The crazy weather has finally subsided, at least in the park for the moment, and it was a gorgeous morning with blue skies, light winds, and seasonably cool temperatures, for a change. In fact, it was cold enough overnight to freeze up all the muddy trails along the river. Yay!

Many of the little birds, who were probably doing their best to avoid being blown clear across Lake Michigan over the past two days, were out and making up for lost time at the buffet.

Here’s a male northern cardinal picking something off a climbing vine, maybe little desiccated wild grapes. Yum!

A goldfinch was keeping closer to the ground, and I couldn’t see what it might be finding, but I’m sure it was something good. The fine folks in Ithaca report that “goldfinches are among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, selecting an entirely vegetable diet and only inadvertently swallowing an occasional insect.”

Meanwhile, our carnivorous female belted kingfisher was also out collecting calories.

Right after I took the shot below, she dove about 10 feet straight down into the water, reemerged with some good-sized looking tidbit, and took off to find a perch where she could scarf it down in peace.

While I was collecting some litter from the riverbank that the wind blew in, this mallard hen, who perhaps mistook me for some other old guy with a plastic bag full of tasty treats, paddled right over to see what I had to offer. Well, by now you know the drill. “Sorry sweety. I’ve got nothing for you, and even if I did, it probably wouldn’t be good for you.”

She must have understood me just fine, unlike the goose a couple of weeks ago, and soon paddled back over to join her foursome at the salad bar.

Finally, as I approached the north end, this little cutie seemed quite less than thrilled to see me coming up the trail, as though I was interrupting something important. “Don’t worry, little buddy, I’m just passing through, and I’ll let you get right back to work as soon as I take this picture.”

Lastly, our favorite photographer at the Journal Sentinel, Mike De Sisti, has another fine image on page 3 of today’s paper, but it might only be available online to subscribers. In any case, this time it appears to be a soaring red-tailed hawk “near Milwaukee Mitchell Internalional Airport.”

Despite the grey skies, fog coming off the cold water, and threat of rain, I did go to the park this morning, but I didn’t expect much, and that’s what I got. The good news is that I had plenty of time to collect a lot of the litter deposited along the riverbank by the recent high water. The bad news is I don’t have much to show you.

The one picture I did get is of this nice blue turkey tail mushroom (Trametes versicolor), which the ancient latins literally called ‘of several colors’.

Other than that, I did see a few mallards, a couple of gulls, one bufflehead, a few juncos, and a couple of chickadees. I also heard a nuthatch, a cardinal, a red-bellied woodpecker, and a kingfisher, but that’s it. Plus, with all the grey on grey, nothing looked pretty.

Thus, I plan to distract you with some pretty pictures I took in the past few days instead.

First, here’s another view of that belted kingfisher that sat for me back on December 10.

Here’s some more of those ice crystals floating on golden water, without the mallard hen this time, from December 12.

Finally, here some ice crystals floating on water reflecting nice blue sky instead, also from December 12.

Enjoy the balmy weather while it lasts and let’s hope things get back to normal soon, eh?

Here’s a second look at some of the sights from yesterday, and first up is the downy woodpecker all aglow in the morning sun.

The junco didn’t give me more than that one pose, but the chickadee sure did.

I took a lot of pictures of the bufflehead as it floated back and forth, and here’s another one of the few unobscured by the screen of sticks between us.

The red squirrel really seemed not to know what do with me and kept repositioning itself before freezing for a bit. Here are two more looks at its antics.

On my way south, I was happy to find the blue heron in the same spot along the river where I had seen it on my way north. Perhaps it’s learning from the mallards and is getting better at deciding when it’s worth fleeing and when it can just let us walk on by. We can hope, right?

Finally, Carrie, a reader who joined us in September, wrote in to say that “Zi and I walked the Lincoln golf course today and discovered a new to us river path, waking a sleeping buck and being followed by this coyote who might have been interested in Zi for breakfast.” Zi is her little dog, who looks, to my untrained eye, like a terrier of some type.

Carrie has also posted more pictures, for which I would give my eyeteeth, of the magnificent creature, by which I mean the coyote, on her blog at carriesaddiction.wordpress.com/2021/12/14/coyote/

It was another beautiful blue-sky morning in Estabrook, and the low sun gave these mallards a gorgeous golden glow.

This downy woodpecker caught some of that same glow just a bit upstream.

And so did this blue heron, who has been in that same spot for three days in a row now.

As I approached the boardwalk below the falls, I finally found someone willing to brave the cool shade in search of breakfast, this well-insulated looking little junco.

This chickadee nearby was probably warm enough from all its acrobatics that it didn’t need the sun either.

Things quieted back down until I reached the north end, where I found a bufflehead dawdling near another bunch of mallards. Once again, I managed to be on the other side of a nice screen provided by a fallen willow tree, and so the bird seemed not to notice me, and I was able to sit and wait for it to pass in front of a gap in the screen as it drifted back and forth.

Finally, on my way back south, I spotted a red squirrel who first did its classic “you lookin’ at me” pose.

And then, perhaps, it didn’t like the fact that I clearly was looking at it, so it sounded the alarm, which I’ve never seen a red squirrel do before.

I’ve gotta got to school tomorrow for the last day of classes, so I saved some pictures, and I’ll share them with you then.

It was a beautiful morning in Estabrook with blue skies, bright sun, a light breeze, and seasonal temperatures. I was surprised, however, that I barely saw a little bird. Sure, I could hear cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, and juncos, but everyone must have been too busy to sit for a picture today.

Instead, we’re left with a few of the larger critters, starting with this doe and her youngster by the southern parking lot. A second youngster had slipped through that wall of buckthorn behind them before I could aim my camera.

Down at the river, the water had subsided quite a bit since yesterday, and some ice was back along with a few mallards. As I scanned a bunch along the far shore to see if there was a new visitor hiding amongst them, look who I saw.

Sure enough, a beaver was having one last snack before heading off to bed, and yes, that’s ice floating in the foreground. Once it finished with that little stick, it swam across the river…

and continued north along the eastern shore before I lost track of it. Sweet dreams!

By then the sun was peeking into the river valley and creating this scene for us.

As usual, I continued to the north end, but I only spotted this little cutie on the way enjoying its breakfast.

There were just a few gulls on the water at the north end, so I returned south and spotted our old friend, the blue heron, warming up in the morning sun in its usual spot just south of the abandoned bridge abutments. It’s hard to tell from the expression on its face, however, if it likes today’s sun any better than yesterday’s snow. They’re so inscrutable.

I was a little disappointed that I didn’t spot the coyote again this morning, but not very surprised. They didn’t earn the nickname of “Wily” for nothing, I suppose.

I wasn’t even sure I wanted to bother heading out this morning with the way the wind was howling, so I didn’t expect to see much when I did go, but you never know, right?

Wonders never cease, however, and look who finally decided to make an appearance! I first spotted it right on the trail along the river, but Icouldn’t get my camera on it before it scampered up the bank. Luckily, as I continued north, it gave me another chance and looked down upon me from the top of the bluff. As you can see, I couldn’t get my autofocus to pick a path through the twigs between us, but I believe you can still clearly recognize a coyote (Canis latrans) when you see one. Somewhere, Mike De Sisti is laughing out loud, I’m sure.

I know these are commonly sighted in Shorewood, and I have heard many reports of sightings in the park, but this is the first photographic evidence I’ve been able to produce, and not for lack of trying.

After it opted to continue east and out of sight, I continued north and only saw mallards, geese, and a few gulls. With all the rain we had last night, the river was up at least a foot, and most of the ice was either melted or washed downstream.

I kept my eyes peeled, nevertheless, and was finally rewarded on my way back south, soon after the abandoned bridge abutments, when I glimpsed this blue heron fishing just off our side of the river. The snow was coming down pretty good at that point, as you can see, so my autofocus was even more useless than before, and I finally reverted to manual focus. Oh, the humanity, I know, but a crutch is hard to let go once you get used to it. At least I’ll be better prepared for my next coyote sighting, which I hope doesn’t take another 20 months to materialize.

Anyway, this brings our list of mammals photographed up to 12, at long last. I think all that’s left that we might expect to see are foxes, possums, mice, bats, and maybe even a skunk, if we’re lucky. How great would that be, eh?

If you’ve looked outside today, you might guess from the gloomy skies that this morning got off to a slow start, and you’d be right. On the flip side, the winds were calm, the temperatures were mild, and no precipitation was falling, yet.

As I walked north along the river, several downy woodpeckers put on nice shows, but it was really still too dark, so I waited until I almost reached the falls, and this guy made it worth the wait. I almost never see them not actively foraging or flying to the next tree to continue.

There were also chickadees in the vicinity, and this one was kind enough to hold still for just long enough.

The riverbank mud is melting from the top down after the cold snap, so it was still firm enough to walk on, but the litter I’ve been wanting to collect for weeks was not frozen solid into it, and I had a bag full by the time I reached the falls. So, I climbed the stairs to the trash can at the beer garden, and this was my reward: a junco that was a lot hungrier than it was worried about me.

I took 38 pictures as I inched closer and closer until finally a squirrel with a walnut to stash inadvertently shooed it away.

As I continued north of the falls, I was surprised to find not a duck on the water. Perhaps an eagle had come through earlier, and they just haven’t returned yet. In the meantime, oak tree leaves were still drifting down onto the sliver of river ice along the riverbank, and here’s one of them.

As I approached the wide part of the river, between the two islands, I thought I heard a mallard quacking, but I couldn’t find it, and it turned out to be this blue heron, instead. They are very frugal with their flying, in my experience, and only take to the air to go fishing or when someone gets too close, but this one circled overhead for a while, croaking its distinctive, prehistoric call as it went.

I hoped it would settle down on a tree limb for a bit, so I could get a better picture, but it never did. Maybe it’s looking for another heron, and I hope they find each other.

On my way back south, the river was still empty, but I heard another familiar call, this time from a female belted kingfisher. As you know, they are crazy shy, and by some perfect luck, the downed tree between us provided enough of a screen to let her feel comfortable but left just one gap big enough for me to shoot through. I think this might be my best kingfisher picture yet.

Eventually someone came walking up the path, and our hero took off for the far shore, so I took a moment to collect a little more river trash, when suddenly there was a bunch of whistling sounds out over the water. I looked up just in time to catch the spectacle of this whole raft of mallards coming in for a landing.

They must have figured that the coast was finally clear, or maybe they were fleeing an eagle upriver, and if the eagle’s there, it won’t be here. Either way, welcome back, kids!

By now, you may have noticed that the morning was shaping up pretty nicely, especially after such a slow start, but wait, the best is still to come!

As I was walking south along the boardwalk below the beer garden, I spotted some little birds flitting between the trees along the river and the brush on the side of the bluff, as I often do there. These birds, however, didn’t behave as the usual juncos, goldfinches, or chickadees do. I got out my binoculars for a quick closer look, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Who could that be with the little white eye ring? Then it turned around for me, and its ID was unmistakable now, but I still couldn’t believe my eyes.

After being AWOL for the entire year, I finally found my bluebird of happiness, in the middle of December, and there were three of them!

We’re just about in the middle of their breeding range, and their year-round range clips the southern tips of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, so they don’t have too far to go, but I’m so glad they pulled off for a quick refueling stop in Estabrook before they continue their journey.

What an unexpected treat on such a dark day in December, eh?

What a pretty morning to return to Estabrook! The skies stayed gray, but the fresh snow was marvelous. I spotted another bald eagle over the river this morning, a mature one with a white tail and head this time, but it didn’t want to stick around for pictures. Don’t worry. I’ll get one for you soon enough.

Meanwhile, here’s a grey squirrel beside the river and back at its breakfast now that the eagle has safely flown back north.

I was happy to see that the black ducks are back, although they could have snuck in a while ago, and I just didn’t spot them until now. The yellow bill on this one, inconspicuously foraging amongst the mallards, suggests he’s a male.

Here’s a female mallard with her lighter feathers and mottled bill for comparison.

Here’s a whole flotilla of mallards pretending not to notice the snow.

Finally, the ice is back on the river, and here’s a look at one interesting slab that perched itself on a rock and grew a fringe of icicles.

This afternoon, I went for a little hike with my sister, niece, and brother in Sleeping Giant State Park, about 8 miles down the road from my mom and dad’s place. As we reached what might be described as the chin of the “sleeping giant”, my niece, Lizzy, spotted these characters perched right on the edge of the cliff.

Here’s the best close-up my phone could produce without me getting close enough to disturb them.

I was just about to write here that they’re turkey vultures, and as I checked in with the AllAboutBirds.org to provide you a link to click on, I noticed that their heads don’t look very red, certainly not as red as the heads we’ve seen in Estabrook. So I checked out the handy “Compare with Similar Species” gallery and was stunned to learn that there is such a creature as a black vulture (Coragyps atratus) with a “gray head” instead of a “red head”. Plus, the black vulture year-round range extends into the southern half of Connecticut, while the turkey vulture winter range only reaches up to New Jersey. Ha!

Just when I think I know what’s going, a situation like this comes along to remind me that I barely know a thing.

Anyway, I fly back home tomorrow, so I probably won’t be able to post anything, but I should be back in Estabrook on Wednesday morning, and I can’t wait to see who’s there.

Sorry about the radio silence. I’m on a quick trip out east for my mom’s birthday, and I thought for sure that I would have had time before now to send out an update, but clearly I thought wrong.

I haven’t been able to take any new pictures in the park, obviously, but I do have a couple of nice reader photos to share. Here’s one from my sister, Deb, a veterinarian in Connecticut. Someone brought a bird into her clinic that had been caught in a glue trap, and Deb managed to get it loose and cleaned the goo off its toes with the same stuff she uses to clean the goo left over from bandages off the toes of pets.

Our best guess is that this unlucky/very lucky little cutie is a Carolina wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). Deb confirms that “the edges of his wings were checkered,” and reports that when released “he just flew off.” We’re all hoping it recovers fully from this traumatic experience.

Meanwhile, my sister-in-law, Mary, sent me this image of a ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) she spotted in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. I have no further information at this time.

Just to round out the set, here’s a nice junco from back on October 30, 2021.

And here’s a chickadee from October 2, 2021.

I won’t be able to get back into Estabrook again until Wednesday, December 8, but I’ll do my best to have something to share with you before then.