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It’s a damp and dreary morning in Estabrook Park, but the temps are mild, and the wind is light, so not a bad time to visit at all. There were plenty of birds out and about making the best of the situation, but I didn’t expect my camera to do well in the low light,Continue reading “An early January thaw…”

Now that the big storm is all cleared out, things are pretty quiet in Estabrook Park. There’s still some ice on the river, but not so much that ducks and mergansers are coming south in search of open water. Here are a few pictures from the last two mornings. A black-capped chickadee by the pond,Continue reading “Happy New Year!”

My trip to Connecticut is winding down, and I’ll be back in Wisconsin tomorrow. Before I go, however, I’ve got some pictures for you. There is a nice rails-to-trails linear park that follows the old Farmington Canal through town, and I was pleasantly surprise by the variety of wildlife I found there. There is aContinue reading “Sights from CT.”

The cold and wind are starting to back off a bit, and the sun was out, so it was a perfect morning in Estabrook Park. The river ice continues to form, however, so my wish came true, and the goldeneyes have begun to arrive. Here’s a hen on the rapids at the south end. AndContinue reading “The goldeneyes return!”

The thermometer said, “-7°F”, and the wind said, “let’s make that feel like -33°F”, but the snow was fresh, and the sun was out, so I hustled out the door this morning to see who might be out and about in Estabrook Park. The river has frozen over below the falls, which has backed upContinue reading “The snow is done, but the wind and the cold press on.”

It was a gray morning in Estabrook, but the big storm hasn’t yet arrived, so temps where mild, the breeze was light, and the snow was on pause. I didn’t see anything notable on my walk along the river until I reached the north end, where two red-tailed hawks were perched in a tree overContinue reading “A calm before the storm.”

With temps in the single digits (°F), nearly still air, and a bit of sun shining down before it hid away behind thickening overcast, it was a fine morning for returning to Estabrook Park. The pond was frozen over, and the river was icing up, but there was still plenty of open water. I wasContinue reading “The Shortest Day”

Things seemed to have changed here, and the main symptom is that I’m finding it a lot harder to get nice pictures of the wild creatures. I went out both days last weekend and came home with only one picture that wasn’t even worth showing. This morning was a little better, but not by much.Continue reading “Hints of winter in South Holland”

It was another beautiful morning in South Holland, and you know the drill. The first bird I was able to capture on film was this ginormous swan flying by, and I thought it was just another mute swan, the type we’ve been seeing all summer. Upon closer inspection, however, its beak is all black, whichContinue reading “The birds just keep coming…”

I had a wonderful time being back home for a bit, and it was great to see family, friends, and all the critters in Estabrook Park again, but now I’m back in South Holland, and it sure was a beautiful morning to visit the countryside. Even though we’re back to standard time, the sun stillContinue reading “Day of the Raptors, European style”