Signs of Life in Estabrook Park

And the award for most-lost visitor goes to…

Oof! What a day. My plan was to skip Estabrook again and go straight to the lake front to join the Milwaukee Birders one more time at Lakeshore State Park. My recent outings with them have been so fruitful that I had high hopes. There were some flies in my ointment, however, because I had not planned on the aftermath of Harley-Davidson®’s “Homecoming™” on the shores of Juneau Lagoon, nor the aftermath of yesterday’s dragon boat racing at Lakeshore State Park. There just wasn’t a lot of wildlife to see this morning, although Lisa did manage to conjure up the Caspian tern she was hoping to see.

So, I went looking for our latest celebrity guest, a kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), who is far, far away from home, and is making the best of it on the roof of general cargo terminal 2 in the Port of Milwaukee. This morning was my second attempt, and I came up empty again. With nothing to write about, I was moping around the house early this afternoon when I saw that someone had just spotted it, and it turns out that the third time was the charm for me! Here he is, our southern wanderer, with his local sweetheart by his side, from 400 feet away and through a chain-link fence. “Welcome to Milwaukee, Buddy! Try the fish!”

Now that we’re all here, I might as well show you the one picture I took in Estabrook yesterday morning of three wood duck hens practicing their logrolling on the pond. Two had been perched there nicely, but when the third hopped up to join them, the floating log did not want to stay put, and after a few attempts, one of the ducks just gave up and swam away in disgust.

Finally, here’s a very fresh-looking monarch butterfly from Havenwoods yesterday, and those little wide spots on the veins of his hind wings marks him as a he.

I see the weather report looks gorgeous for our weekly wildlife walk tomorrow morning, with clear skies, nearly still air, and temps in the mid-sixties, so come on out, if you can, and I’ll see you in the parking lot by the beer garden at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., depending on your schedule. Oh, and I heard from an attendee last week that my phone number hidden on that page is discoverable, so if you’re a few minutes late, just shoot me a text, and I’ll tell you where to find us.

Back to Havenwoods once more…

It was a nice enough morning in Estabrook Park, and the critters were mostly out and about, but I didn’t see many scenes that were particularly photo-worthy, so I pulled the plug on my visit after a couple of hours and hustled up to Havenwoods State Forest to join the Milwaukee Birders by 8:30 a.m. for their “Second Saturdays” bird walk. I’ve only been there in the winter, so let’s see who the summer has brought with it.

The first treat was seeing three (3!) American kestrels, which I understand are part of a family with two fledglings. I’m not sure if this is a parent or fledgling, but it sure is a pretty bird, isn’t it?

House wrens are not nearly as exotic as kestrels, but they are quite the singers, and this guy was no exception.

We see orchard orioles once in a while in Estabrook, but they must not find there the habitat they are looking for, because they never stick around. Instead, Havenwoods must fit the bill because we saw a pair of them today, and here’s the male.

The same must be true for marsh wrens, because look who I found in the cattails at the edge of one of the ponds they have.

Given the big, open fields, I would have been surprised if there were not meadowlarks, but they did keep out of sight until the last field we checked.

The wildflowers in those big, open fields also attract butterflies, and I counted at least five species, and this is our first red-spotted purple of the year. I hope to see one in Estabrook soon.

I realize I also just showed you a wood nymph last Sunday, but this one posed to nicely with such good lighting, that I couldn’t help myself.

Similarly, I just showed you a wood satyr on Thursday, but how often do you get to see a nymph and a satyr on the same day, so you can really compare and contrast them? Plus, we got a completely different pose today.

Well, that turned out to be totally worth the bike ride up there, and I may have to do it again sometime.

Some bits of color on a gray day…

It was a soggy morning in Estabrook Park, and the rain was coming down pretty good at sunrise, but it didn’t last, I’m happy to say, and I was able to get out the door by about quarter after six.

My first treat of the day was finding our osprey perched on our side of the river and just about at eye level. If you click on the image so that you can zoom in, you can even see that it still has drops of rainwater on its back.

Given the weather, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that my next treat was this family of wood ducks on the river above the falls.

Meanwhile, just a hundred yards upstream, this family of mallards appeared to be settling in for a nap.

There was a second family of mallards on that sandbar, however, and the mom with the younger ducklings strode over and chased the first mom off. She’s now out of frame, but you can see her five ducklings now at attention and wide awake.

Then the first mom decided it was time to go, and I swear I could hear her ducklings clamoring “why do we have to go? We liked it there,” as they trailed behind her, and the look on her face sure sounds to me like “because I said so, that’s why.”

Back on shore, and high above the meadow at the north end, the biggish surprise of the day is our first rose-breasted grossbeak since early May. They’re not considered “rare” for this time of year, just “infrequent”.

The grossbeak was quiet today, but this young kingfisher made up for it with incessant calls of “Feed me! Feed me!”

Finally, in the weeds beside the soccer fields, I was thrilled to find this colorful Halloween pennant dragonfly on such a gray day.

Lastly, I did get a monarch picture today, but it’s kinda drab, and I think this summer azure picture from Monday, when I did have a nice monarch picture, came out better.

Oh, and don’t forget! The Friends of Estabrook Member Picnic is coming up on Tuesday, July 15 from 5 to 7:30 at the beer garden, and the invite explicitly states “feel free to bring new friends,” so come on out and join us if you’re able.

A little bit of everything…

It was another beautiful morning in Estabrook Park, and I thought there was enough light for me to get a nice and early start. So early, in fact, that I surprised this raccoon, who was still out foraging by the underpass when I walked by.

Things were quiet, however, and the only bird picture I took today is of this darling spotted sandpiper. It’s young, so it doesn’t have spots yet. Instead, you can still see its fluffy baby feathers poking out all over.

Since I wasn’t seeing much today, I decided to hike back home, grab my bike, and ride down to the Urban Ecology Center for their 8 a.m. bird walk. We saw a decent number of birds, but I still failed to capture any on film. Instead, I found another spiny softshell turtle on the far riverbank, and I couldn’t resist.

Then there were two more! Wow, they’re thick down there.

On our way back up from the river, we went by two (2!) raccoon dens, and this is the one with better lighting.

Not to be outdone, this chipmunk held its pose perfectly for me.

I saw a few dragonflies on the wing today, but I never got a good look at one perched, so here’s a ruby meadowhawk from yesterday.

I did have a butterfly perch this morning, and it was this pretty little wood satyr.

Finally, if you like black raspberries, now is the time! They are ripe and delicious.

Lastly, I found these two beauties by the river on Monday, and Lisa was kind enough to keep them in her car for me during our wildlife walk. You’ll be glad to know that I’ve tested them already, and they both turned out to be safe to drink. Ha!

A new behavior, and maybe a new face…

It was a super nice morning in Estabrook Park, with mild temps, mostly clear skies, and nearly still air. Once the channel 12 news helicopter was done reporting on an early-morning traffic tie-up on I-43 north, things really quieted down, and I could even hear the blue-grey gnatcatchers calling softly.

Before we get to the critters in Estabrook, however, I’m a little light on little birds today, so here’s one more cutie from Horicon Marsh yesterday, a male common yellowthroat who was uncharacteristically sticking to that perch even after it saw me standing about just 15 feet away.

Okay. Now back to Estabrook, where I was greeted by this red-tailed hawk in the TV tower at the far south end even before I could cross Wilson Dr.

The pond was quiet today, and the next interesting scene I saw was our river deer crossing from the mainland back to the upstream island, where we saw the doe with her fawn just Monday.

Meanwhile, at the other end of that same island, the family of kingfishers was out, and one of the youngsters was playing with a stick like a puppy, which I have not seen before. Actually, it was most likely practicing for when it catches a live fish or crayfish and needs to thrash it against the branch it is perched on before gulping it down, as we have seen kingfishers do before.

Here it is checking to see if I’m watching, and I’m not just watching, I’m very much enjoying the show.

Nor was I the only one watching. Here’s the osprey perched high above the far shore and looking right at the island.

Back on shore, I saw a few dragonflies today, but no new ones, so let’s go with this eastern pondhawk, who chose the prettiest perch.

I did manage to see another first-of-the-year butterfly, and it was this stunning banded hairstreak on a branch above the pollinator garden.

Finally, I believe I have laid eyes on my very first rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis). They are considered to be “critically endangered,” so I sure didn’t go out expecting to find one, but if my identification is correct, and my sources suggest that it is, then this makes the 7th species of bumble bee I’ve managed to find in Estabrook Park. Who even knew there were so many? I’ll have to start a new section in the index just for bees.

Horicon Marsh, 2025

Today I joined the Milwaukee Birders on their field trip to Horicon Marsh. The plan was to walk the length of Old Marsh Road, and we did have some rain, but the trip was not a washout by any means.

The first exciting find, at least for me, was a couple of black terns (Chlidonias niger), and it appears that they have already entered molting season. I did get to see them when I visited back in 2023, but this is the first time I’ve managed to get a picture of one.

There were also a few black-necked stilts, which I also saw back in 2023, but this time they had a couple of chicks with them, and you can see one of the little grey cuties just above and to the right of the adult.

Plus, I was able to make a couple of nice portraits.

I’ve also seen yellow-headed blackbirds before, during my visit in 2024, but this is the first picture I can show you of a breeding male in all his finery.

Another bird that was nice to see again was the marsh wren, whom we’ve seen before at Kohler-Andrae State Park and even in Estabrook during migration, and this is just one of dozens we heard calling from the reeds.

Another bird I’ve also glimpsed before, but never managed to photograph, is the Virginia rail (Rallus limicola), and here’s a youngster on the hunt. Just look at the size of that foot!

Here’s the youngster together with one of its parents.

And here, finally, is one of the elusive parents out in the open.

After we finished up with Old Marsh Road, we made a quick stop at the nearby Bud Cook Hiking Trail, and this is one of several clay-colored sparrows who were there to greet us. We first saw one at the Mequon Nature Preserve a couple of summers ago.

The main event for me, however, has got to be the small group of bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) we saw and heard as they chatted away in a few bushes just off the trail. I’ve heard them, but never seen them before, and here’s one of the stunning breeding males, with an all-black front, a yellow nape, and white on his back.

This male, with a few orange feathers mixed in with the white on his back, is a bit of a mystery, and my best guess is that he’s already starting to molt into his yellow, non-breeding plumage.

Finally, here are those two males again with a yellow female in between.

Lastly, I glimpsed a few monarchs, wood-nymphs, and even my first black swallowtail butterfly of the year, but I failed to capture any butterfly images today. Instead I did get us just our second look ever at a dot-tailed whiteface dragonfly.

That’s a wrap for the always-amazing Horicon Marsh, thanks to Donna and Katie for all the driving, and I plan to be back in Estabrook Park bright and early tomorrow morning.

Several more firsts-of-the-year…

Wow! What beautiful weather we had in Estabrook Park this morning. The sky was clear, the breeze was light, and it was cool enough for me to put on a windbreaker for a change. The critters seemed to enjoy the break from the heat, as well, because they were more plentiful than I’ve seen them in a while.

My first surprise was this beaver, who I watched swim across the river and then just park under a tree growing on the far riverbank to enjoy its breakfast.

In addition to a young great blue heron and two female wood ducks, we had a green heron at the pond.

Then it was time for me to meet the wildlife walkers, and we had five in the 7 a.m. batch. Our first stop was the pond, and the green heron had gone into hiding already, but look who was now there instead, our first brood of ducklings for the year on the pond. Woo hoo!

After a loop around the pond and a short stretch of river, it was time for me to collect the 8 a.m. arrivals, of which there were three, and by the time we caught up to the first group at the river, look who was also there, our first fawn of the year. Yee haw!

Here’s the little rascal exploring on its own for a second while Mom works on her breakfast just out of frame.

Then it was time to wrap things up, but not before the osprey gave us a little airshow, which I completely failed to capture. In all, the group identified 34 bird species, and after farewells, I started making my way back downstream, which is where I came across the third big surprise of the day. I’ve seen softshell turtles on the far riverbank at the north end a couple of times already, including this morning, but this is the first one this year on our riverbank, where I can make a nice portrait. Hurrah!

As I was doing my best to sneak a turtle picture without disturbing it, there were a couple of critters just a bit farther downstream making a racket. One turned out to be a squirrel, the other was a robin, and when I looked to see what all the shouting was about, I found the fourth big surprise of the morning, our first great horned owl since the middle of May. Hip, hip, hurray!

Finally, back at the south end, I found this white-faced meadowhawk dragonfly in the weeds that grow to the east of the southern parking lot.

Lastly, I’ve been seeing this thistle blossom, a bull thistle I believe, in the weeds beside the soccer fields for a few days now, and I was thrilled to find a butterfly on it, at last, and that it is a monarch just sweetens the deal.

Some success on a soggy day…

It was quite a soggy morning in Estabrook Park, but there was a gap in the rain, so out the door I went, and my first treat came as I approached the middle parking lot on my way to the pond. There was a Cooper’s hawk, which I don’t believe I’ve managed to photograph since early April, in a tree on one side of the lot and a pair of crows in a tree on the other side. I suspect that neither species was hunting “prey”, but they did chase each other around a bit, and that’s always exciting to watch. Here’s the hawk staring down the crows after one chase ended and right before another began.

At about that point, the clouds started leaking again, so I opened my umbrella, hiked over to the pond, and stood around for a while to see who I could see. There was a great blue heron, and a pair of wood ducks, but they kept pretty far away, so I continued on to the Kwik Stop on Wilson to grab a cup of coffee and wait for Donna, of Milwaukee Birders, to give me a lift to their outing today.

As I approached the Kwik Stop, I could hear a familiar sound, and it only took me a second to locate the source: these two young raccoons who got themselves stuck in a recycling dumpster. They looked as pitiful as they sounded, and that little outstretched paw is about the cutest thing ever, but they are still wild animals, and I like my fingers just as they are, so I had no intention to reach down in there with my bare hands to help them out.

Instead, I found this handy-dandy log laying in the woods right behind the dumpster, and once I stuck it down in there for them, they knew just what to do.

One was quite bold and hustled right up out of there. The second hung back for a bit, so I did my best to give it some encouraging words, and then it, too, ambled up that log, and went off to go find Mom, or at least catch up to its big sister.

Anyway, Donna arrived right on schedule, and off to Oak Creek we went. It turns out, however, that the former “Rawson Gardens” is on airport property, though unfenced and unmarked, and the FAA, via local law enforcement, is actively discouraging folks from visiting. Thus, the group put its heads together, and we opted to visit nearby Pleasant View Park in Franklin, instead.

Things got off to a great start when we quickly spotted this eastern meadowlark, who clearly was not expecting company.

He soon pulled himself together, thankfully, and here he is giving us a proper pose.

Besides the meadowlark, the meadows were full of savannah sparrows, and here’s one making sure I’m ready …

before breaking into song.

We never did see any bobolinks, which had been the point of the Oak Creek destination, but I did get my third ever picture of a spot-winged glider.

Finally, the meadows were also full of dark and elusive butterflies, and I must have chased a dozen before I finally found one who finally found what it was looking for. It turns out to be a common wood-nymph, which I hope to see in Estabrook one day, but have only photographed in Kohler-Andrae State Park, before today.

The weather forecast for tomorrow morning looks very nice, at least for now, so if you’ve always wanted to join one of our weekly wildlife walks, tomorrow morning might be the perfect time to give us a try. Based on recent attendance, I’ll look for you in the parking lot by the beer garden at 7am, and I’ll swing by again at 8 for the folks who can’t make it that early.

If you get hung up in traffic or otherwise can’t make either of those times, I’ve hidden my phone number in the text of the wildlife walk page, which I hope slows down the spammers who search web pages for just such phone numbers, but which I hope enables you to send me a message to learn our location and come find us.

Plenty of ducklings to go around…

It was warm, but not raining, so not a bad morning for a visit to Estabrook Park. Here’s the one picture I did manage to capture yesterday. That’s a great blue heron standing stoically on a log floating in the pond and looking about as thrilled with the weather as I was.

The photogenic heron today was this green heron on the far riverbank who thought it saw something, but soon decided it was nothing.

I found the osprey again, a bit farther upstream and over the same riverbank. I haven’t seen it atop a lamp post over the UWM parking lot in a couple of days, but I did see a bunch of crows picking over a fish carcass yesterday that the osprey had probably left there. Perhaps it is now opting for someplace a little more secluded and peaceful.

While counting the mallards out on the water, our new best friend, the river deer came by to say “hi”. I even saw it yesterday, too, crossing the meadow to munch on fallen mulberries at the north end, but I didn’t manage much of a picture in the rain and dark. Speaking of the meadow, however, I am sad to report that the parks department has finally mowed it, and I’m mostly just trying not to think about it right now.

On a happier note, here’s a wood duck hen steaming downstream with six ducklings in tow.

Plus, four more ducklings in hot pursuit. They look a bit grown up, and that’s even more great news.

Meanwhile, just on the other side of the upstream island, here’s another hen with three partially-grown ducklings of her own.

Not to be left out, here’s a mallard hen with her brood, too. Oddly enough, the mallard and wood duck hen had a brief spat, while I was momentarily looking elsewhere, but by the time I could turn my head back their way, they were already back to business as usual.

On shore, there’s a new bug in town, as far as I know, and I believe it is a green immigrant leaf weevil (Polydrusus formosus), which is only our second weevil ever. Anne has asked me to point out that I did not see it wobble nor fall over.

On my way back south, I found this pair of stream bluet damselflies doing their best to make more in what must be the most ambitiously acrobatic way ever.

Right by the bluets, this twelve-spotted skimmer dragonfly paused to catch some rays.

Finally, this summer azure butterfly did the same but nearly under my feet.

Tomorrow, I plan to join the Milwaukee Birders at the Rawson Gardens in Oak Creek, where bobolinks have been spotted. I’d love to see a bobolink, and perhaps so would you, so keep your fingers crossed!

A rain delay retrospective…

We’re having a soggy start to the day, here in Estabrook Park, and we’re going out to Anne’s mom’s place later this morning, so I’m not sure I will even get out for a walk before then, let alone have any pictures to show you, so here’s a plan B. These are some of my favorite pictures of the year, so far.

We got off to a great start when I spotted that coyote checking on the mallards who were resting on the river ice back in January, and I’ve already shown you a couple of pictures from that encounter, but here’s one more.

And, while we’re in January, this is one of the nicest winter wren pictures I’ve ever had the good fortune to capture.

In February, I had a mesmerizing experience with this young red-tailed hawk, who really, really wanted whatever rodent was hiding from it in that pile of sticks.

A highlight in March has got to be the screech-owl who came for a visit and stayed for weeks.

In April, of course, I started to see the great horned owlets, although I had to keep them under wraps until the end of May. Sorry about that.

Another April treat, for me at least, was finally getting a decent picture of sandhill cranes flying over. Perhaps they’ll stop in to pay us a proper visit, one of these days.

Spring migration was in full swing in May, so we’ve got dozens of warbler pictures to choose from, but a standout for me was when I got a second chance to take a prothonotary warbler portrait, and here’s one more image from that amazing photo session.

May was also when Mike found us that hummingbird nest during our weekly wildlife walk, and this is still my favorite image from that whole amazing series.

Finally, what would June be without our celebrity guest, the young yellow-crowned night heron. By my count, it attracted at least 80 birders to Estabrook who probably would not have visited otherwise. Nice.

Lastly, June is also when the bugs start to fill in for the migrating birds that have since moved on, so here’s another look at our first ever variegated fritillary in Estabrook Park.

That’s not a bad first half of the year, eh? Thanks for coming along with me, and I can’t wait to see what the second half will bring us.