Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

It was yet another gorgeous morning in Estabrook Park; cool, still, and pretty dry; and I saw several of the regulars during my usual rounds. A deer was grazing at the edge of the soccer field, the cormorant was fishing in the pond, and a pair of wood ducks were dabbling on the river. TheContinue reading “Cottonwood bark anyone? Anyone?”

It is another perfect summer morning in the park, cooler and drier than recent days, and despite, or perhaps because of, my announcement yesterday, I’ve got a photogenic new critter to show you today. This pretty little butterfly, posing on some knotweed blossoms growing on the mudflats by the river, appears to be a femaleContinue reading “A reprieve…”

Welp, we all knew this day would come, but we just didn’t know when. I’ve probably composed this message in my head once a week for the past 3 months, and today is the day I finally need to write it down. After 138 straight days, since March 30, I didn’t see a single thingContinue reading “And then there were none…”

There were some low clouds and fog this morning that let the crickets sing until 8am. Then the sun burned through, the crickets quit, and the cicadas took over. Aah, August. Only the young cormorant was on the pond this morning. The night-heron has probably moved on, and the great blue heron might have beenContinue reading “And then there was one…”

It was a nice morning in the park today; the air was cool and still. The doe and her two fawns were across the southern foggy soccer fields again, and two of the three big fishing birds we’ve seen a lot of recently were on the pond. The young cormorant was in its usual spotContinue reading “Two out of three ain’t bad…”

Man, if the mornings continue to be this nice, I might not want summer to end. I went out earlier than usual, in search of a mammal I haven’t seen in the park yet this year but rumored to be there lately, and Venus was especially brilliant in the clear eastern sky. I had noContinue reading “Branching out…”

Wow! It was a gorgeous morning out there in Estabrook, and all three recent big birds were on the pond. This makes 5 straight days for the cormorant, and he or she is really starting to look comfortable there, facing the audience to dry out in yesterday’s midday sun and pausing to scratch behind anContinue reading “A big bird morning…”

The cormorant really seems to be making itself comfortable on the pond, which I am sure glad to see. This morning, he or she was on the usual branch in the southeast corner but facing west for a change so we can see the nice pale neck and chest plumage and one big webbed foot.Continue reading “The kid sticks around…”

Wow! There sure was some high drama on the pond this morning! That’s right, our young new hero, the double-crested cormorant, has struck pure gold. Here’s hoping he or she will feel like sticking around for a while, eh? Meanwhile, on the river, the butterflies continue to eat and drink. And the water lilies continueContinue reading “Life goes on…”

It was yet another beautiful morning for a walk in the park. Our new friend, the juvenile double-crested cormorant was on the same log in the pond as yesterday, and this morning struck the classic cormorant pose intended to dry out his or her feathers after a fishing expedition, which suggests that maybe he orContinue reading “These kids are sticking around…”