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This morning in Estabrook Park the weather turned out to be nicer than the forecast had led me to expect. It was cold enough overnight for radiation frost to form on any grass that was exposed to the sky, but the air was nearly still, and the clouds really thinned out for a while, soContinue reading “April eases its grip…”

I was relieved to discover this morning that Estabrook Park had somehow survived Earth Day, or at least the human celebration of it. By the time I left the park yesterday, the Brew City Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, and 5K races were in full swing, the Milwaukee Riverkeeper volunteers were combing the river banks forContinue reading “The day after…”

The weather this morning was not too bad for April. A little cool, for sure, but the winds were light, and the sun was trying to come out. The goslings were grazing on the west lawn when I arrived at the pond, and as I watched from the bench, it became nap time. There theyContinue reading “Happy Earth Day!”

The big news in Estabrook Park this morning is that there are indeed goslings on the pond: four, little, yellow puffballs. Here’s a closer look. Meanwhile, down by the river, this black-capped chickadee was making preparations for the same kind of action. Here it is coming out of the cavity with a beak full ofContinue reading “A whole lot o’ cuteness going on…”

Despite the line of thunderstorms that rolled through before dawn, it turned out to be a pretty nice morning in Estabrook Park, with mild temps, light winds, and even some sunshine. I was happy to see a female belted kingfisher at the pond. You can see just a hint of her chestnut flanks and bellyContinue reading “Maybe a bit ahead of schedule…”

Here’s that April weather we all know, and expect, if not love. Not 83°F and sunny and not 32° and snowing but just seasonably cold with grey skies and a chance of rain. I’m lucky it was only a chance of rain. My morning in Estabrook got off to a nice start when this deerContinue reading “The gray skies of April”

Aaah. Now that’s more like it! Not too hot, and not too cold, plus bright sun instead of wet snow. I’ll take it! In any case, I was thrilled to reach the section of slow water on the river just in time again to catch the dawn patrol. Meanwhile, up on the bluff, this isContinue reading “Spring resumes…”

How’s that for a change in the weather? We broke records with temps in the 80s last week, but it was 32°F, with a wind chill of 22°F, and snowing enough to accumulate on the marsh marigolds this morning. Sheesh! Nevertheless, the wood ducks, mallards, and one Canada goose gander went about their business onContinue reading “An April Surprise!”

The April showers are back again this morning after taking one heck of a break, but what a glorious stretch of weather we’ve had, eh? While the sun was out yesterday, I managed to get a couple of pictures of the bevy of yellow-rumped warblers feasting on flying insects throughout the park. A couple otherContinue reading “A real mixed bag…”

We’re just approaching the middle of April, and it feels like summer is here already. The trout lilies are up and open! The cat bird was busy feasting on the staghorn sumac seeds, … but took a break to strike a handsome pose when it saw I was taking pictures. The chipmunks are out andContinue reading “Feels like summer…”