Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

The big news in Estabrook today is that the Parks Department has closed the parkway to through traffic for the summer again as part of the Milwaukee County Active Streets Program, and it is glorious! I walked the length and just enjoyed listening to the birds. As I approached the north end of the closure,Continue reading “All kinds of critters about today…”

Mom was pretty shy this morning, and I didn’t want to push things, so that’s all I’ve got so far, but the little tyke can already scamper pretty well. Meanwhile, here’s a male rose-breasted grosbeak calling for the female we spotted yesterday. He might want to clean up that beak before she sees it, butContinue reading “More signs of new life in Estabrook Park…”

I should go out an buy lottery tickets for lunch because I can’t believe the string of luck I’ve had this morning. The air was cool, but not cold, humid, and calm, and so perfect for bugs and therefore perfect for birds. I hardly got into the park before I happened upon this little rayContinue reading “A morning of many firsts…”

I managed to sneak into Estabrook between the warm morning rain and the cold afternoon rain, and I’m sure glad I did because I hardly got wet at all and I spotted at least two, maybe more, stunning scarlet tanagers (Piranga olivacea) in one of the big oak trees just north of the Kilbourntown House,Continue reading “A quick trip between the rain drops…”

Holy smokes, was it ever a great morning in the park, and we’ve got several new arrivals to report! First up is the “uncommon and elusive” black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus), just in from northwestern South America and looking for your tent caterpillars. Charles tipped me off yesterday, yes that Charles, that Ken had spotted one byContinue reading “We’re gonna need a bigger banner…”

Just like last year, almost to the day, all the geese and goslings were suddenly gone from the pond this morning. I felt just like Chuckie in the final scene of Good Will Hunting, a mix of hope and bittersweet. There were some likely looking candidates down on the river, so just like last year,Continue reading “And then there were none…”

Yikes! I thought yesterday morning was good for birds, but I hadn’t seen nothing yet! Let’s start with the new ones, shall we? These two, a pair of bay-breasted warblers (Setophaga castanea), really made me work for it. An olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) is new to me and very similar to the eastern wood-pewee, whoContinue reading “A banner day in the park!”

The air was cool, damp, and still, so filled with bugs, which appears to be just the way birds like it because they were everywhere this morning. The only problem is that the trees are pretty leafed out now, so there are a lot more places for the little devils to hide, but I managedContinue reading “A perfect morning for the birds”

Man! You go away for just five days, and everything changes. The main story, I suppose, is that the third set of goslings on the pond, the ones incubated on the southern tip of the island, have finally hatched, and there appears to be only one for all that effort. When I arrived, Mom andContinue reading “Even more goslings!”

I had been wondering when we’d see a rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) in the park, and I just figured that they were all still over at Bonnie and Gary’s feeder. Well, they couldn’t have picked a more-beautiful morning to finally come visit Estabrook. I first spotted a pair at the top of the bluff byContinue reading “Everyone comes out for a perfect morning…”