Guatemala Day 4, Día de Lluvia

It started raining overnight, and drops hitting something that banged loudly made me think, in my state of semiconsciousness, that pipes were banging so the heat was coming on. Well, the heat was not coming on, it was still raining at sunrise, and it has rained here all day as far as we know. IContinue reading “Guatemala Day 4, Día de Lluvia”

Guatemala Day 3

It was cool and cloudy at sunrise this morning, but not rainy, here at the Country Delights Hotel, so I got out before breakfast to see who I could see. The great-trailed grackles were already making a racket, but the little zzzzt zzzzt of this gorgeous azure-crowned hummingbird (Saucerottia cyanocephala) really captured my attention. TheContinue reading “Guatemala Day 3”

Winter goes for one more deep dive…

Well, it got even colder overnight, down to -6°F by sunrise, but the wind stayed about the same as yesterday, so not too strong, and the sky stayed clear, so there was plenty of sun, and it was a very pretty morning in Estabrook Park, despite the supposed -25°F windchill. Most of the critters, however,Continue reading “Winter goes for one more deep dive…”

Rarities!

First, the snow really did come, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that we received a full eight inches in Estabrook Park. I know some locals are about as thrilled with it as the mourning dove looked yesterday, but I am very happy. Even better, temps were in the low teens, winds were light,Continue reading “Rarities!”

Some real snow at last, maybe…

It sure is snowing in Estabrook now, but it really didn’t get going until about 9am. Thus, I had nearly two hours this morning to take some pictures, and here’s what I got. I was checking for the song sparrow or winter wren by the river, and there were a couple of birds, perhaps downyContinue reading “Some real snow at last, maybe…”

Another turn in the February rotation…

It was a bit cooler than yesterday in Estabrook Park this morning, but the breeze felt lighter, and the sun came out after a bit, so it was another very nice time to be looking for critters. There are still a few common mergansers on the river, but this goldeneye drake but on the betterContinue reading “Another turn in the February rotation…”

Plenty of burnt orange to go around…

It was a beautiful February morning in Estabrook Park, with temps in the mid-teens, a very light breeze out of the west, and a crystal blue sky overhead. Even better, four hardy souls came out to join me on our Weekly Wildlife Walk. Despite all the fancy sparrows by the pond, the winter wren, andContinue reading “Plenty of burnt orange to go around…”

Lots of ducks at Lakeshore State Park…

As advertised, I joined the Milwaukee Birders this morning at Lakeshore State Park, and we had nice, if chilly, weather for our outing. The “Quiet Water Basin” was mostly frozen over, and the little bit of open water, near the bridge, was chockfull of ducks. The most common appeared to be greater scaups, with easilyContinue reading “Lots of ducks at Lakeshore State Park…”