Look who the hot and humid air brought with it this time…

The cloud cover has grown pretty thick, and there was a good breeze for a while, so the heat wasn’t really as bad as the forecast had suggested for this morning in Estabrook Park, although it was already in the 80s by 8 a.m., and the humidity percentage was in the 70. I did seeContinue reading “Look who the hot and humid air brought with it this time…”

Failing the sniff test…

In an effort to beat the heat forecast for today, I got out nice and early and was already at the north end by 6:30 a.m. I don’t know if it was my early arrival or we were just due, but I finally found our first black swallowtail in Estabrook. It was waiting for theContinue reading “Failing the sniff test…”

Feeling the humidity, and waiting for the heat to arrive…

The beautiful weather we’ve enjoyed for the past couple of days is beginning to fray, and by the time the temps hit 75°F this morning, the humidity was still 75%. Soggy! The first picture I thought worth taking didn’t come until I reached the north end, when I spotted this doe wading from our riverbankContinue reading “Feeling the humidity, and waiting for the heat to arrive…”

Just a perfect summer day…

The beautiful weather has returned to Estabrook Park, with cool, dry, and not too breezy air, so we had a gorgeous morning for a wildlife walk. As usual, I stopped by the river on my way to meeting folks at the beer garden, and the air was cool and still enough for a thin blanketContinue reading “Just a perfect summer day…”

All kinds of babies at Oak Creek…

It was quite cloudy and a bit breezy this morning in Estabrook Park, and I got off to a pretty good start when I spotted this youngish-looking great blue heron wading a little deeper in the pond than they usually go. But then I remembered that the Milwaukee Birders were going to the Oak CreekContinue reading “All kinds of babies at Oak Creek…”

Several mid-July surprises…

As forecast, the cool and dry air we’ve enjoyed in Estabrook for the past couple of days has moved on, and it was warmer and rainier in the park today. The air has remained nearly still, however, and with non-holiday, early Saturday traffic, it was wonderfully quiet this morning. My first treat of the dayContinue reading “Several mid-July surprises…”

Enjoying the cool-down, while it lasts…

It started out even cooler this morning in Estabrook Park than yesterday, so cool that I even wore a jacket for the first hour, but the cloud cover was much thinner, so the light was nicer, and the day warmed up pretty quickly. I didn’t see any herons on the pond, however, and I couldn’tContinue reading “Enjoying the cool-down, while it lasts…”

Family photo day…

The beautiful weather we’ve been enjoying in Estabrook Park is starting to look a little rough around the edges today with towering clouds embedded in a hazy sky. Thus, it was a little darker than usual at the pond when I arrived, which made a nice background for the youngish great blue heron we’ve beenContinue reading “Family photo day…”

It’s not August yet, but these sure feel like some lazy days of summer.

The recent great weather in Estabrook Park continued this morning, the cicadas were already singing at 7 a.m., and this green heron making one of its infrequent visits to the pond was icing on the cake. There was also this trio of wood duck hens there, and they’ve started that mutual preening behavior that we’veContinue reading “It’s not August yet, but these sure feel like some lazy days of summer.”