It was a chilly morning in Estabrook Park, with temps in the high 40s, but the recent little cool snap appears to be winding down, the wind has also hit pause, and we’re due to hit 70°F this afternoon. Phew!
The cool, still air made for a light fog over the warm river water, and here’s the wood duck hen and her five ducklings in the thick of it.
Farther upstream, just as I approached the islands above the falls, I spotted a group of deer wading across to the far riverbank. I thought at first they were the pair we’ve been seeing lately, but there were three of them, and they’re all bucks. I wonder where they’ve wandered in from. Has your garden run out of tulips?
As I was hoping the bucks would get closer together for a nice group shot, three great blue herons glided downstream overhead, and here’s the straggler of the bunch.
The warblers have mostly all flown north by now, but they’ve left a few stragglers behind, too, and here’s a magnolia warbler hunting for bugs on a crabapple tree by the river.
A bigger surprise today was spotting one last red-breasted merganser on the river, and it’s only the second one spotted in the park all month. “What’s the holdup, Buddy?”
Finally, the first batch of robin chicks have fledged, and here’s one begging Dad for more breakfast.
And here’s dutiful Dad coughing up the goods. If you look closely, you can see that they’ve both covered their eyes with that inner lid they have for just such occasions.
Lastly, we had a great showing last evening for the Milwaukee Birders’ Birds and Brews. I counted 19 bird species in just over an hour, and I was sure glad I had packed another layer to put on for the brews hour. The next one is scheduled for June 4 in Humboldt Park, in case you’re sorry you missed this one.
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 