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The sky was blue, the snow was white, the air was calm, the trail was firm, and yada, yada, yada. Just another …. oh, you know the drill. Usually, the lower half of the river, south of the mudflats, is pretty empty, with just a few mallards and maybe a gull or two, but todayContinue reading “Just another day in paradise…”

What can I say? After a long run of gloom, we’re having a string of amazing days, and it looks like the red-bellied woodpeckers are fixin’ to make some hay. I saw pairs like this more than once throughout the park. Even the nuthatch, who gave me such a hard time yesterday, seemed to beContinue reading “A pleasant change of pace…”

It is hard even to describe how beautiful it was in the park this morning. There was still plenty of shiny white snow on the ground, it was 20°F warmer than yesterday, and there was a breeze, but not so much that there weren’t areas of calm along the river and in the woods. MostContinue reading “Surprise, surprise, surprise…”

The sun was out, the air was still, the snow was fresh, the surface of the trail was like concrete, and I got the lay the first footprints on much of it. What a stupendous morning in Estabrook! Most critters were sleeping in, it seems, but I did see a lot of fresh rabbit tracks.Continue reading “Brisk, bracing, or just breathtaking?”

What a fabulous morning! The sun came out, parts of the sky were blue, the trail along the river was hard as a rock, and I just about had the place to myself. Sweet! Once again, a chickadee dared me to take its picture, and out of a dozen shots, this is the best IContinue reading “A brief break in the weather…”

It was a nice January morning, with freezing temps and a dusting of snow, but hungry birds gotta eat, so here’s a goldfinch filling up on great burdock seeds beside the southern soccer fields. Down on the river, just about all the usual suspects were about, including all three of the white water fowl we’veContinue reading “A winter’s day…”

Anne didn’t get the jigsaw puzzle finished last night, so I didn’t get to the park till after lunch today. The pair of buffleheads were there again, but even more shy than yesterday, so I didn’t even both with a new picture. There were three goldeneyes today, which makes for a fun scene. There wereContinue reading “Buffleheads, goldeneyes, and mergansers, oh my!”

Well, some snow did finally arrived, but it was mostly melted already by the time it got here, and I blame De Joy for that. Luckily, the birds don’t seem to care one way or the other, and this little cutie, an American goldfinch by the river in its winter coat of “drab, unstreaked brown,Continue reading “Another banner day in Estabrook!”

Well, the snow I ordered did not arrive, I blame De Joy for that, and it has really warmed up, so the river trail surface has the consistency of butter than hasn’t felt the inside of a fridge in a week. Luckily for us, some parts are still serviceable, a helpful tip from eagle-eyed andContinue reading “Goldeneye!”

Not a lot going on today. Maybe everyone’s just waiting for the coming rain to pass through. Trails could sure use more snow, but that’s not what the hourly forecast is predicting, unfortunately. The mergansers were back on the river this morning, and this time I counted 5 altogether: 1 male and 1 female common,Continue reading “Calm before the storm?”