Sure, it was cool and a little cloudy this morning, but the air was very still, so still that I could almost hear a leaf drop, and that made for a very nice time in Estabrook Park. In fact, if I had to choose among these three, sunlight, warmth, or still air, I would definitely go with still air for making the park feel magical, despite all my whining about the lack of light for good pictures.
The first treat came early when I stopped by the river on my way to the pond. As I searched for visiting waterfowl, look who I found swimming across instead. I don’t think we’ve seen a beaver since April, so it’s great to learn that they’re still kicking around.
After visiting the pond, and noting the wood ducks and grebe are still with us, I returned to the river and soon found my second treat of the morning: our first American black duck since December! “Welcome back, Handsome!”
As I stood on the shore and did my best to will the black duck closer, look who I attracted instead: our first field sparrow since earlier this month! I know that might not sound like much of a treat, but we don’t get to see them often, so twice in one month is quite nice.
Speaking of birds we’ve already seen this month, I thought that all the yellow-bellied sapsuckers would have already amscrayed while I was visiting our neighbors down south, but I was clearly mistaken, and that’s one of my favorite mistakes to make.
Finally, this red squirrel must have found the best walnut it’s ever tasted, because I haven’t caught one so willing to endure the glare of my camera in a while.
I see that the sun isn’t due to rise until 7:24 tomorrow, and the forecast is for cloudy skies, so it might not be light enough for pictures until 8. I have a date, however, with the Friends of Estabrook starting at 9, so I might not have a lot to show you. The good news, on the other hand, is that I might still have one or two pictures from Mexico that I haven’t shown you yet, so we can always use those in a pinch.
Upcoming events (still a new feature!)
- Saturday, Oct 31: Milwaukee Birders and the Garden Club of Greater Milwaukee are working with Milwaukee Riverkeepers for a fall clean-up of Lincoln Creek at Havenwoods State Forest from 9:00-11:00am
- Saturday, Oct 31: Friends of Estabrook are hosting another Buckthorn Weedout from 9AM – Noon. Wear sturdy shoes, long pants, long sleeves, and work gloves. Free beverages will be available at the Estabrook Beer Garden following the weedout.
- Sunday, Nov 1: Milwaukee Birders will be visiting Lake Park. Meet at the bird feeder near the playground at 8:30am.
