Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

The weather was perfect for my last morning out east; 46°F, dry, still, and sunny; and this time my sister and I tried the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in Cheshire to see who we could find. There is a big, shallow pond beside the stretch we sampled, and I was sure we’d find a heronContinue reading “Just a few more pictures from CT.”

I’m still out east, and this morning my sister took me hiking on the Quinnipiac River Gorge Trail from the Cheshire town line to Hanover Pond in Meriden. What a great outing. I’ve probably been there a half dozen times before over the years, but I don’t recall ever seeing a bird on the river.Continue reading “Back along the water…”

I’m visiting my folks in Connecticut this weekend, and my sister’s son and his wife suggested that we go hiking in Talcott Mountain State Park this afternoon, and boy, oh boy, did that turn out to be a great idea. We could hear a lot of favorites on the hike up the mountain, scarlet tanagers,Continue reading “Update from the east coast.”

Anne wanted to go for a bike ride early this morning, to beat the heat and traffic, so we both got up at 4:30 and were out the door at 5:30. Sweet! The weather was perfect again, and I had the park to myself for a while. This little cutie seemed to wonder what theContinue reading “Good starts, both early and red.”

This morning was just as wonderful as yesterday, but I didn’t have as much time, and those rascally warblers were too busy filling up on fine Wisconsin bugs for me to get any pictures today. Instead, we’ll have to make do with the old tried-and-true, and first up is one of the two green heronsContinue reading “Back to the regulars…”

All our wishing must have worked because it was even warmer and stiller in Estabrook Park this morning than yesterday. Not only were the bugs out in swarms and the birds out in droves, but there was a chorus of toads singing at the riverbank for nearly the length of the park, and it wasContinue reading “And just like that…”

Ahhhh, the wind has subsided at last, the little flying bugs were thick in the air, and it seemed as though a whole basketful of birds was dumped on Estabrook overnight. The treetops were alive with warblers. The very first new arrival I spotted this morning was this very-shy indigo bunting, who only gave meContinue reading “More Birds!”

We have been “enjoying” a wind out of the south, as advertised, and it does appear that some birds have hitched a ride on it, so we do have some new arrivals, but let’s start with the goslings. At first, I didn’t see all six goslings at the pond this morning, and my heart sank,Continue reading “The wind is still whippin’”

Here’s a nice little bouquet of hepticia, aka liverleaf or liverwort, just opening up beside the parkway across from the guardrail, for all the moms out there. More orioles are arriving, and here’s one of a trio I spotted overhead as I could hear a fourth singing across the river. The tree swallows are still searching forContinue reading “Happy Mother’s Day!”

It truly was a beautiful morning in Estabrook Park. The temps were mild and rising, the wind was light, and the sky was crystal blue. The mammals, who have been so active recently, appeared to be taking the weekend off, but the birds were as busy as ever. On my way north along the river,Continue reading “A change in the weather for the better!”