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Yesterday afternoon was so nice, I went out again and ran into our newest little buddy, the friendly American coot, at the south end again, almost within sight of the Capitol Ave bridge. Then, this morning, I finally confirmed that there are indeed at least too coots on the river. Maybe our friendly coot fromContinue reading “Hoo-h’HOO-hoo-hoo!”

It did turn into a pretty morning, but it started out pretty grey. There is nothing new to report at the pond, which is good news as this point. Both geese were incubating at their respective ends of the island, and a third couple appear to have given up for the season. Well, two outContinue reading “A warbler at last…”

The sky was turning blue and the sun was warm as I came home from campus for lunch, so I had my hopes up, but by the time I ate and took care of some work chores, the clouds were back and the wind was cold. Oh well. I went out anyway, and I don’tContinue reading “An afternoon for the birds”

The park was very quiet this morning, under a cold grey sky, and things got off to a pretty slow start. When I arrived at the pond, this little critter was gleaning scraps that the geese and ducks failed to find on the west lawn. The goose on the southern tip of the island wasContinue reading “Not a bad outing…”

Two geese were still incubating on the island in the pond, this cool morning, but it is not clear if the third goose is even laying eggs yet. We’ll know soon enough, I guess. The breakout star at the pond this morning is this cheerful little white-throated sparrow, belting out Oh-sweet-Canada in the brief morningContinue reading “Oh-sweet-Canada…”

The big news from Estabrook this morning is that it appears as though a third pair of geese might have finally found a nesting site. She was off it again by the time I left, and it’s not on the island, so we’ll have to see if they can make a go of it there,Continue reading “And then there were three…”

The orb-weavers (Araneidae) are back, and with the sun coming out this morning after the rain and heavy fog last night, their artistry looked amazing! I didn’t see any of the actual spiders themselves, but their work was unmistakable. Also just in, the female red-winged blackbirds have finally arrived at the pond. I read thatContinue reading “Out came the sun and dried up all the rain…”

I know. I know. That’s redundant, but I just mean to distinguish from all the other things moms get to, such as eating, sleeping, and drinking the Chardonnay. Anyway, the exciting news is that the goose who lost her eggs is trying again, this time on a new nest that is shallow enough for usContinue reading “Moms get to work…”

It was a super quiet morning in the park, with hardly any people and hardly any critters. The most exciting new find is by my colleague, Mike from Riverwest, who posts his pictures on instagram under “ByThePushOfAButton“. We met for the first time yesterday afternoon as I made my way south on the east sideContinue reading “Some flowers are loving these April showers…”

Between class and the rain, I’m not sure if I’ll make it to the park today, but as previously advertised, yesterday was such an amazing day, I’ve got some pictures left over for just such an occasion. First up is this cute little ruby-crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula) grooming itself beside the pond. Thanks to aContinue reading “More birds and blooms…”