The next huge surprise came on April 1, when I checked on the owls and was stunned to find a second owlet. Nope, I’m not even pranking you.
Sadly, I never saw the second one again, and I don’t even know how it met its demise. In fact, for a couple of weeks, I couldn’t find any great horned owls at all, and feared the worse, although I was also doing my best to keep my distance and check infrequently.
The good news is that on April 15, I found that the one remaining owlet had fledged, and perhaps that is why I hadn’t been able to find it for a while. What a scraggly mix of baby feathers and flight feathers, eh?
The family eventually returned to the downstream island, where we’ve seen the adult owls many times before, and then I was able to spot the owlet pretty often. In fact, the folks who joined the weekly wildlife walks even got to see it once or twice, although I did swear them to secrecy. Here’s the owlet with a parent on April 21.
I did make it into Estabrook Park this morning, and it was a very nice morning, but I didn’t see anything new, so while I’m off on my next boondoggle, let me tell you a little story.
Way back on March 8, when we first saw the screech-owl and the wood ducks, I also showed you this picture of a great horned owl. What I didn’t tell you at the time is that I had gone looking for it on the other side of the river, since I hadn’t seen it on the island in a while. I was a bit surprised that I found it at all, let alone got a nice picture.
Well, I went back on March 12 and found it again, but the big surprise came on March 16, when I showed you this picture in the snow and with the nest cropped out. We’re supposed to protect their privacy when nesting, so as to avoid attracting crowds, and I did my best to keep it under wraps. As you will see, it has fledged a while ago, and I haven’t seen it in a couple of weeks, so I believe it is now safe to share the story.
Then I went to Colorado, to see the pine siskin, and when I came back on March 25, check out the scene that greeted me. Yup, we had a great horned owlet, and since there was no way to crop this picture to protect the innocent, I just had to leave it out of my post. Sorry.
Here’s another view from the same day but a different angle so you can see one of the parents in the nest, too. The owlet appears to be already pretty good sized, so it may have already been hatched in one or more of the previous sightings, but was keeping warm under Mom or Dad’s protective feathers.
It was a perfectly fine morning in Estabrook Park, but we seem to have entered some new phase. The spring migrants have mostly settled down or moved on, but the cool weather is keeping the colorful summer bugs from putting on much of a show.
Thankfully, we do still have ducklings, and here’s a mallard hen with ten on the river. The tenth has its head down a bit, so you’ve gotta count heads and rumps to find them all.
I was surprised to find this least flycatcher appearing to nap in the tall weeds just off the paved path. At least I hope it was just napping. It was breathing for sure, and I didn’t want to disturb it, so that’s all I know.
Other good news is that the female ruby-throated hummingbird was on her nest again this morning and looking as fresh as ever. I guess if you flew here all the way from Central America under your own power, then handling the little shower we had yesterday would be a piece of cake. Right?
This chipmunk, on the other hand, looks like it has been foraging in the mud and could use a little freshening up. “You’ve got a little on your nose, Sweetie.”
We still have a few straggler warblers, who have only recently arrived, or who just haven’t pushed on yet, and here’s a fairly shy magnolia, …
and here’s a not-shy-at-all chestnut sided who looked like he was still drying out a bit from yesterday and didn’t seem to mind me at all.
I didn’t see a new blossom to show you today, I’m sorry to say, and I did glimpse a monarch butterfly, but it was on a mission and kept right on going. Perhaps we just need a little warm up to get back on the right track.
In the meantime, I’m skipping town again tomorrow, but I’m bringing my gear, so I hope to have something new to show you in a day or two, and I’ll post a few never-before-seen pictures to tide you over. Oh, and while I’m gone, feel free to continue the weekly wildlife walks without me. I’m sure you know the drill by now. John might be able to host one or two, but he thought he had a conflict with at least one.
The clouds were thick, so it never got very light in Estabrook Park this morning, but the winds were light, the rain held off, and the air wasn’t too cool, so it was a pretty good time for a visit.
My first treat came at the pond, when I spotted this action at the north end just as I was walking up. It was a pretty long shot, and the light was way too dim for that much movement, so do not zoom in on this image, whatever you do, but you can at least see that one of the green herons had caught a pretty good-sized fish for breakfast.
As I hustled up to the north end, in hopes of a better shot, that heron gulped down its catch toot sweet and retired to a higher branch to let the digesting begin. That look on its face is the same glazed look Anne says I get after I’ve eaten a bigger meal than I probably should have. At least my meals usually don’t wriggle around for a bit at first.
A bit higher over the island, this fe male belted kingfisher was probably hoping for similar results, but I didn’t have time to stay and watch her him try.
I checked on our nesting hummingbird, of course, and she appeared to be just fine and hunkered down for the coming rain.
The river was quiet at the north end, now that the Canada geese are done nesting, there is currently no exposed river bottom to attract shorebirds, and the raptors appear not to like any of the trees we have left standing. So, my next picture didn’t come until I was on my way back south along the river, when I spotted this young robin, who has clearly fledged already, but is still wearing its baby spots.
A bit farther downstream, I caught up with a small flock of cedar waxwings, and this one was kind enough to let me sneak a picture.
As I approached the south end, I spotted my second heron of the morning, a great blue this time, and it was having nearly as much success as the green heron at the pond.
I bet this fish went down a bit easier, though.
Finally, after all the rain we had last week, I figured that this was a mosquito, and I even had a hilarious joke about “the Wisconsin State Bird” composed in my head, but upon closer inspection, you can just make out the “plumose, feather-like antennae” it’s sporting, which mosquitos do not have, but which male Chironomid midges do. So, this isn’t a biter, I can also ditch my joke about blood donations, and I probably don’t have to put on insect repellant just yet.
Lastly, your blossom of the day is from yet another tree with white flowers, which I believe, in this case, is red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea).
The first thing I did this morning in Estabrook Park, of course, was check on the female ruby-throated hummingbird from yesterday, and you’ll be relieved to find out, as I sure was, that she’s still on her nest and looking just fine. She appears to be either laying eggs or incubating them because I’ve never seen her off her nest for long, nor have I seen her feeding anyone, yet. I wonder if she misses the sun as much as I do.
With that out of the way, I turned my attention to the river and found this pile of good-sized ducklings just upstream of the boat launch and napping under Mom’s watchful eye
Meanwhile, a ways downstream another hen was leading her brood of ten tiny ones toward the falls. I was too far away, and they were going too fast, for me to see if they actually went over the falls, but if they did, I bet they’re all fine.
Finally, the other “rare” bird on the waterfront that day, besides the snow goose, was this Franklin’s gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan), and our very first one. I read that they nest “by the thousands in North American marshes [and winter] along the coasts of Chile and Peru.” We do appear to be in their migratory range, but either this one is behind schedule, or they just don’t stop here very often. This one was on Bradford Beach, and folks walking along the water’s edge made this picture a little tricky to get, but the bird was very obliging, or exhausted, as the case may be, and soon landed again every time.
The very nice, if a little cool, holiday weekend weather continued today, and we had a nice turn out for our weekly wildlife walk, with five joining me for the 7 a.m. start, and three more joining at 8 a.m.
We stopped by the pond first, and I was glad to see the pair of green herons still lurking about. I got a passible picture this morning, but I like this one from Saturday better.
At the other end of the pond, I finally caught a house wren sneaking out of the wren house.
I can’t tell if this is the same bird, or its mate, but this little cutie has a bit of nesting material in its beak and is waiting patiently in the nearby oak tree for me to scram before it adds it to the nest.
We eventually made it to the river, at the north end, and we did spot a few warblers, but the highlight of that location for me was this olive-sided flycatcher perched high over the scene.
Meanwhile, down below, this chipmunk was taking advantage of a downed tree branch to enjoy some maple blossoms without having to climb for them.
On our way south along the river, we encountered two mallard hens with ducklings. One brood looked to be about half grown, and the other, pictured below, looked a lot closer to brand-spanking new.
The pièce de résistance, however, has got to be this darling female ruby-throated hummingbird on her nest. Thanks to Mike Miller, who stopped in on his way home from helping inspect the martin house at Lakeshore State Park. He said he spotted her hovering, and then simply watched her go to her nest. That sure makes it sound easy doesn’t it? Anyway, as is sometimes the case, this image is worth clicking on, or just click on this text, so you can zoom in on flickr to see all the pretty details.
Finally, I didn’t get a blossom picture today, but I did check on the shooting stars on Friday, and I was thrilled to find them unscathed and now in full bloom, so here they are.
The weather was even nicer today in Estabrook Park than it was yesterday. The sky was just as clear, but the air was a bit warmer, and the breeze was even lighter. Sweet!
The young gosling on the river was able to pin its mom down for a group photo this time, but Dad still managed to stay out of frame.
It does really seem as though we are past the peak of migration, but there are still a few warblers around, and here’s a young or female Canada warbler by the river.
It was cool this morning in Estabrook Park, but otherwise about as nice a day as you could hope for to start the holiday weekend, with clear skies and a very light breeze.
I found my first surprise at the pond, where this ruby-throated hummingbird was perched beside the paved path about waist high. I immediately froze and snapped this place-holder picture, which is our first in the park for the year. Then I slowly tried to move a bit to get that ugly stick out from between us, and the hummingbird took off in a flash, seemingly to remind me why I should always take place-holder pictures. “Thanks, Buddy!”
My next surprise came at the river, where a pair of Canada geese had a pair of very young-looking goslings out on the water. They must be new parents, because they couldn’t line up a nice group picture to save their lives, but at least this one gosling knew what to do.
My third surprise came on my way back south atop the bluff, where this bay-breasted warbler posed for the nicest portrait of the species so far. If you like to click on the images to see them in flickr, where you can zoom in to see all the details, this image has those details.
That an eastern wood-pewee on the next tree over would pose just as nicely, on the other hand, didn’t really come as much of a surprise. They just seem to like posing, or their manner of bug hunting simply requires them to perch on a low branch and watch for bugs in flight. It’s hard to say which is the more-likely, really.
If this next picture, of a green heron at the pond, seems a little wavy to you, don’t adjust your set, it really is wavy, because it’s actually a reflection off the water. I took the straight shot, too, but there were some branches in the way, and this reflection came out a lot nicer.
Finally, here’s one more picture from my trip down to the lakefront to see the snow goose on Thursday. This is a cliff swallow, and it appeared to be on some kind of mandatory break, or something, because it stayed perched right there on the top edge of the z-shaped sheet piling along the water’s edge no matter who walked by or how close they walked. I’m sure this is the nicest cliff swallow picture I’ve ever gotten and am likely to get.
Lastly, your blossoms of the day are these tiny sweet cicelys, which are opening at various places along the river path.
It was a pretty nice morning in Estabrook Park, especially compared to earlier in the week, but it felt as though we might be past the peak of migration. There were still warblers about, but it seemed as though they had thinned out a bit.
Anyway, I got to the pond nice and early, and a belted kingfisher was already busy fishing from a tree on the island.
By the river, as I was wondering where all the warblers had gone, this male blue-gray gnatcatcher seemed to be shouting “what am I, chopped liver?”
Then it was time to head down to Warnimont Park, in Cudahy, to join John Kasper’s weekly bird walk, and the highlight of the show for me was this ruby-throated hummingbird that Dan spotted for us. I’ve glimpsed them already in Estabrook this year, but none of them have posed for me like this, yet.
I was also able to get our second butterfly picture of the year, of this American Lady.
I have a couple of other nice pictures from this morning, but I’d like to share a few I got yesterday afternoon after finishing my post. I read that a couple of “rare” birds had been seen by the lake front, so I rode my bike down to Veteran’s Park to see what I could find. Here’s our very first snow goose (Anser caerulescens), who we hope is just taking a break on its long flight to the shores of Hudson Bay. We appear to be in their “migration” range, but I guess they don’t stop in very often.
Finally, right beside the turnstones was this single semipalmated plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), also a first, and looking “like [a] miniature killdeer, but with only one black band across the breast.” It is also on its way to breeding grounds around Hudson Bay, so “Safe travels, little cuties!”
Lastly, your blossom of the day is this stunning purple Virginia waterleaf, which is starting to open throughout Estabrook and can be found in shades of white, through blue, and all the way to this gorgeous purple.
Well, the rain finally quit overnight, and Estabrook Park was starting to dry out this morning, but it’s gonna take a while. The river is quite high and is still over its banks at the two bottomlands.
This first picture, however is from very early Tuesday morning, but it was only today, when I finally took a closer look at it, that I discovered it to be of our first Cape May warbler of the season, a female. I’ve only gotten pictures of them a couple of times before (1 and 2), so this could very well be my one picture, such as it is, for this migration.
A bit later that same morning, it almost appears as though the sun was shining through the cloud deck to light up this gorgeous barn swallow, who let me have a much nicer picture than the one back in April.
Okay, now for this morning. I could hear ovenbirds calling loudly at three different locations in the park, and this one by the river even let me sneak another picture.
Farther upstream and across from the upstream island, I finally got a picture of a great crested flycatcher, who I’ve been hearing for a couple of weeks already.
As I was trying to get a nice picture of the Philadelphia, this red-eyed vireo swooped in as if to say “go eat the bugs elsewhere, ’cause these bugs are mine! All mine!”
Finally, your blossoms of the day are these pretty little chokecherries, which are opening all along the river path. I read that “the fruits … possess a very astringent taste, being both somewhat sour and somewhat bitter,” and it is now the official fruit of North Dakota, not because they are still bitter about South Dakota getting Mount Rushmore, as one might think, but “in part because its remains have been found at more archeological sites in the Dakotas than anywhere else.”
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 