Signs of Life in Estabrook Park

Special treats…

The weather in Estabrook Park this morning was nicer than forecast, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky at sunrise. Plus, the air was still, and the temperature was only seasonably cool, so it was a glorious morning to go enjoy nature and look for wildlife.

With all that sunlight, I was out earlier than usual, and I made it to the river in time to catch this cutie swimming home. Even better, I was near a large tree when I spotted it, so I could tuck out of sight and avoid causing it to dive, or even worse, splash its tail in annoyance.

Therefore, when it had swum past the tree, I could get another look as it continued downstream.

Best of all, it soon stopped, somehow didn’t see me or didn’t recognize me as a threat, and proceeded to grab one last nibble before bed.

As I’ve mentioned before, when beaver gnaw the bark off of sticks, it looks just as though they are eating corn off the cob: moving the stick from its left to right as it nibbles, then rotating the stick, backing it up, and repeating. Ha!

Anyway, it lingered so long, that it even dawned on me to try capturing some video, and here it is.

Then it finally swam on, and I continued north. On a normal morning, that would have pretty much filled my quota of amazing sights completely, and I’d be lucky to follow that up with a sparrow picture. Well, this was not a normal morning because when I reached the southern island, look who I found hiding in the branches: one of our great horned owls!

I realize that its pose is nowhere near as nice as the one on Sunday, but on Sunday I found only one. Today, I found two, and here’s the second one hiding even deeper in the sticks. We haven’t seen two of them together on the island since last winter. Hot diggity dog!

Well, after that I did struggle even to get a sparrow picture, but the surprises weren’t over yet. The picture below may not look like much, but if you look closely, you can see a well-camouflaged spider that I watched skitter right across the surface of the water, just as a water strider does. I have never seen that before from a spider, and the culprit appears to be a shore spider (Pardosa milvina), as best as I can tell.

Finally, the great blue herons are still fishing on the river, and here’s one, perched out on a low branch, who just saw something move in the water below.

A few bright spots in a dreary day…

It was another dark and dreary morning in Estabrook Park, and I seriously considered not even getting out of bed. But, it wasn’t raining, I needed the exercise, and “exposure to nature has been linked to a host of [mental health] benefits,” so I got myself up and went for a walk anyway.

I saw a great blue heron on the river pretty early on, but the pictures aren’t very pretty so I’ll spare you. Instead, check out this darling little puffball of a swamp sparrow, who had been foraging in the grass across the river from the radio towers and took a perch in this maple tree to keep an eye on me.

At the pond, the wood ducks still swim among us, and this drake happened to catch what little morning light there was just right.

Back at the river and farther north, a red-tailed hawk appeared to chase a Cooper’s hawk, but its efforts seemed half-hearted, and I wonder if it wasn’t just having some fun. In any case, the red-tailed perched for a moment before continuing the pursuit, and here it is.

Out on the water, the wigeons are still here, I am happy to report, and this time, here’s the drake.

The big surprise of the day, however, is this stunning new visitor: a non-breeding northern shoveler drake. Woo Hoo! We have seen them in Estabrook before, but not very often.

Even better, there were two hens with him, and here they are almost lined up perfectly. Just look at those amazing bills!

Finally, all this recent warm weather even managed to produce some islands of color, and here’s a bicolored sweat bee chillin’ on a thistle blossom.

I see the sun is forecast to come out a bit tomorrow, and I sure could use some of that.

Rinse and repeat…

Despite the rain overnight, the weather this morning in Estabrook Park was almost a carbon-copy of yesterday: cloudy, still, warm, and dryer than forecast. The critters, however, were a bit scarcer, but that certainly could be simply because I didn’t have four additional sets of eyes helping me.

I didn’t see a heron at the pond today, but the wood ducks are still hanging around, and here’s a pair making the most of a dark and dreary morning.

There was also a female belted kingfisher, but she was wide awake and really made me work for even this mediocre picture.

Finally, at the river, I didn’t see an owl or osprey today, but the wigeons are still with us, and here’s the hen.

Lastly, with such a short post, I hope that leaves you plenty of time for any errands you need to take care of today. Best of luck!

Inaugural Estabrook Wildlife Walk

Well, as often happens, the rain this morning was much lighter than forecast. Plus, the temps were unseasonably warm, and the wind was also pretty light, so it was a mighty fine day to kick-off our weekly wildlife walks in Estabrook Park.

The first nice surprise, of course, was that people actually came out to join me, and the second nice surprise was finding a great blue heron on the pond for the first time in a while.

The third surprise was a bird that Jenny spotted high above the paved path along the crest of the bluff, which she thought looked like a robin but bigger. From the back, I couldn’t tell it from a robin either, but sure enough, when we could get a good look at the front of it, we could see that it was our first merlin of the month. Now, that’s some fine spotting!

Other highlights that I failed to photograph include wood ducks on the pond, wigeons on the river, an osprey on the wing with a fish, and a peregrine falcon perched high on one of the radio towers across the river. In all, we counted 31 bird species.

Finally, the warm weather brought out dragonflies one more time, and here’s another autumn meadowhawk beside the river.

Lastly, but not leastly, here’s the inaugural crew, with me on the left, then Jenny, Peggy, Kathy, and Katie. Thanks to everyone for coming out to brave the weather today, and I hope you can make it again next week.

PS: by popular demand, I have finally posted a map of Estabrook Park, for those of you trying to follow along at home, with labels for some of the geographic features I reference.

The rain holds off, for now…

It was windy and cloudy this morning in Estabrook Park, but the temps were mild, and it barely sprinkled, so it turned out to be a far nicer morning than I expected when I went out the door.

I was a little surprised to find a great blue heron perched low over the river far downstream from the new favorite location, but when I finally got that far north, I found an angler parked on the far shore, and that could well be what caused the change in plans.

It appears that there is some evidence that birds can sense coming bad weather, and if that is really the case, that would explain why I saw so few birds today. I didn’t take another picture until I found this red squirrel at the north end who was more intent on gnawing that nut than on fleeing my gaze.

The gadwalls appear now to have moved on for good, but I was disappointed also not to see the wigeons around the islands. Happily, I found them a few hundred yards farther upstream when I went to check on the pigeons at the bridge. Here’s the drake, but I just couldn’t get a good picture of the hen this time.

Finally, there was no sign of the hooded merganser or the black-crowned night heron today, but I did see the osprey glide over the river for a moment. The big thrill of the day, however, was spotting a great horned owl again after missing them for a couple of weeks. I was starting to worry.

The forecast for 8am tomorrow morning is currently “rain”, so our inaugural Estabrook Park wildlife walk might be a bit wet, but the forecast could certainly change between now and then. I expect I will be at the beer garden in any case, and if the past is any guide, there will be plenty of fair-weather days in our future, so please check the weather and don’t feel any obligation to join me if getting soaked just isn’t your thing.

Better late than never

It was a nearly perfect late-autumn morning in Estabrook Park, with nearly clear skies, nearly still air, and nearly freezing temps.

I was thrilled to find our procrastinating osprey was still fishing over the lower river and quite possibly thinking, “with fish like this, I may never need to fly south.” Who could blame it, right?

A bit upstream and closer to the water, a tree sparrow paused from foraging in the grass. We’re inside the north edge of their winter range, so with any luck, we’ll get to see them till spring, when they fly back to northern Canada.

This swamp sparrow was also on break, but it might soon head a bit farther south for the winter, so we should enjoy them while we can.

The huge surprise of the morning came just a bit farther upstream when I spotted this young, black-crowned night heron perched low over the far riverbank, our first for the year. In previous years, we’ve seen young ones at the pond, and adults by the river, but I was beginning to wonder if they were going to skip us altogether this year. “Woo hoo, and thanks for stopping by, Sweetie!”

The night heron only stayed for a moment, but while I had my camera out, I thought I’d try for this kingfisher perched nearby. It’s a much smaller bird, and it was perched even lower, close enough to the water for the rising steam to get in the way, but I haven’t had a good shot at them in a while, so this is what we’re stuck with for now.

The great blue heron was enjoying the sun in its usual spot again this morning.

At the north end and between the islands, there was still no sign of the gadwalls, but the wigeon pair was there and seemingly more comfortable in their temporary home amongst the mallards. Their wintering grounds only reach north into the southern tip of Illinois, so they’ll be on their way soon enough. In the meantime, here’s the hen, …

and here’s the drake.

Finally, by the time I turned around to head back south, the osprey had flown north joined me by the islands and was perched right over where I had photographed the wigeons. Ha!

Happy November!

The crazy weather has finally moved on, and it was a nice and seasonable morning in Estabrook Park, with no rain, partly cloudy skies, and a mild breeze.

My first surprise of the day came very early when I spotted a pair of cedar waxwings picking berries with a bunch of robins at the far south end. I haven’t seen one since September, and I wonder where they hid in October.

At the river’s edge, I found another winter wren and managed to sneak a picture, but it only gave me that one chance, so we’re stuck with that stick through the middle of the picture.

I wasn’t too surprised to see the osprey fishing over the river again, but the folks at ebird.org sure were, and they asked to see a picture. Luckily, the hungry bird gave me a few chances, so I had a nice one to upload. Perhaps this osprey is still using the Julian calendar and just doesn’t realize that it’s already November.

The swamp sparrows are also supposed to be thinning out, but the ones in the grass beside the river and a bit upstream must still be finding plenty to eat.

The great blue heron was in its new favorite spot again, but I was able to reach it from the sunny side this morning.

The phoebe was also still about where I saw it yesterday.

As were the wigeons, and here’s the drake, …

and here’s the hen, but I could not find a gadwall today.

Instead, mixed in with the mallards and wigeons was another bird we haven’t seen since September, this stunning hooded merganser.

Finally, there were still a few wood ducks on the pond, although I didn’t see any photographers again. Perhaps they have gotten their fill for the year.

Lastly, now that it’s a new month, I can show you one more clouded sulphur, the only butterfly I still see flying.

Trick or Treat!

The wind is back to howling and the sun is breaking through now, but when I finally ventured out this morning, it was dark, damp, and eerily quiet in Estabrook Park, a fitting start to today’s festivities. Plus, it continued to sprinkle from time to time, which people seem not to like much, so I had the critters pretty much to myself, and that’s always a treat.

And the critters did not disappoint! I was hiking north along the river when I saw an osprey dive into the water, launch back into the air, and perch a ways upstream. I thought my chances of getting a nice picture without spooking it would be improved if I was up on the bluff, so I hustled back downstream a bit until I found a spot that I could scale. Thankfully, the osprey was eagerly eating its catch and so was still perched where I had last seen it. Finally, I crept behind the fencing at the crest of the bluff on my hands and knees to further improve my chances of getting this image, and that really did the trick. Soon after that, a red-tailed hawk came by and appeared to make a play for some of that fish, but the osprey did not want to share, and they both took off upriver.

As if that wasn’t enough raptor excitement for one morning, before I could even get to the end of the fencing, this Cooper’s hawk flew in, but it was just a tad too late for the party.

Farther upstream and a lot closer to the water, I found this great blue heron looking for a fish of its own.

Above the falls, the phoebe from yesterday was making the best of the still air and perhaps making up for lost time as it grabbed a couple flies per minute on the wing.

Between the islands, the gadwalls are still with us, and these two seem to have hit it off.

I only saw one of the wigeons, the drake I believe, so I can’t say the same for them.

At the pond, the rain was keeping the usual gaggle of photographers away, so I took the rare opportunity to get my first nice wood duck picture in a while.

Finally, back at the south end, I was thrilled to spot a fox sparrow still kicking around. They were mentioned by name in today’s Journal Sentinel by Paul A. Smith, who wrote about how “warm weather has allowed some bird species to linger in Wisconsin, but not for much longer.” Specifically, “sightings of yellow-rumped warblers and fox sparrows over the last week in Wisconsin highlight the mild conditions.” Ta da!

Lastly, and perhaps due to the season of giving that is upon us, some kind souls left me two treats along the river. The mug probably belongs to the beer garden, so I returned it there, but the beer? That might be the fanciest beer anyone has ever left me, so it’s chilling in my fridge now, and I’m gonna enjoy the heck out of that later.

That label sure is spooky, though, isn’t it?

Most things were blown away today

The unrelenting wind continues today, and perhaps the critters are just exhausted by it, because I saw far fewer than even yesterday, let alone usual.

One critter that I really did not expect to see was this little phoebe, perched low over the riverbank, and who feeds by flitting from its perch to catch bugs out of the air. Well, good luck with that on a day like today.

Another unexpected sight was this merlin high over the northern island. We haven’t seen one in a couple of weeks, and I thought they might have finally moved on for the season.

Finally, my third unexpected sight this morning was this catbird, which we haven’t seen in a week, lurking in the bushes beside the pond.

And them’s the thin pickin’s for today, I’m afraid. I see the forecast now calls for continued wind, though maybe a little less fierce, but also rain for tomorrow morning, so don’t get your hopes up yet.

In other news, Donna and Katie at Milwaukee Birders have inspired me to try hosting regular wildlife walks in Estabrook Park, and to avoid conflicts with several other, already-scheduled walks, I’ve chosen Monday mornings at 8:00. If you’d like to join me, just look for me at the northern parking lot, by the beer garden, at 8 am this coming Monday, November 4. I’ll be the guy with a camera and binoculars. Dress for hiking along paved and unpaved trails through the woods and beside the river in the weather forecast for that day, and we’ll try to keep it to just 2 hours.

Also, in case hiking through the woods isn’t for you, don’t forget that I’m scheduled to present live on Tuesday, November 5 from 2:30 to 3:30 at North Shore School for Seniors, and you can go to their website at Nss4s.org to register.

Everything hasn’t blown away, yet.

I’m back from the dentist, and man-o-man, has it gotten windy while I was away. I didn’t expect to see much this morning, but at least it wasn’t raining, and I needed the exercise anyway, so I took a walk in Estabrook Park to see who I could see.

My first pleasant surprise came as I approached the falls and found this great blue heron on the water, perhaps digesting breakfast and/or waiting for the wind to subside so it can go someplace more secluded.

Upstream and on the exposed river bottom between the two islands, I was even more surprised to find a pair of killdeer still hanging around.

The biggest surprise of all, however, was spotting our very first gadwall drake of the season. That ought to give the hens something to quack about.

One nice side effect of strong winds is that if I do spot a little bird, it’s often closer to the ground than usual, and here’s a white-breasted nuthatch by the pond, right at eye level, and showing off a nice big nut that it is probably about to “hatch” with the help of a crevice in that bark.

Finally, all this wind has blown in some very warm air, and it was 70°F at sunrise, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised to find an aptly named autumn meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum vicinum).