Meteorological summer gets off to a fine start…

Meteorological summer kicked off this morning in Estabrook Park with cloudy skies, mild temps, and nearly still air. I sure could have used a bluer sky, but as a wise man once opined, two out of three ain’t bad. I had a little time before our 7am meet-up at the beer garden parking lot, soContinue reading “Meteorological summer gets off to a fine start…”

Spring reminds us that it’s not over yet…

Our recent string of pretty days continued in Estabrook Park this morning, but someone must have panicked about the warmth and flipped on the giant AC unit parked just a mile to our east, because we’ve had quite the cooldown compared to earlier in the week. The good news is that the sun is overContinue reading “Spring reminds us that it’s not over yet…”

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…”

Some rainy-day sights for sore eyes…

Well, one of you must not have been squeezing your thumbs hard enough because it’s been raining all morning and looks like it’s gonna rain all day. Worse, I’ve already milked the heck out of the sapsucker sighting on Monday and the warbler sighting on Sunday, so my back pocket is empty. Thus, I haveContinue reading “Some rainy-day sights for sore eyes…”

Another sure sign of spring…

We had a nearly perfect March morning in Estabrook Park today. The sky was clear, the air was still, and it froze overnight but temps were quickly on their way to the 40s, which I hear is good for making the sap flow. Anyway, sorry about missing yesterday. I had a string of non-park activitiesContinue reading “Another sure sign of spring…”

Estabrook Park still surprises…

The rain did roll through during the wee hours of the morning, as advertised, and we even had a few claps of thunder before sunrise. The good news is that it kept right on rolling, and skies were nearly clear by the time the sun actually rose. It was quite windy, but it was alsoContinue reading “Estabrook Park still surprises…”

Buena Vista Prairie Chicken Meadow

First, thanks to all of you who came out to the Friends of Estabrook Annual Meeting last evening. We had a great turnout for such a cold day, and I’m sorry that I didn’t get to show as many pictures as I had expected, but Harold had a lot of ground to cover. Now, onContinue reading “Buena Vista Prairie Chicken Meadow”

Some dashes of brown to dilute all the gray…

Wow! It sure is a very gray day in Estabrook Park, but the good news, at least for folks who have been less than thrilled with the recent winter weather, is that the temps are mild, the breeze is very light, and there has been hardly any precipitation at all. Even better, three folks turnedContinue reading “Some dashes of brown to dilute all the gray…”

Plenty of woodpeckers in Estabrook…

After taking a couple of days off, winter came roaring back with a vengeance overnight, and temps were back into the low teens by morning. On top of that, the wind was forecast to be 24 mph at sunrise, so the windchill was below zero. Yikes! At least the sun was out, so if IContinue reading “Plenty of woodpeckers in Estabrook…”

A December thaw…

I love a cold and snowy winter as much as the next guy, maybe even more. Why else would I live in Wisconsin, right? Nevertheless, I sure did enjoy a morning in Estabrook Park with temps above freezing, nearly still air, and a warm sun. It would appear that the critters did, too. I’ve beenContinue reading “A December thaw…”