Nearly smoked out…

The Canadian wildfire smoke sure did arrive overnight, and it was so thick by sunrise that I wondered if it would ever get light out, but the streetlights did eventually shut off, and the air quality index was still below 300, so I ventured into Estabrook to see who might be out and about.

I found the doe and her fawn on the downstream island, for the first time, and the fawn was curious about me, but Mom was in no mood for fun and games today, and they soon disappeared into the brush.

At the upstream island, where we’ve been seeing the fawn until today, I spotted a belted kingfisher just as it caught a fish, and I’d put it at just about 100 yards away, so you can get some sense for how thick the smoke was, if you haven’t already experienced it for yourself today.

The sun started to burn through the smoke by around 7 am, and it sure looked angry.

I can’t assert that the insects were less effected, but I did find this bicolored striped sweat bee seeming to go about its business as usual on a purple cone flower in the pollinator garden.

I did see a few monarchs today, but this one sipping nectar from the swamp milkweed beside the river yesterday made the better picture.

Finally, I had to get home in time to head down to the MMSD lab in Milwaukee for a tour organized by the River Keepers, and on my way, I came across this amazing sight beside the Oak Leaf Trail. At first, I couldn’t quite tell what it was, and as I got closer, I thought it was a small dog. It was only when I stopped almost right beside it that I realized it was a young coyote, out on its own and looking a little lost. Once I stopped, I took the best picture I could with my phone, and it got up and ambled over to the weeds further from the path to watch traffic go by from a safer distance. Sure, I know that coyotes are apex predators in Milwaukee County, I have yet to be attacked by a wild animal, other than wasps and bees, and I’d like to keep it that way, but what an absolute little cutie this young coyote was.

I read that our air quality index peaked at over 600 this afternoon, which sounds like a lot and I’m told is bad, so I stayed inside for the rest of the day, but it’s forecast to be back under 200 tomorrow, and I hope to get back into Estabrook to see how the wildlife is holding up. I’ll keep you posted.