Look who came out from the shadows…

Our recent string of very nice mornings continued in Estabrook Park today, and I even needed a light jacket for the first hour or so. That’ll keep the mosquitos down, at least for a while. The pond wasn’t quite as busy today, as it was yesterday, so my first treat didn’t come until the islandsContinue reading “Look who came out from the shadows…”

Thank goodness for old friends…

It was a beautiful morning in Estabrook Park, with temps in the mid-sixties, a light breeze, and clear skies, and the Badgerland Striders could not have chosen a better time for their half marathon. With sunrise at 6:06 am and a start time of 7:00 am, perhaps you can imagine how the park was alreadyContinue reading “Thank goodness for old friends…”

It’s not all bad…

The guy who runs his German shepherd loose over the southern soccer fields at dawn was back today, after a couple day absence, so there was no sign of the twin fawns and their mom. Instead, here’s a video I took with my phone yesterday after I thought I had gotten the best picture ofContinue reading “It’s not all bad…”

An egret back in Estabrook at long last…

The clouds were thick this morning in Estabrook Park, but the rain did hold off, temps were mild, and the winds were very light, so it was a fine time to resume looking for wildlife there. There were plenty of sights to see, but the treat of the morning has got to be the firstContinue reading “An egret back in Estabrook at long last…”

Stiffed again, but I’ll survive…

I couldn’t resist the siren call of those least bitterns at Sheridan Park, so I headed back there first thing this morning to try my luck again. At least the grounds crew wasn’t mowing the lawn around the pond this time when I arrived, so I could hear the call of this female belted kingfisherContinue reading “Stiffed again, but I’ll survive…”

Another rarity pays us a visit…

Oh, my goodness, the weather was absolutely fabulous this morning in Estabrook Park. The skies were crystal clear, and the air was cool and nearly still. If you live in the vicinity, I hope you’ve had a chance to get outside. The fun started for me at the pond again, where the hooded merganser letContinue reading “Another rarity pays us a visit…”

All kinds of pleasant surprises…

The rain forecast for this morning never came, at least until this afternoon, and neither did any wildlife walkers, so I had quite a nice morning in Estabrook Park all to my lonesome. My first treat came on the river between the islands, where I was checking for shorebirds, when I spotted this giant snappingContinue reading “All kinds of pleasant surprises…”

Nearly smoked out…

The Canadian wildfire smoke sure did arrive overnight, and it was so thick by sunrise that I wondered if it would ever get light out, but the streetlights did eventually shut off, and the air quality index was still below 300, so I ventured into Estabrook to see who might be out and about. IContinue reading “Nearly smoked out…”

Back after a day of playing hooky…

I never did manage to write something for you yesterday, as I had promised, and I apologize for that. I had gone to the dragon boat races in the Lakeshore State Park inlet, as part of the Friends of Lakeshore State Park team, “Fishful Thinking”, and it ended up taking up most of the day,Continue reading “Back after a day of playing hooky…”

Some birds on the wing…

I can see out our dining room window as I write this, that it has clouded up and started to sprinkle, but the weather was picture-perfect this morning. The sky was clear, if a little hazy, temps were about 10 degrees warmer than they’ve been in weeks, and the air was nearly still. As IContinue reading “Some birds on the wing…”