Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

The orb-weavers (Araneidae) are back, and with the sun coming out this morning after the rain and heavy fog last night, their artistry looked amazing! I didn’t see any of the actual spiders themselves, but their work was unmistakable. Also just in, the female red-winged blackbirds have finally arrived at the pond. I read thatContinue reading “Out came the sun and dried up all the rain…”

I know. I know. That’s redundant, but I just mean to distinguish from all the other things moms get to, such as eating, sleeping, and drinking the Chardonnay. Anyway, the exciting news is that the goose who lost her eggs is trying again, this time on a new nest that is shallow enough for usContinue reading “Moms get to work…”

It was a super quiet morning in the park, with hardly any people and hardly any critters. The most exciting new find is by my colleague, Mike from Riverwest, who posts his pictures on instagram under “ByThePushOfAButton“. We met for the first time yesterday afternoon as I made my way south on the east sideContinue reading “Some flowers a loving these April showers…”

Between class and the rain, I’m not sure if I’ll make it to the park today, but as previously advertised, yesterday was such an amazing day, I’ve got some pictures left over for just such an occasion. First up is this cute little ruby-crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula) grooming itself beside the pond. Thanks to aContinue reading “More birds and blooms…”

On this beautiful day in April, we’ve got something for everyone. Like pictures of cute little birds, especially ones we haven’t seen before? Here you go! Check out this little winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis), cousin to the house wren we saw by the pond last summer, on its way to its breeding grounds just upstate.Continue reading “The parade won’t stop, can’t stop…”

Wow! It sure felt like summer out this morning, and the critters in the park didn’t seem to mind, but sometimes I find them inscrutable, so who knows? Anyway, the belted kingfishers are out in force now, and this guy got super excited when he spotted another kingfisher. I don’t know if this display meansContinue reading “Are we skipping spring this year?”

Last year, on Easter Sunday, I clearly remember searching high and low in vain for a rabbit picture, just cuz, and this year, almost the first thing I saw as I entered the park is this little cutie, working hard to help to keep the lawn look neat and trim at the Benjamin Church House.Continue reading “Spring sightings door-buster sale at Estabrook!”

One was the best of sites. One was the worst of sites. That’s as far as the wordplay goes. Here’s a male red-bellied woodpecker showing off his fine nesting site in hopes of attracting a mate. He made it look very easy-in, easy-out, and note how the hole faces downward so that it is shelteredContinue reading “A tail of two nesting sites”

Yikes, it was cold out this morning. I wish I had worn my good winter mittens. The soil was quite crunchy with needle ice in places, and this goose, who appears to have spent the night snoozing on the mudflats by the river, had a nice heavy coating of frost on its back and wingContinue reading “A morning that’ll frost your goose…”

What an absolutely magical afternoon in the park. Holy mackerel! Off the bluff, beside the river, the cool breeze from the lake was gone, the sun was warm and bright, the sky was deep blue, and the birds were everywhere! I encountered several groups of golden-crowned kinglets (Regulus satrapa), incessantly hopping from branch to branchContinue reading “April starts off with a bang! Wow!”