Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

We made it into Big Bend National Park today, did some great hiking in the Chisos Mountains, and saw some amazing sights. Here’s a pyrrhuloxia or desert cardinal (Cardinalis sinuatus), close cousin to the Northern cardinals we see in Estabrook. Here’s a Say’s phoebe (Sayornis saya) on the hunt for dinner out on the desert north ofContinue reading “Big Bend National Park, Day 1.”

Anne and I finally arrived this afternoon and immediately set out to see who we could see. In short order, we spotted 14 bird species, 8 of which are entirely new to me, and one butterfly. The wifi is kinda slow here, so I’ll just post a couple pictures to whet your appetite. Here’s aContinue reading “Greetings from Terlingua, West Texas”

After I got home from Estabrook yesterday, I got a cryptic message on the facebook that mentioned “saw-whet”, and then I saw on ebird that someone reported seeing a northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) in our very own park, so I hustled right back over there. Then, as I was methodically checking the trees byContinue reading “Big and small…”

It’s a damp and dreary morning in Estabrook Park, but the temps are mild, and the wind is light, so not a bad time to visit at all. There were plenty of birds out and about making the best of the situation, but I didn’t expect my camera to do well in the low light,Continue reading “An early January thaw…”

Now that the big storm is all cleared out, things are pretty quiet in Estabrook Park. There’s still some ice on the river, but not so much that ducks and mergansers are coming south in search of open water. Here are a few pictures from the last two mornings. A black-capped chickadee by the pond,Continue reading “Happy New Year!”

My trip to Connecticut is winding down, and I’ll be back in Wisconsin tomorrow. Before I go, however, I’ve got some pictures for you. There is a nice rails-to-trails linear park that follows the old Farmington Canal through town, and I was pleasantly surprise by the variety of wildlife I found there. There is aContinue reading “Sights from CT.”

The cold and wind are starting to back off a bit, and the sun was out, so it was a perfect morning in Estabrook Park. The river ice continues to form, however, so my wish came true, and the goldeneyes have begun to arrive. Here’s a hen on the rapids at the south end. AndContinue reading “The goldeneyes return!”

The thermometer said, “-7°F”, and the wind said, “let’s make that feel like -33°F”, but the snow was fresh, and the sun was out, so I hustled out the door this morning to see who might be out and about in Estabrook Park. The river has frozen over below the falls, which has backed upContinue reading “The snow is done, but the wind and the cold press on.”

It was a gray morning in Estabrook, but the big storm hasn’t yet arrived, so temps where mild, the breeze was light, and the snow was on pause. I didn’t see anything notable on my walk along the river until I reached the north end, where two red-tailed hawks were perched in a tree overContinue reading “A calm before the storm.”

With temps in the single digits (°F), nearly still air, and a bit of sun shining down before it hid away behind thickening overcast, it was a fine morning for returning to Estabrook Park. The pond was frozen over, and the river was icing up, but there was still plenty of open water. I wasContinue reading “The Shortest Day”