit’s scale,Continue reading “Another thaw comes to an end…”
A look back at some birds of Jordan…
As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll be sitting a lot today, in cars, airports, and airplanes, so we have to go back to the archives for pictures. Plus, I did a terrible job of reviewing the amazing sights we saw in 2025, so here’s a look back at some highlights from Jordan. When we got toContinue reading “A look back at some birds of Jordan…”
Just a hawk and a duck…
This morning was jammed full of doctor’s appointments for my folks, so I didn’t get out to look for wildlife until after lunch. I went straight to the Fresh Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary across the river, but by then, it seems, most of the critters were already down for their naps, so the sightings were fewContinue reading “Just a hawk and a duck…”
Merlins, wigeons, and teals, oh my!
My sister and I went out looking for more open water on the old Farmington Canal this morning, but we completely struck out. The pond where we’ve seen river otters, green herons, and cormorants, was still completely iced over. So, we checked out Hannover Pond again after lunch, and before we even got there, weContinue reading “Merlins, wigeons, and teals, oh my!”
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 