Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

I’m too excited to bury the lede today, so let’s get right to it. I spotted a pair of North American River Otters (Lontra canadensis) in the river this morning who appeared to be hunting goslings, and this is the best picture I managed to capture. It sure has the rounded nose and prominent whiskersContinue reading “Almost too much for just one report!”

I’ve got a quick one for you today, more of a status update than a full report. The weather continues to be beautiful, of course, unless the lack of rain is starting to crimp your style. I stopped by the pond, and the first critter I saw was the resident and rarely seen, giant snappingContinue reading “Steady as she goes…”

Our string of beautiful days continued this morning, and things are definitely drying out, but the only thing really turning brown so far is the mowed lawn. Plus, the bright blue skies sure makes the pictures pretty, so I’ll take ’em, especially since I can’t really change ’em. The only activity I saw on theContinue reading “The streak continues…”

The stunningly beautiful morning got off to a picturesque start when this great blue heron on the pond paused in front of a rose bush on the island, probably the same multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) that we saw last week, instead of behind a bunch of dead and gray sticks. I didn’t see it catchContinue reading “Everything but the kitchen sink…”

The Shorewood Farmers Market season premiere in Estabrook Park is this morning, and man, oh man, did they dial in the weather. Just outstanding. I got to the park a little earlier than usual, and when I visited the pond, there appeared to be nobody home. Oh sure, I could here the frogs and seeContinue reading “Critters on the move…”

It was a spectacular morning in Estabrook and the only critters we seem to be waiting on now are the cicadas. No, not the brood X that that fancy folks get, and everyone’s talking about. Just our humble, yearly, summer singers. Meanwhile, most of the other regulars were out this morning, though this first oneContinue reading “Inching towards peak summer”

I bumped into Lisa, a long-time reader, in the mowed remains of the wildflower meadow at the north end yesterday. I was shooting the monarch and silver-spotted skipper butterflies, and she was looking for the indigo bunting we could both hear singing his brains out. She spotted him and also saw a hummingbird on theContinue reading “Plenty of action this morning…”

It was cloudy, foggy, and dim this morning, plus I had to wait for a delivery, so I got a late start in Estabrook. By the time I arrived, the mammals were mostly laying low, the birds were pretty much done with their morning routine, and kids were playing in the pond. Thank goodness forContinue reading “Back to the basics. No exotics today.”

It was a picture-perfect morning in Estabrook with blue skies, calm winds, and cooler temperatures, and the little wood duck rapscallions were as energetic as ever on the pond. I didn’t see the muskrat this morning, but a beaver swam by when I got to the river. Further north, just about where the owl dramaContinue reading “Lots of little ones”

This morning got off to a pretty inauspicious start with grey skies and hardly a sight to see for the whole length of the river. Near the north end, at least, I did see the mallard ducklings again, but they high-tailed it for the far shore. When I got to the downy and red-bellied woodpeckerContinue reading “Some sights are worth the wait…”