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…”

Ahhh. Our dry-out even warms up…

Our recent dry patch got even nicer this morning with temps in the 40s instead of the 30s. Plus the wind was pretty light, and the sky was pretty clear, so it was a fine time for seeing wildlife in Estabrook Park. The first treat came when our on-again-off-again green heron by the river wasContinue reading “Ahhh. Our dry-out even warms up…”

Our recent dry-out continues…

It was a nice and sunny morning for our weekly wildlife walk, about as chilly as expected, but the breeze was a little stronger than yesterday’s forecast suggested. Oh well. Seven hardy souls came out to join me, nevertheless. On my way to the parking lot to meet up, I was happy to see aContinue reading “Our recent dry-out continues…”

Hurray for another day without April showers…

I read that we are now officially enjoying the wettest April on record in Milwaukee, but the weather this morning in Estabrook Park was just about as forecast, so cool, but otherwise quite nice. It was even cool enough and clear enough overnight to put some frost on the grass by sunrise, but the mostlyContinue reading “Hurray for another day without April showers…”

Some nice sights, despite the fog…

It was a cool and foggy morning in Estabrook Park, but there wasn’t any rain for a change, so it was a fine time to see who has arrived lately. The first newcomer I spotted was this very shy green heron at the river. I actually glimpsed it already yesterday, but it wouldn’t let meContinue reading “Some nice sights, despite the fog…”

Just when I thought April couldn’t get any wetter…

Sheesh! It really poured last night. I hope you stayed dry. The river wasn’t as high as it got during the great flood last August, but the pond was higher than I’ve ever seen it, and high enough to completely cover the island, which inundated the goose nest. She was off it when I arrivedContinue reading “Just when I thought April couldn’t get any wetter…”

A wet April gets even wetter…

It has dried out now, but it was plenty rainy and breezy early this morning, so I didn’t get into Estabrook Park for a while. Instead I used that extra time to write this up and use a few more pictures from yesterday. At first glance, this looks like just another picture of a red-breastedContinue reading “A wet April gets even wetter…”

All kinds of treats to see today…

Sorry for the delay. It was a stupendous morning to return to Estabrook Park, despite the storms overnight, but it’s been a busy afternoon. The breeze was light, the air was warm, the sky was mostly clear, and there were plenty of lake flies in the air, so conditions were ideal for finding new arrivals.Continue reading “All kinds of treats to see today…”