Author Archives: Andrew Dressel

Here are the top three sights I saw in Estabrook Park this morning. At number three, the great horned owl, who has been a semi-regular fixture for the last five weeks or so, was in again, and in almost exactly the same spot as yesterday. At number two, a great blue heron was back andContinue reading “A sign of sights to come, with any luck.”

The expected change in the weather arrived overnight, and it was dark and rainy when the sun was supposed to rise this morning. Luckily, I only had to wait a couple of hours for the rain to let up, and then into the park I went. When I got to the bottom of the stairsContinue reading “A trio of predators…”

Our little streak of nice weather continued this morning in Estabrook Park, and so the sky was clear, and the temps were mild, but the stiff breeze out of the southwest suggests change is on its way. The raptor de jour is this red-tailed hawk perched high over the northern island, right where the merlinContinue reading “Enjoy it while it lasts…”

Ahhhh. That’s more like it. A sunny day at last, after seeing on the news last evening that we haven’t had one yet in December. With a decent twilight, I was able to get out nice and early, and the sun was just poking through the trees by the time I reached the pond. TheContinue reading “A nice change of pace…”

The skies were dark over Estabrook Park again this morning, and perhaps that tricked this muskrat on the pond to be out and about well after its usual bedtime. I tried walking upriver atop the bluff this time, to save me from backtracking for better eagle pictures, but the eagles saw right through my ployContinue reading “A whole lot of breakfast going down…”

The snow never arrived, and so Estabrook Park looked pretty much the same this morning as it did yesterday. The surprise for the day came early, on my first visit to the pond, when I watched not just one, but two muskrats steam towards their burrow in the eastern shore. Here’s the second one whoContinue reading “Rinse and repeat…”

It was cool and dark this morning in Estabrook Park, but the winds were light, and the clouds were holding their water, so not a bad time for a visit. Things were quiet, however, and I didn’t see anything remarkable at the pond or the river until a pair of crows alerted me to aContinue reading “It helps to have more eyes on the skies.”

The rain was pretty steady, there was a big green blob on the radar, and showers were forecast to continue until 11am, so I did not expect to be in Estabrook Park this morning. When Anne got home from her walk around 8:30, however, she reported that the rain had already stopped, and the skyContinue reading “The rain lets up early…”

It was a grey morning in Estabrook Park, and the great blue heron looked glum.

It was a dark morning in Estabrook Park, but the temps were mildish, and the forecast precipitation wasn’t supposed to start till at least 8 or 9 am, so I slipped in to see if there was anyone around. I didn’t spot any herons or eagles today, and the owl was so deep into theContinue reading “A happy return…”