It looks like the haze we’ve been enjoying for days is starting to fade, and some blue sky is returning to Estabrook Park. Things were quiet at the pond with no herons or kingfishers, that I could see, and the same four wood ducks as yesterday.

On my hike back over to the river, I came across this curious scene, a female, red-bellied woodpecker on the side of a tree but close to the ground and looking around to see if the coast was clear.

Then she flew down to the paved path to feast on something in the edge of the grass along with a slew of grackles. I have not seen that before. I wonder what she found there. I hope it was delicious.

At the edge of the bluff, very near where I had seen the kingbird yesterday, a goldfinch in all his breeding plumage finery was oddly perched where we could get a nice, good look at him for a change. “Thanks, Buddy!”

Down the bluff a great blue heron was fishing at the falls again, but I didn’t see it catch anything.

At the north end, there was the usual cast of dozens of geese and mallards, a couple of killdeer, a couple of sandpipers, and a couple of herons in the tree, but no eagles or osprey, so I headed back south. Along the way, I could hear a few bullfrogs singing, and this might have been one of them, but he was silent while I could see him.

At the far south end, I was hoping to find some butterflies, but all I could find was this damselfly instead. I believe it is a female American rubyspot (Hetaerina americana), and if so, it is supposed to be “the most widespread of the North American rubyspots, …  reported from all of the lower 48 US states except Washington and Idaho.” I believe we’ve seen one before, and it was a male that time.

Finally, this rabbit was hiding in the shade pretty well except for just a couple of details.

Ebird, the website and phone app I use to log the birds I see, has recently changed the status of wood ducks to “infrequent”, but that must be for Milwaukee County or all of Wisconsin, ’cause they’re still plentiful in Estabrook Park, and I was greeted at the pond this morning by this trio. The one laying down in the middle is clearly a drake still in his breeding plumage, if slightly bedraggled, and the other two are also drakes but in full eclipse.

There was also a great blue heron hunting for breakfast just a bit down the shore of the pond from the three amigos above.

Meanwhile, there may have been further tragedy since I showed you the two ducklings on Friday because there was just a lone hen but no ducklings today. ☹

Anyway, on my hike over to the river, I found a pair of eastern kingbirds perched at the edge of the bluff, and one was willing to let me get a picture.

Finally, not all hope is lost because this wood duck hen has seven healthy-looking ducklings on the river, so let’s wish her luck.

Things were pretty quiet in Estabrook Park this morning. Perhaps everyone was laying low in anticipation of the Shorewood Farmers Market grand opening today, but who knows.

At least this great blue heron was still willing to strike a pose over the river.

I did manage to spot a female hairy woodpecker, whom I used to hear often in the winter, but who have been awfully quiet lately.

On the riverbank at the north end, I stumbled across this odd juxtaposition of a female flicker and a male red-winged blackbird.

Best of all, though, was when this mallard hen led her eight ducklings right past where I was kneeling to take the picture above.

As you may have noticed, I very rarely get to be this close.

To complete the trifecta, the sun was even shining to light them up with a gorgeous golden glow. Who was I kidding yesterday about “taking a break from the ducklings,” right?

Finally, here’s another look at the chipmunk enjoying its breakfast yesterday.

The sky was clear of clouds, but it was a bit hazy this morning, and I don’t know if it was moisture or Canada wildfire smoke. In any case, it didn’t seem to bother the critters, and here are the pair of deer, a young buck and doe, crossing the soccer fields with the Benjamin Church House in the background.

I usually hear the wood pewees, instead of seeing them, so it was a treat to see one again soaking up some morning sun at the north end by the river.

On my way back south, this young-looking rabbit was parked on a picturesque part of the trail below the falls.

Meanwhile this green heron found itself a nice high perch across the river from the rabbit, and you can just see a bit of its right foot poking out through its belly feathers.

This belted kingfisher was checking the sky for threats just south of the heron.

Finally, here’s a chipmunk enjoying its breakfast.

It feels like it still hasn’t gotten completely light out this morning, but I eventually gave up waiting for some sunshine and went out anyway.

There are a lot of fledglings around begging for food, and I suspect that well describes this male flicker who oddly refused to budge and just kept squawking as I tried to get a picture against the gray sky.

At the pond it appears that the wood duck hen is down to two ducklings. Perhaps the snapping turtle took the third. Oh well. That’s just nature’s way.

A green heron was also at the pond and intently fishing for its breakfast and/or a gullet full to bring back to a nest.

Back on the river, I suspect this mallard hen with her three almost-grown ducklings are the ones we first saw back on May 7. My, how they have grown, and don’t they all look just like their mom?

A bit farther up river I spotted the mallard hen with eleven.

And at the north end, here’s a mallard with seven fresh-looking little ones who might be the family that had eight yesterday.

Finally, the Canada goose goslings keep getting bigger, but check out the character in the middle wearing its food. There’s always one, isn’t there?

It was quite dark and foggy this morning, so I took my sweet time with breakfast and the paper and strolled out the door around 7:30, and I was greeted by this tender scene when I arrived at the pond. As far as I can tell, that is one wood duck drake, pretty far into eclipse but still sporting his multi-hued bill, preening the feathers on the head of another wood duck drake. I’ve certainly seen wood duck hens exhibit this behavior before, but this might be the first time I’ve seen it among drakes.

As I turned around to head toward the river, look whom I found had been keeping an eye on me.

All the rain yesterday has raised the river a bit, and there was no heron in the usual spot below the falls, but there was one over on the far shore instead.

At the north end, I found yet another fresh-looking hatch of mallard ducklings, and this one is another batch of eight.

Meanwhile, the batch of eleven was steaming in close formation just a little farther from shore.

I couldn’t believe my luck when the hen with eleven headed over to the hen with eight.

I did not expect, however, that the mission was to enforce some sort of pecking order.

Things got a little splish-splashy for a moment.

But once the task was done, everything seemed to return to normal, and here you can see all twenty-one ducks.

Finally, as if all that action was not enough, it all occurred under the watchful eyes of the osprey who has been hanging around for a while. It’s been almost three weeks now. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and it will decide to stick around for the summer. A guy can dream, right?

Lastly, here is an indigo bunting that wasn’t perched high above me for a change.

I didn’t have much time to visit Estabrook this morning, so this has gotta be a quick one.

House sparrows are “the most widely distributed wild bird,” and there are probably some right outside your window now, but this handsome devil was picking grass seeds out of the loose soil around the new park bench where the snapping turtle laid her eggs, so I figured, “why not take a picture?”

Just past the sparrow, this bullfrog was probably wondering where the nice warm sun had gone.

Finally, the wood ducks on the pond were settling down for their morning nap.

Tomorrow I expect to resume my regularly-scheduled program.

Well, we finally got some much-needed rain, and Estabrook Park looked and felt a bit renewed this morning, but I wasn’t expecting the sub-50°F start. Good thing I hadn’t thrown my coat away yet.

Perhaps the change in the weather prompted this great blue heron to say to itself, “I haven’t tried the pond in a while. I wonder how the fish are up there? I believe this is the first time I’ve seen one there this season, and by the looks of things, the fish are nice and big up there.

Once I parked myself on the bench, the wood duck hen decided I was harmless and steamed right over with her three rugrats in tow to sample the algae by the west lawn.

I was listening for birds along the river, and there was one that sounded odd, until I turned around to find that it was this little rascal right behind me instead.

There were dozens of swifts, rough-winged swallows, barn swallows, and even some bank swallows furiously hunting over the river at the north end, but I struggle to get a picture even in good light, so I left them be and headed back south.

Just above the falls, I spotted this mallard hen with one almost-grown-looking duckling. They paused for a second to give me a look…

and then went right back to business as usual.

Finally, our master angler was in its usual spot below the falls, and I didn’t even have to wait a minute before it showed me how it is done.

It never seems to rain very hard today, but the sky is dark, and the wind is blowing, so it is just suboptimal for photography. Plus, the critters in Estabrook haven’t had a break in seventeen straight days, so let’s let them sleep in this morning, and we’ll use some old pictures I found on the editing room floor.

Here are the wood duck ducklings on the pond yesterday before their mom floated into the shot.

Here’s the other side of that killdeer from Friday.

Here’s the darling catbird from yesterday again.

Here’s a look at that huge creche of goslings on the river from June 3.

Here’s another family of mallards from yesterday.

Here’s a video I took of the snapping turtle just as it finished covering its eggs and started its laborious-looking walk back to the pond on June 6.

Here’s a shot of the deer, just before the one I showed you yesterday, when it was deeper in the tall grass and both red-winged blackbirds were really getting after it.

Here’s a shot of just one of the four herons in the tree over the northern island from June 5.

Here’s the rose-breasted grosbeak between verses yesterday.

Finally, here’s a wild rose blossom on the bush at the end of the boardwalk by the falls on June 7.

I know we need rain, but I sure don’t mind taking pictures of the critters in Estabrook Park while the sun is shining. Here’s our favorite indigo bunting belting out his tune.

I’m starting to lose track of all the ducklings on the river, but here’s a mallard hen at the north end with her brood of eleven in tight formation.

As I was counting the birds on the river, look who pissed off a pair of red-winged blackbirds on the far shore. They were hounding it with some vigor. Oddly enough, white-tailed deer are known to eat eggs and chicks when they get the chance, so its presence there might not be as innocent as it may seem.

The osprey made a nice slow pass over the river so even I could get a picture.

More dragonflies are appearing, and here’s a female common whitetail. I read that “they do not migrate [,but] overwinter under water while in the nymph stage of their lifecycle” instead.”

More butterflies are showing up, too, and I spotted a monarch, but it wouldn’t park itself, so here’s a silver-spotted skipper instead.

Here’s a rose-breasted grosbeak trying to rustle up a date.

You may be relieved to hear that I managed to find the wood duck hen with her three ducklings on the pond this morning. I just must have not looked hard enough yesterday.

On my way back south, I came across this American toad.

And finally, at the far south end, this grey catbird was far more posy than usual these days.