Greetings from Namibia!

We flew from Johannesburg, South Africa to Windhoek, Namibia today, and when we got to our lodging at the Trans Kalahari Inn, there was still plenty of daylight, so we strolled around the grounds to see who else might be here. Things were quiet at first, but eventually this character popped up to sing usContinue reading “Greetings from Namibia!”

Greetings from South Africa!

After 27 hours of travel, including stops at JFK and Nairobi, we finally arrived at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa this afternoon. Woo hoo! Even better, the area between the terminal and the shuttlebus zone was quite nicely landscaped with trees, plants, and a bit of lawn, so there was plenty toContinue reading “Greetings from South Africa!”

A soggy April makes a valiant effort to redeem itself…

It was a perfect morning in Estabrook Park. Sure, it was a little cool, a few degrees below the average low for this date, but the sky was crystal clear, and the air was nearly calm, so the sun warmed things up pretty quickly, and it was just a fabulous time to go looking forContinue reading “A soggy April makes a valiant effort to redeem itself…”

One last April shower, or so we can hope…

Let’s try something new. Here’s a link directly to this post on my WordPress website, in case the images are not coming through correctly in your email client:signsoflifeinestabrookpark.net/2026/04/29/one-last-april-shower-or-so-we-can-hope It was cool, cloudy, and rainy this morning in Estabrook Park, but at least it wasn’t too windy. The main story today is that we have ourContinue reading “One last April shower, or so we can hope…”

I learned a lot today…

It was cloudy and breezy in Estabrook Park this morning, but it felt a little warmer than yesterday, and it didn’t rain on me, so it was not a bad morning for April. My first treat of the day was hearing and then finally seeing a brown thrasher again. This time it was by theContinue reading “I learned a lot today…”

The extra eyes really helped today…

Well, the rain is back, but at least it held off until the end of our wildlife walk this morning, so that’s something. We had a good turnout today, with four 7-am-ers, and five 8-am-ers. Our first stop was the pond, but we didn’t see much, so we headed for the river in search ofContinue reading “The extra eyes really helped today…”

Enjoying the feel of a freshly-cleaned park…

Sorry about missing yesterday. I did visit Estabrook, but only for a couple of hours, during which time I didn’t see much, and then I had to ditch my camera and grab my gripper for the Milwaukee Riverkeeper Cleanup, which apparently set some kind of record. My buddy Mike joined me again, and we hauledContinue reading “Enjoying the feel of a freshly-cleaned park…”

What a difference a few months can make…

The last time I was in Portage County, in hopes of spotting greater prairie chickens, it was a frozen snowscape, and we caught glimpses of the birds at a great distance. This morning, on the other hand, it was much warmer, the snow was long gone, the grass was greening up, and we got toContinue reading “What a difference a few months can make…”

The weather threw a nice party, but attendance was lighter than expected…

The weather was beautiful this morning in Estabrook Park, and things got off to a great start when I spotted a great blue heron at the river. But then the sightings really dried up. I did see the beaver again, but it was going away from me this time, and I was able to IDContinue reading “The weather threw a nice party, but attendance was lighter than expected…”

A good ol’ Estabrook change-up…

The weather in Estabrook Park this morning was a lot like yesterday. For the critters, on the other hand, it seemed as though today was opposite day. Instead of a green heron at the river, I saw this beaver swimming upstream. Instead of a red-tailed hawk by the beer garden, I saw this white-tailed deerContinue reading “A good ol’ Estabrook change-up…”