Well, we finally got some much-needed rain, and Estabrook Park looked and felt a bit renewed this morning, but I wasn’t expecting the sub-50°F start. Good thing I hadn’t thrown my coat away yet.

Perhaps the change in the weather prompted this great blue heron to say to itself, “I haven’t tried the pond in a while. I wonder how the fish are up there? I believe this is the first time I’ve seen one there this season, and by the looks of things, the fish are nice and big up there.

Once I parked myself on the bench, the wood duck hen decided I was harmless and steamed right over with her three rugrats in tow to sample the algae by the west lawn.

I was listening for birds along the river, and there was one that sounded odd, until I turned around to find that it was this little rascal right behind me instead.

There were dozens of swifts, rough-winged swallows, barn swallows, and even some bank swallows furiously hunting over the river at the north end, but I struggle to get a picture even in good light, so I left them be and headed back south.

Just above the falls, I spotted this mallard hen with one almost-grown-looking duckling. They paused for a second to give me a look…

and then went right back to business as usual.

Finally, our master angler was in its usual spot below the falls, and I didn’t even have to wait a minute before it showed me how it is done.

It never seems to rain very hard today, but the sky is dark, and the wind is blowing, so it is just suboptimal for photography. Plus, the critters in Estabrook haven’t had a break in seventeen straight days, so let’s let them sleep in this morning, and we’ll use some old pictures I found on the editing room floor.

Here are the wood duck ducklings on the pond yesterday before their mom floated into the shot.

Here’s the other side of that killdeer from Friday.

Here’s the darling catbird from yesterday again.

Here’s a look at that huge creche of goslings on the river from June 3.

Here’s another family of mallards from yesterday.

Here’s a video I took of the snapping turtle just as it finished covering its eggs and started its laborious-looking walk back to the pond on June 6.

Here’s a shot of the deer, just before the one I showed you yesterday, when it was deeper in the tall grass and both red-winged blackbirds were really getting after it.

Here’s a shot of just one of the four herons in the tree over the northern island from June 5.

Here’s the rose-breasted grosbeak between verses yesterday.

Finally, here’s a wild rose blossom on the bush at the end of the boardwalk by the falls on June 7.

I know we need rain, but I sure don’t mind taking pictures of the critters in Estabrook Park while the sun is shining. Here’s our favorite indigo bunting belting out his tune.

I’m starting to lose track of all the ducklings on the river, but here’s a mallard hen at the north end with her brood of eleven in tight formation.

As I was counting the birds on the river, look who pissed off a pair of red-winged blackbirds on the far shore. They were hounding it with some vigor. Oddly enough, white-tailed deer are known to eat eggs and chicks when they get the chance, so its presence there might not be as innocent as it may seem.

The osprey made a nice slow pass over the river so even I could get a picture.

More dragonflies are appearing, and here’s a female common whitetail. I read that “they do not migrate [,but] overwinter under water while in the nymph stage of their lifecycle” instead.”

More butterflies are showing up, too, and I spotted a monarch, but it wouldn’t park itself, so here’s a silver-spotted skipper instead.

Here’s a rose-breasted grosbeak trying to rustle up a date.

You may be relieved to hear that I managed to find the wood duck hen with her three ducklings on the pond this morning. I just must have not looked hard enough yesterday.

On my way back south, I came across this American toad.

And finally, at the far south end, this grey catbird was far more posy than usual these days.

I was surprised to find no wood ducks on the pond this morning. I believe that’s the first time since they hatched last week. Perhaps they were on shore somewhere napping, or Mom decided it was time for a road trip, by which I mean a hike down to the river. Maybe we’ll find out tomorrow. Meanwhile, lots of birds are starting to fledge, and hear are a pair of red-winged blackbirds by the pond that were begging Dad for breakfast.

At the river, the osprey was back, or this is another one passing through, but either way I flubbed both chances it gave me to get a nice action shot, and I was left with this blurry image instead.

The red-tailed hawk was back, probably the same bird as yesterday, and it was a bit more accommodating: on the far shore, for sure, but at least parked and in nice sunlight.

The killdeer were making as much noise as ever, but this one paused for a moment so we could have a nice portrait.

The trio of mallard ducklings, their mom, and Karl were all drying out on the far shore after breakfast.

On my way back south, I did find this family of wood ducks still working on breakfast.

Just above the falls was a family of Canada geese with at least sixteen goslings foraging in the river close to the near shore, and here are six of them that must have found a jackpot.

Our favorite fishing great blue heron was below the falls again, and I wasn’t going to even bother with a picture, but it held the fish out for me so tantalizingly that I couldn’t resist.

And then, in the blink of an eye, down the gullet it went.

At the base of stairway eight, I bet there was a brood of chipmunks freshly out of the nest because there were at least four and maybe six of them all scampering around and chasing each other. Here’s the one that stood still just long enough for me to get a picture.

Finally, at the south end, I spotted my first crayfish of the season, but this ring-billed gull had seen it first and called dibs.

Lastly, just as I was about to walk out of the park, this male northern cardinal was frantically trying to find something to stuff into the beak of the little squeaker I could hear in the bushes nearby.

Look who I spotted hauling its groceries home across the pond early this morning. That’s right, it’s our resident muskrat, whom we haven’t seen since the middle of May.

Meanwhile, the kingfishers, of which there were two today, were over at the fish aisle, and goldfish must be on sale this week.

A green heron was there as well, but in a tough place to shoot, so here are the wood ducks, who were much more accommodating, instead.

Down at the river, I spotted this mass of goslings on the far shore just below the falls. I counted a total of seventeen, but this group of fourteen plus one adult made the better picture. I wonder if this is the same seventeen we saw several weeks ago.

Closer to our shore, a great blue heron was fishing again, and this time I got my shutter speed cranked up in time to get some action shots.

As I approached the north end, where we have seen the eagle many times before, look who was there today instead. It’s a red-tailed hawk, and the first one I’ve gotten a picture of in the park proper all spring. This one has no bands, so it is a different bird than the one we saw over Wilson Dr back on Easter.

Finally, the water and sandbars around the northern island were full of more geese, mallards, killdeer, and sandpipers, but the surprise guest was this beaver who was farther north than I’ve ever spotted one before. It eventually swam all the way to the far shore and north of the northern island before I lost track of it.

So there I was, standing on the path along the river and frantically, but without making any sudden movements, trying to get my lens to focus on a “rare, for this time of year” and crazy-elusive Canada warbler, which I could clearly hear with my ears and glimpse with my binoculars, when all of a sudden a couple of hummingbirds zoomed in to sip nectar from tiny blossoms on a nearby bush.

I immediately tried to get a shot of them, but my camera was set up for the closer warbler, and so was way too slow. Before it could catch up, one hummingbird continued on, but one parked itself not 10 feet from me. I could not believe my luck! I’ve been trying to get this picture for three years! Here, at long last, is my first ruby-throated hummingbird portrait. Ta da!

After that, I hiked up to the pond as I tried to wipe that grin off my face before my cheeks started to hurt. The snapping turtle eggs appeared unmolested, and I could hear a belted kingfisher again, but the best picture from the pond today is of the wood duck hen keeping her ducklings warm on a cool morning.

The cooler air and maybe little bit of rain seemed to have revitalized everyone this morning, and I counted 18 house wrens in total singing their brains out throughout the park, and here’s one along the river on my way to the north end.

There were no eagles nor great blue herons around the islands this morning, and this family of river-wood ducks was taking the opportunity to bask in the morning sun a bit.

And here’s the mallard hen with her eleven ducklings scarfing up that fine, fine river algae.

The big surprise at the north end today is the appearance of a pair of green-winged teals. We’ve seen them many times in South Holland, but this is the first time I’ve seen one in the western hemisphere, let alone Estabrook Park. Ha! I do see that the American ones have a white stripe at the shoulder that their European cousins lack. Anyway, they were far off, didn’t stick real close together, and the hen looks like most dabbling duck hens, so here’s just the drake.

On my way back south, I found another family of mallards whose ducklings are starting to get pretty big.

Finally, at the south end, I spotted the white-tailed doe again nibbling on the shrubbery amongst the dame’s rockets, which are blossoming throughout the park and look quite pretty but are unfortunately invasive. I didn’t see the fawn, presumed that it was sleeping nearby, and gave them a wide berth.

Lastly, as amazing as the snapping turtle laying eggs beside the pond was, that was only one of three snapping turtles I saw yesterday morning. The third was a little one, maybe just a foot long, beside the bike path on my ride to UWM. The second was this monster, well over two feet long, near the old boat launch, where the dam used to be, at the north end.

Thanks to Mark for tipping me off!

It was a dark and cloudy morning in Estabrook Park, and I even contemplated not going for a visit. All the migrants have moved on, so what did I expect to see anyway. Well, my producer was having none of that, handed me my camera, and marched me out the door. Talk about luck!

When I got to the pond, it took me a moment even to realize what I was seeing. It looked like someone had dug up all the fresh soil that the parks department had raked out around the new park bench they had installed. Sure enough, someone had.

In case you don’t recognize her, that’s Ms Snapping Turtle, to you, and she was busy laying her clutch of eggs. I didn’t want to get too close, but here’s a slightly better view of the hole she had dug.

The whole process took at least an hour, and in the meantime, I spotted the wood duck hen and her three ducklings.

I watched a kingfisher do its best to choke down a nice, big goldfish it had just caught.

I hiked down to the river, but there were no herons there today, and here’s why.

Once the eagle had continued on, look who came out to say, “I’ll see your eight, and raise you to eleven!” Yes, you read that correctly. If you look closely, you can count eleven little yellow and black-striped heads. Holy Toledo!

Then I hiked back up to the pond to see how things were going. There was a green heron fishing.

And then finally, here she is covering up her clutch, and you can still see one stray egg that she will include eventually.

Here she goes back to the water.

And here she is about to take a well-deserved soak.

I did my best to smooth out all the soil, without interfering with the eggs, to make it look like nothing had happened, but I probably should call Parks to see if they have an expert that might want to move them to someplace with less foot traffic to hatch.

Not a bad morning after all, eh?

I had to skip yesterday so I could participate in the UPAF Ride for the Arts, but I’m back today, and it was surprisingly dark this morning. Perhaps there was a big cloudbank over the lake blocking the low sun. In any case, the dim light seemed to subdue the critters, and I don’t believe I heard a single warbler.

The good news is that in all the quiet, some of the shyer critters seemed a bit emboldened. Here’s a deer that gave me a breif look and then simply turned away to resumed eating breakfast.

Here’s a little bunny that let me get quite close.

Even the wood duck hen and her ducklings on the pond let me take a picture that was not of them fleeing.

The great blue herons were back, big time, and I counted seven: three fishing along the river at various spots and these four perched over the northern island.

Also by the northern island was this wood duck hen who must have heard that I saw a mallard hen with eight ducklings on Saturday.

A pair of killdeer were there and making as much noise as ever.

The mallard hen with three ducklings, whom we’ve been seeing for weeks, was there and even still had a drake tagging along.

Lastly, as I hiked south along the river, I could hear at least two crows going ballistic over something or someone, so I scampered up the bluff to see what the commotion might be about. First, I heard the call of a Cooper’s hawk and figured that must be who the crows were mobbing. But look who I found trying to hide amongst the leaves as I searched for the hawk: a young-looking great horned owl. You can still see some fluffy, white baby feathers peeking out. “Woo Hoo and welcome to Estabrook Park, sweetie!”

Perhaps everyone is getting a little tired of the amazing streak of fabulous weather we’ve been experiencing and the resulting need, real or imagined, to be out there enjoying it all the time because things were pretty quiet in Estabrook Park this morning. I didn’t see a single heron. Nevertheless, not everyone was sleeping in, and we’ll just have to make do with the pictures we’ve got.

The wood duck hen and her three ducklings were on the pond and taking a moment to dry out a bit and preen themselves up.

I found the mallard hen and her trio of ducklings beside the southern island, and I was surprised to find a drake paddling with them. Who does he think he is, after all, a Canada goose gander?

But then I looked up, and it all made sense.

On my way back south, I found this little cutie hiding behind some leaves.

Near the south end, the biggest surprise of the day was this mallard hen with her octet of ducklings in tow.

And look who I spotted skulking up the far shore. You can just make out a black-billed cuckoo hiding amongst the grape leaves. Don’t look too closely though because my lens chose to focus on those nice bright leaves instead of the sneaky bird behind them.

Finally, the forget-me-nots, probably wood forget-me-not or woodland forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica), are starting to bloom all along the riverbank. I know they are invasive, but they sure are pretty.

Lastly, when I was out taking pictures of the doe and fawn in my neighbor’s back yard, long-time-reader Austin came out to say hi, and as we chatted, he mentioned that he had seen a sora in is garage, of all places. Better yet, he was kind enough to send in this photo.

Let’s all hope that the little sweetie found a waterfront.

I’ll keep this short, and it will probably still be riddled with typos because I don’t have access to my usual proofreader today. Oh well. Meanwhile, our streak of gorgeous weather continues in Estabrook Park, and the sun rises at 5:15 now, so that’s when I hit the trails because the early bird waits for no man.

The trio of wood ducklings were still on the pond, but my picture from later in the morning, when the sun had come up over the trees in the east, is a lot better, so here is a sextet with their mom on the river instead. Let’s all hope that three of these are the same three we saw back on Tuesday.

Great blue herons were back, and here are two in the tree over the northern island.

Killdeer and sandpipers continue to enjoy all the exposed riverbottom around the islands, and here’s a sandpiper probably giving me some over-the-shoulder side-eye, but I can’t tell because I can’t see its sclera, so there.

As I searched northward over the river with my binoculars, I thought I saw an odd duck, but after I hiked north for a better look, there was no sign of it. Instead, I found it amongst nearly a dozen mallard drakes on my way south, just off the downstream tip of the southern island.

Seeing all the ducks clumped together like that made me wonder if there wasn’t a raptor nearby, and sure enough, look who I found parked in a tree over the far shore. That is one hot-looking eagle It’s panting like a Pekingese.

Back at the pond, I found a bullfrog sunning itself amidst the floating algae.

There was also a green heron fishing off the island.

And here are the wood ducklings with their mom in the nice warm sun.

Finally, the yellow flag iris are in bloom along the northeastern edge of the of the pond.

Lastly, the indigo bunting in the trees on the west edge of the soccer fields is starting to get used to me, and I think our portraits are getting better.