The thaw that began in January continues, but it was cool enough last night, and skies were clear enough to add radiant cooling, so that much of the river trail mud had refrozen, and I could walk on it again this morning.

There are still a few common mergansers around on the river, but who knows for how long, now that most of the ice is gone, so here’s a handsome drake just in case this is our last chance.

Ditto for this common goldeneye drake, even though he refused to let me see the sun light up his face.

I haven’t seen the owls this week, and someone has suggested that they might be tending a nest somewhere nearby, which would be fantastic, so keep your fingers crossed. In their stead, here’s a Cooper’s hawk watching over the meadow beside the river at the north end.

Finally, as I approached the river from the pond, for one last look, I spotted this red-tailed hawk appearing to be drying itself off in the sun. I was lucky enough to find a path around to its south that gave it a nice wide berth so that I could get this picture with the sun at my back to light up its beautiful plumage.

Boy, if the rest of February turns out like today, I’ll wish it lasted for more than just 28 days. 😉

I’m back in Milwaukee, safe and sound, after a great trip out west to visit with my siblings. I saw my first Townsend’s solitaire, but I hadn’t brought my camera along, so there are no pictures to prove it. Maybe next time.

I did visit Estabrook Park with my camera yesterday, but I was so surprised to come home completely empty handed, that I couldn’t even think of anything to post. Sorry about that. I’m not sure what is up with the critters there, but my visit today was going similarly until I encountered a small flock of robins foraging in the leaves beside the Oak Leaf Trail.

Despite the common misconception, not all robins head south for the winter, but they do adjust their diet to the local conditions. Perhaps this group had found a spot just too productive to abandon, and so they let me get a couple of nice pictures, even with the low light. Here’s one on the ground…

and here’s another on a nearby branch.

Here’s hoping that February brings us some nice sights to see.

I’m not due back home until this afternoon, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get into Estabrook Park today or not, so here’s an Eastern bluebird from a sunny day last April to tide you over until I can.

I’m flying home tomorrow, but I’m still without my camera, so let me show you this darling golden-crowned kinglet beside the Milwaukee river on a sunny day last April.

While I’m still out of town without my camera, here are three goslings beside the pond last April discovering how the world tastes.

I’m out of town today, and I didn’t have room in my luggage for my camera, so here’s a dapper blue-winged teal drake against Milwaukee river water reflecting a warm sun off the far shore last April.

This morning it’s as foggy as it ever got yesterday, and I’m catching a flight early this afternoon, so let’s find a nice sunny picture to brighten the mood. Here’s a sharp-looking yellow-rumped warbler from last April that we can dream about seeing in Estabrook Park when they return.

Wow, the fog has really rolled in, and as I sit here at my dining room table looking out the window, I can barely see a couple hundred yards down the road. Happily, it was not so foggy earlier this morning when I slipped into Estabrook Park. Plus, the air was calm and mild, and the thick clouds overhead were holding their water, so it sure was a nice change of pace.

The birds, however, were taking advantage of the big change in weather to make up for lost foraging time, perhaps, and I didn’t see many, although I did hear plenty. Instead, the stars of the show this morning were the deer in this little herd. At first, I saw only these three, and I didn’t even notice that Mom had her tongue out, and it stretched halfway to her eye.

But then, as they moved, I could see that there were five (5!) of them making their way south along the west side of the Oak Leaf Trail. I haven’t seen much of them in a while.

I did see one goldeneye drake and a few common mergansers on the river, but there were no signs of the black ducks today, and the one bird willing to sit for a picture, or too sleepy to care, as the case may be, was our great horned owl, who had chosen a nice open perch for us today.

Finally, since I have so little to show for my efforts this morning, here’s one more look at the red squirrel by the pond Monday.

I’d say, “enjoy the thaw while it lasts,” but it is forecast to continue for at least the next ten days, so “take your time!”

We’re getting a “wintery mix” this morning that is forecast to last all day. At Anne’s urging I did step outside to feel it for myself, and it is nice and mild, but there is more precipitation than I’d rather expose my camera. Thus, it’s time to hit the archives and find some images we might hope to see this spring.

Let’s start with this male blue-grey gnatcatcher, from May 15, who has a wicked resting grouchy face, but was willing to share it with us at nearly eye level.

Baltimore orioles are a little more standoffish and usually keep to the higher branches, like this one from May 10, but I can work with that if the sky is such a nice blue.

Even worse than orioles, the surprisingly shy blue jays, like this one from May 5, rarely give me a glimpse this nice.

Finally, what would spring in Wisconsin be without warblers, and here’s a palm warbler from May 9 that really struck about the nicest pose I’ve ever gotten from a warbler.

This sloppy weather is forecast to last through tomorrow, but maybe we’ll get lucky and have a break. Keep your fingers crossed.

The precipitation that Anne and I heard on our window at breakfast was done by the time the sky got as light as it was going to get, and it was a full 20°F warmer than yesterday, so it was a fine morning to visit Estabrook Park.

The common mergansers and one goldeneye drake were still on the river, but the exciting new visitors this morning where these two American black duck drakes. Part of the fun I have spotting them is their tendency to mingle with the mallards, so they are easy for me to miss if I don’t take the time to check and count them all.

At the pond, someone has been leaving birdseed behind, which attracts a ton of house sparrows and grey squirrels, and this morning even our wayward cowbird joined in the fray.

The seeds were enticing enough to attract even a relatively diminutive red squirrel. In fact, it was so busy feasting, that I had a heck of a time getting it to look our way.

But when it finally did, it was kind enough to strike this irresistible pose for us.

Finally, so many readers liked the female cardinal from yesterday, here’s another one, but without the pretty warm sun and sumac framing, I’m afraid. Sometimes you just gotta take the shot you got, instead of the shot you dream of.