Even though the wind was whippin’, it was a pretty nice morning in Estabrook Park, with unseasonably mild temps, and mostly sunny skies.

The big news today is that I finally saw the great horned owl again, for the first time since May 16, I believe, after which the tree it liked to perch in leafed out enough to provide full cover. In previous years, I would see it over the summer from time to time, but not this summer, and I began to fear that it had found another perch, or worse. So, I don’t know if it has been there the whole time, and today was just the day that the leaves were finally down enough for me to see it, or if it simply returned now that daylight savings time has finally ended, but I’m thrilled either way.

I must admit that after a while of not seeing it this summer, I began merely to give the spot a glance as I walked past. Since the leaves have started falling, however, I began searching again in earnest. This morning, at first, I couldn’t even be sure I was seeing a bird and not a branch or wishful thinking. Once I was sure someone was there, it took me a while to find a spot from which my view was the least obscured by branches. Then it took another while to trick my camera autofocus into choosing the right subject in all that clutter. Finally, once everything was all lined up, I had to wait for it to turn its head toward the sun and open those big beautiful yellow eyes. But I believe every second was worth it just to see this magnificent creature again.

Anywho, I eventually moved on, and the north end was pretty quiet today, not only because there was not a single goose for a change, but also because I only saw a few mallards and this one great blue heron.

On my way back south, I swung by the pond again in hopes of nice woodie and hoodie pictures now that the sun was higher in the sky and there was a nice big gap in the clouds. As I crossed the parkway to approach the pond, I accidentally spooked a Cooper’s hawk, who I hear will be getting a new name soon, and happily it perched right across the pond and in front of a gorgeous blend of a pretty blue sky and some last vestiges of nice fall foliage. An added bonus is that it is even sporting some bling on its ankles.

The woodie, who I had seen earlier, was probably keeping out of sight because of the hawk, but the hoodie, a proficient diving bird, seemed to be showing off instead.

Finally, here’s a northern cardinal showing us the nice morsel it had just found.

The stream of new sights in Estabrook Park has slowed a bit lately, and it’s a Sunday, so you know what that means. It’s time to join Donna and her Sunday Birders and visit someplace new, and today’s location was Coal Dock Park in Port Washington. Yay!

It did not disappoint, and our first treat is this bufflehead drake enjoying an uncharacteristically smooth lake. We usually get to see them in Estabrook eventually, but not yet this season.

There were also a few female and/or immature male red-breasted mergansers, and here’s one, but it took me a while to get a picture of them, so the light is better, and the water is a little rougher. I expect we’ll see them in Estabrook, too, once the river starts to freeze.

Here’s a bird that we’ve been seeing almost every day in Estabrook, yet another great blue heron.

Then Donna’s group arrived, and they helped me find a few more. Here’s a bird I do not believe I’ve ever seen before in my life, a dunlin (Calidris alpina). It looks a bit like the sanderlings we saw at McKinley Beach, but with a longer, decurved beak.

They also found for me my very first snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis), freshly arrived to their wintering grounds from far up north. I had heard them earlier, but couldn’t find them with my own eyes, so it sure helps to have a few more pairs. They were foraging on a far breakwater, so this is the best image my camera could muster. Oh well.

Another far off bird that we have seen before, but only in the Horicon Marsh, is this ruddy duck.

Here, finally, is a bird that wasn’t so shy, and that we do see from time to time in Estabrook, a double crested cormorant drying out its wings.

And just resting.

On my way home, since it was right on the route, I stopped in Estabrook to see who might be around in the late morning. The first surprise was this merlin oddly holding its ground, what little bit there was above the water, while I took this portrait.

Other than that, the river was quiet, so I continued to the pond, where I found a second surprise: a little red-eared slider up out of the water in November. The sun wasn’t even that warm today.

Lastly, the hoodie and woodie are both still there, and while the woodie hid under the bushes along the shore, the hoodie was back to fishing, but I didn’t stick around long enough to see what it caught today.

The weather this morning in Estabrook Park was about the same as yesterday, but maybe a bit cooler, and a bit less breezy. I finished breakfast early, so I got out well before sunrise, and I found the hoodie and the woodie still on the pond, but once again thought I’d have better light later, so I headed to the river. Perhaps because I was ahead of schedule, it seems I beat the anglers today, and thus I found a great blue heron fishing right at the falls for the first time since I can’t remember when.

On my way north, I came across another little red squirrel that kept coming back for a closer look. That’s always fun.

I did see a belted kingfisher for the first time in a few days, but it just did a fly-by and continued upriver. Otherwise, there were only geese and mallards, so I turned around and headed back south.

Right before I was going to take that path back up to the pond again, there was a lot of little-bird activity, with chickadees, goldfinches, and white-throated sparrows all twittering away, and while I was checking out that action, I noticed a surprise visitor: one last gray catbird, who is long overdue at its wintering grounds along the Gulf of Mexico.

I barely had turned around from taking my last catbird picture, when I almost tripped over this great blue heron fishing right against the near riverbank.

Back at the pond, the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds a bit, so here’s your hoodie portrait.

But wait! The little rascal also put on a fishing show for us.

It took four or five dives to find one, and then it took a few gulps to get it down.

Perhaps it helps to stretch out the neck a little.

And finally, down it goes. Breakfast of Champions!

Lastly, I had to wait a bit, but the woodie finally came around for his portrait, too.

Temps were pretty mild this morning in Estabrook Park, but the clouds were thick, and the breeze was stiff, so I didn’t have very high expectations for my visit. I saw the hooded merganser and the wood duck on the pond again, but I figured they weren’t going anywhere, and the light might improve later, so I continued on to the river.

There was a great blue heron on the far side just above the falls, and the light wasn’t any better yet, but they’re sometimes skittish, so I took this picture while I could.

I only saw mallards on the river around the islands at the north end, so I headed back south with a pretty meager bird count so far. To get back to the pond, I took the path that runs through the woods on the south side of the dog park. Along the way, I spotted my first mourning dove, but don’t worry, it was too far away for a picture. Once I stopped walking, however, I just kept noticing more and more birds.

There were a couple dozen robins foraging in the bushes up the little bluff from the stream that runs from the pond to the river. Then a flock of starlings flew in, parked, and started chatting away. Hairy, downy, and red-bellied woodpeckers all started calling. A nuthatch, chickadees, and goldfinches chimed in. More doves arrived, and a blue jay joined the fray. It was getting crazy, and the cherry on top was that one of the goldfinches turned out to be a yellow-rumped warbler, and quite possibly my last one for the season.

They all kept their distance, too, so I didn’t even bother with my camera and just enjoyed the spectacle. There were representatives from six species I hadn’t yet seen today.

Eventually, the concentration of birds dissipated back to normal, and I continued to the pond. As I followed the path around the north end, I startled a Cooper’s hawk who might have been taking a sip at the water’s edge. Happily, it found this perch on the island, just 20 feet away, and let me take this portrait.

I continued on around the pond and found the hooded merganser again.

Along with the wood duck drake, who now appears to be dabbling solo. I haven’t seen the young hen who was with him on Wednesday since then.

Finally, on my way home from the pond, I was stunned to spot a second warbler, an orange-crowned this time, who appeared to be picking seeds out of that gone-by clump of goldenrod. I did see some bugs in the air today, but with the weather we’ve been having lately, I’m glad that it has a backup plan and that it only has to get to Memphis, about 560 miles away, to reach the northern edge of its winter range.

It was oddly quiet in Estabrook Park this morning. The weather was nice enough, with mostly clear skies, a light breeze, and temps about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday, but the critters were perhaps a bit shellshocked from the recent snowstorm. Nevertheless, there were a few up and about, so here they are.

There were six Canada geese on the pond when I arrived, and after I took a seat on the bench up on the west lawn, they clambered up on the lawn to join me. This particular character came so close, I thought if I held out my hand it might give my fingers a taste. I did not give that a try, but this might be the first time that I can tell where the black iris of a goose ends, and the pupil begins.

At the river, all I saw were mallards. No geese, no raptors, no kingfishers, no visitors. Instead, the best picture I could find was of this female northern cardinal on shore behind me calmly gorging on berries.

Time for another.

And then there was just one left. Well, two, if you count the one by her feet.

On my way back south, I did spot three blue herons, and this is the one warm enough to show its face.

Back at the pond, the light was a little better, and here’s the only wood duck I found today.

The big surprise was this sharp looking visitor, a female or immature male hooded merganser.

It just kept striking different poses against that pretty pond water.

How could I not take these pictures, right?

Anyway, that’s it for the birds today. I almost didn’t take this squirrel’s picture either, until I saw it had its little front paws curled under itself, presumably to warm them up. Plus, the blue sky always makes every picture better.

After the snow yesterday morning, the day cleared up for a bit, but then late in the afternoon, the snow came back, the wind picked up, and the temperature dropped into the 20s. Happily, by this morning, the wind and precipitation were gone, and all that was left were beautiful blue skies, and about an inch of snow on anything that kept it off the ground.

There was even a bit of ice in places on the pond and the river, but this great blue heron found a clear spot to soak up some of the early-morning sun.

While this belted kingfisher had already been in for a dip and was energetically shaking and preening the water out of its feathers.

I didn’t see any sign of our five yellowlegs from yesterday, but the young bald eagle arrived high above the northern island by the time I was on my way back south.

By the beer garden, I found a couple of trees full of robins. The first tree was offering up little black seeds.

And the second tree was chock full of little red berries.

The berry tree also attracted this male downy woodpecker, but he was after a different meal.

When I stopped by the pond on my way north, I spotted a couple of wood ducks, but the sun hadn’t yet cleared the trees, so it was still pretty dark. Instead, I stopped by again on my way back south to see if I could get a wood duck picture with good light. At first, they were pretty shy, and I had to shoot across the pond.

But then a couple dozen geese flew in, which seemed to provide the wood ducks a sense of security, and I was able to get a nice portrait of the drake in all his finery.

Since we haven’t seen a lot of such a pretty blue sky lately, I tried to get as much use as I could out of it, so here’s a mourning dove, even though I know that not everyone is a fan.

And finally, here’s a male northern cardinal mid chirp.

It started snowing in Estabrook Park at around 7:45 this morning, and it is still drifting down now two and a half hours later. Despite the recent cold, the ground is still too warm for any accumulation except on the grass, bushes, and trees. I realize many folks are fewer than thrilled with this development, but it is a huge treat for me, even if it is a bit of a hassle to keep my camera dry. In any case, here are a few of the critters who continued going about their business despite the snow.

A belted kingfisher appears still to have a hope of catching a fish for breakfast.

As does this great blue heron.

These mallards seem totally unfazed.

Once I reach the northern island, I usually also scan the river all the way up to the bridge, about 1000 feet away, even if I’m not going to hike that far, just to see who else might be there, and today I hit the jackpot. I could just make out this little group of shore birds, but I couldn’t tell what they were exactly, so this time I did have to hike farther north for a better look.

Upon closer inspection, I believe I finally have a picture of greater yellowlegs in Estabrook, subject to expert approval from ebird.org, of course. We’ve seen lesser yellowlegs a few times before, and I spotted greaters in the Horicon marsh, but these five would be a first for me here. Keep your fingers crossed.

Back on shore, this dark-eyed junco foraged in the snowy grass.

Finally, back at the south end, beside the soccer fields, I spotted the phoebe again. Boy, I sure hope it can still accumulate enough calories, not only to stay warm, but also to fly a bit farther south to its winter range, which extends north just into Kentucky, about 400 miles away. “Hang in there, Kiddo! The forecast has us back into the 40s tomorrow and the 50s for the weekend.”

It was a beautiful, if brisk, morning in Estabrook Park, with clear skies and measured temps below freezing for the first time this season. I even had to wear gloves.

On my way north, I didn’t see anything exciting until I came upon this muskrat in the river between the two islands. It was repeatedly diving and surfacing, and I’m not sure to what end, butthe last time I saw one was on the pond back in July, so it was great to see one again anyway.

Even better, just beyond the muskrat, a young bald eagle stood perched over the northern island, and perhaps it is the same one we saw back in September.

On my way back south, I caught a glimpse through the bushes of this male belted kingfisher preening in the sun on a perch over the river. I tried to move a bit to get the sun at my back, but the kingfisher was having none of that.

Just a little downstream a male downy woodpecker was busily excavating a nesting cavity.

I don’t know how far he intends to go, but you can see he’s gotten pretty far already.

Finally, a white-tailed doe checked me out while simultaneously listening for anyone who might be trying to sneak up behind her.

I can’t make it to Estabrook Park today, but the forecast is for “cloudy”, and I think we’ve all seen enough grainy pictures with grey backgrounds lately. Instead, I’ve found a few recent pictures that I haven’t shown you yet, so here we go.

First up is another song sparrow posing sweetly by the river at the north end of the park from yesterday.

And here’s another look at the little red squirrel from yesterday, after it decided I was no threat and felt an itch that needed taking care of.

Here’s yet a another butterfly from the Dzalanyama Forest Reserve, and this little one basking in the early morning sun on some damp sand beside a little stream is an axehead skipper or axehead orange butterfly (Acada biseriata).

Here’s an African striped skink (Trachylepis striata) that I spotted in Lilongwe, hence the concrete curb it is slinking along. I read that “skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards, and most species of skinks have long, tapering tails they can shed if predators grab onto them. Such species generally can regenerate the lost part of a tail, though imperfectly. A lost tail can grow back within around three to four months.”

Back in the Dzalanyama Forest Reserve, here’s a Natal pansy or brown pansy butterfly (Junonia natalica)

And here’s a scarlet dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea). I read that their range extends north all the way into southern Europe, and even once in a while they stray into Britain.

Here’s another gaudy commodore butterfly (Precis octavia). I wonder who felt the need to disparage such a gorgeous creature with “gaudy“, right?

Here’s one more look at a female vervet monkey with her baby.

Finally, here’s one last look at a tiny Lang’s short-tailed blue or common zebra blue (Leptotes pirithous)

Okay, that’s enough of that. The forecast for tomorrow morning is “cool” but sunny. I might need gloves, but that’s a small price to pay for decent light and pretty blue backgrounds, if you ask me.

Fall has arrived at last, and temps fell from the high 60s yesterday afternoon to the high 30s this morning. Plus, the skies were crystal clear, and the air was nearly still, so there was even a bit of radiation frost on the grass at sunrise. That warm sun, the blue skies, and still a bit of fall foliage left on the trees made for some nice pictures, and here’s a red-bellied woodpecker rustling up its breakfast.

Here’s a song sparrow that I interrupted from its foraging, and now it is giving me the evil eye until I move on so it can get back to work.

At the far north end, I thought I saw an eagle flying north, but I couldn’t get a good enough look to be sure, and then I heard a raptor call from across the river. It turns out we still have an osprey around, but I couldn’t get a picture to turn out.

Instead, I found a pair of red-tailed hawks perched high above our side of the river, and here’s the one that wasn’t too buried in the branches.

On my way back south, I found another young-looking red squirrel, who paused from its busy schedule to keep tabs on me.

And then I saw the osprey again perched over the water just east of the southern island. Counting the Cooper’s hawk and peregrine falcon on Monday, and the bald eagle and pair of merlins on Tuesday, that makes six raptors for the week. Sweet!

Then, as I tried to reposition for an even better shot, it took off while I wasn’t looking, but I soon found it flying north with a fresh catch in tow!

At the southern tip of the same island, this great blue heron was basking in the sun and could barely keep its eyes open, despite the commotion above.

Even crazier, at the southern-most staircase, near where I had seen the pair of merlins on Tuesday, I found the osprey again, and this time I could get close enough for a portrait. What a morning this was turning out to be.

At the far south end, I was surprised to find an easter phoebe still hanging around. I bet it will struggle to fill its belly with flying bugs today.

Lastly, here’s a mourning dove that was hiding deep in the leaves that remain.