Category Archives: Uncategorized

The parade of beautiful days in Estabrook Park just keeps chugging along, and even more surprising is the parade of new arrivals. First up is what appears, for all the world, to be a double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), right there on our pond, and this one seems to be yet another juvenile, based on itsContinue reading “Don’t forget to include a title…”

It was yet another beautiful morning in Estabrook Park, and there was a light fog hugging the soccer fields. All four deer were out again, but there were also a lot of walkers and joggers trying to get by, so they didn’t get a chance to pose for a family portrait this time. Our newContinue reading “Things big and small…”

Ah, summer is back, it’s good to hear the cicadas again, and we’ve got a raft of new characters to check out today! Let’s start with the first new bird I’ve spotted on the pond in quite a while. This appears to be a juvenile black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), since is does not have theContinue reading “Avies, insecta, et mammalia…”

Man, I thought it was cool yesterday morning, but this morning I had to go back inside and get a windbreaker. It sure is a welcome break from the recent heat, but I’m also glad it’s not going to last. I’m not ready for summer to be over yet. So, I was just walking upContinue reading “Deers, ducks, birds, and bugs…”

Wow! That was a cool, dim, and damp morning for early August, eh? The park was very quiet, especially now that it seems only buntings and wrens are singing to mark their territory. The closest to a newcomer I found this morning is this immature wood duck on the river. In the left/top image, youContinue reading “A snake in the grass…”

Man, we’ve got a special treat today with not one, not two, but three, count them, three reader photos of the week! The first one is the most amazing picture, perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime shot, of an albino sparrow taken by long-time supporter Carolyn in her yard right here in Shorewood, WI. She calls him AlContinue reading “A bird named Al”

The move went so well yesterday that we finished early, I was able to get back into Estabrook by midafternoon, and I am sure glad I did because we’ve got new birds, caterpillars, and flowers to look at this morning, if you can believe it. Let’s start with the birds. The sky was bright white,Continue reading “Happy August!”

What a nice cool morning, for a change, eh? It sure keeps the bugs down for a bit. Happily, I was out yesterday afternoon when the bugs were livin’ large, and it turns out that right here in Estabrook Park we’ve got many more kinds of skipper butterflies, besides the two we’ve already seen, thenContinue reading “Skippers Galore!”

What a beautiful morning it was: not too hot, not too cool, and very still. Many of the birds are starting to quiet down, especially the grackles and red-winged blackbirds, so the few that are still singing, wrens and buntings, really stand out. Happily, there are still plenty of creatures, old and new, willing toContinue reading “Lots of wings and legs today.”

Ha! As soon as I say we haven’t seen ducklings in days, look who shows up on the river. And just to keep things interesting, a female or juvenile common merganser (Mergus merganser), which I don’t believe we’ve seen in the park before, was heading down river this morning. After I caught just enough ofContinue reading “Not done yet!”