My thermometer was reading 80°F at 7 a.m., and the heat index is expected to exceed 100°F later today, so I did my best to get a nice early start in Estabrook Park this morning. Another upside to chasing the sunrise is that I got to visit our young guest, the immature yellow-crowned night heron,Continue reading “It’s gonna be a hot one…”
Tag Archives: belted-kingfisher
Some good catches…
The clouds were thick, so it never got very light in Estabrook Park this morning, but the winds were light, the rain held off, and the air wasn’t too cool, so it was a pretty good time for a visit. My first treat came at the pond, when I spotted this action at the northContinue reading “Some good catches…”
More birds than parks, but just barely…
It was a pretty nice morning in Estabrook Park, especially compared to earlier in the week, but it felt as though we might be past the peak of migration. There were still warblers about, but it seemed as though they had thinned out a bit. Anyway, I got to the pond nice and early, andContinue reading “More birds than parks, but just barely…”
A dark and stormy morning…
The forecast suggested that I had about a two-hour window between sunrise and thunderstorms, so I snuck into Estabrook to see who I could see, but I didn’t even need light for the first observation. There had been a big influx of white-throated sparrows since yesterday morning, and they were singing their songs throughout theContinue reading “A dark and stormy morning…”
They just keep on arriving…
Despite the wind and partly cloudy skies, the mild temps made it a very pleasant morning for a stroll through Estabrook Park. Ten folks came out to join me for our weekly wildlife walk, and I recorded us seeing 40 bird species, including a few first-of-the-year tree swallows mixed in with a few bank swallowsContinue reading “They just keep on arriving…”
Grebes, grebes, and more grebes…
The sky was crystal clear at dawn this morning in Estabrook Park, and the winds were nearly calm, so I got in nice and early, despite it being cold enough to frost the grass. At the wide and slow part of the river below the falls, I could see both kingfishers at once, which doesn’tContinue reading “Grebes, grebes, and more grebes…”
A few dashes of color on a gray day…
The clouds were thick, but the winds and the temps weren’t too bad, and the rain hadn’t started yet, so it certainly wasn’t the worst April weather I’ve seen in Estabrook Park. Before I even reached the river, this reddish-brown fox sparrow reminded me that they haven’t all left yet. The ice that may haveContinue reading “A few dashes of color on a gray day…”
A little luck in Estabrook…
Wow! What a morning! The weather was just as forecast; cold, breezy, cloudy, and snowy; so not great, but the birding was amazing, and eight hearty souls came out to join today’s weekly wildlife walk. All together, we identified 40 bird species, which is a high-water mark for the series. Before we all met up,Continue reading “A little luck in Estabrook…”
A rainy day in March…
Well, just as they predicted, it was quite rainy in Estabrook Park this morning. On the radar, however, it looked as though there would be some gaps in the rain, so I grabbed an umbrella and ventured out. On my way from the river to the pond, I saw the screech-owl in its nook again,Continue reading “A rainy day in March…”
A couple more new arrivals…
It seemed pretty nice out at sunrise this morning in Estabrook Park, even with the thick cloud cover. Temps were in the low 50s, winds were light, and it wasn’t raining. What I failed to realize is that the winds were blowing off of Lake Michigan, and the temps were on their way to theContinue reading “A couple more new arrivals…”
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 