Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

The pond was a bit crowded this morning when I arrived, so I kept right on going, but as I crossed the parkway, I finally got a chance to document this character. That’s a male red-winged blackbird with one leg, and I’ve been see him foraging on the west lawn and vigorously protecting his territoryContinue reading “Plenty of action at the pond…”

The weather this morning in Estabrook Park was far better than forecast. Last evening, it looked like it was going to be a washout, but I didn’t feel a drop all morning, and there were even patches of blue in the sky. There was no sign of the falcon this morning, and I even checkedContinue reading “A morning of downs and ups.”

I really don’t know how the weather could have been any better this morning. The sky was clearer than yesterday, and I think Sunday morning car traffic might be lighter than Saturday mornings. How sweet it was. As I approached the river, the quite was interrupted by the call of this peregrine falcon again, andContinue reading “Each more perfect than the previous…”

What a nice morning we had in Estabrook today. The sky wasn’t perfectly clear, but the air was cool and still, and road traffic was light, so it was easy to forget that I was in an urban park for the couple of hours after sunrise. My first treat for the morning was catching thisContinue reading “July really hits its stride…”

The weather was a bit unsettled this morning in Estabrook Park. First it rained, hard, which I waited out over breakfast, then the sun came out for a bit, and then it clouded back up. Oh well. I saw the hooded merganser again, but it was in the same spot as before, so its pictureContinue reading “Nuthin’ but Birds.”

The weather was about as perfect as I can imagine for a couple of hours in Estabrook Park this morning. The sky was clear and blue, the air was nearly still, and the temperature was 70°F. Plus, holiday traffic was very quiet that early. The critter traffic was also pretty quiet, however, and I didn’tContinue reading “Some sights I didn’t expect on the 4th, and some I should have.”

It was a warm and muggy morning in Estabrook Park, but the forecast rain never arrived, and the sun eventually came out, so it was a fine morning for a visit after all. Plus, I suspect many folks were getting a jump on holiday travel, so traffic was pretty light in the park, which isContinue reading “A slow start but a solid finish…”

Our streak of nice weather has broken, and it was quite a rainy morning in Estabrook Park. It wasn’t very cold, the winds were light, and there were some gaps in the rain, however, so I managed to sneak some pictures anyway. The biggest surprise was spotting this eastern bluebird, whom we haven’t seen inContinue reading “Some little dabs of color on an otherwise gray day.”

It was a perfect morning in Estabrook Park, with not a cloud in the sky and barely a breeze, and thus nice cool air. When I stopped by the river on my way to the pond, I counted a few mallards, a couple of geese, and nearly a dozen northern rough-winged swallows. Then I startedContinue reading “Wood duck redo times two”

It was a tad breezy this morning, but the skies were crystal clear so it was light enough for me to go out before sunrise, which is always a treat. Better yet, soon after I arrived, the parks department closed the parkway to through traffic for the Shorewood Farmers Market today, so I got toContinue reading “Sometimes wishes do come true…”