The promised heat dome has arrived, but it wasn’t too bad yet when I reached the pond at about 6 this morning. Unfortunately, that’s also when this racoon decided it was time to amble off to bed, and this is the best look it let me have. Happily, this great blue heron is not nocturnalContinue reading “Back in the broiler we go…”
Tag Archives: Great blue heron
It’s sure starting to feel like peak summer…
The heat dome is back, with temps well into the 90s this afternoon, and it was already warm enough during our weekly wildlife walk this morning, for this great blue heron on the river to be demonstrating its gular fluttering to keep cool. The recent high water from heavy rains up north, which was justContinue reading “It’s sure starting to feel like peak summer…”
Back after a day of playing hooky…
I never did manage to write something for you yesterday, as I had promised, and I apologize for that. I had gone to the dragon boat races in the Lakeshore State Park inlet, as part of the Friends of Lakeshore State Park team, “Fishful Thinking”, and it ended up taking up most of the day,Continue reading “Back after a day of playing hooky…”
Several nice surprises…
It was a dark morning in Estabrook Park, but the predicted storms never materialized, though it did sprinkle a bit, and the air stayed pretty still, so it was a nice enough time to look for wildlife. My first surprise was finding this young-looking great blue heron with a crayfish just below the falls, andContinue reading “Several nice surprises…”
A shorebird bonanza!
The day has gotten pretty warm out by now, but conditions were quite pleasant in Estabrook Park right after sunrise. We still have a few broods of ducklings on the river, although they mostly look like teenagers these days, and here’s a sextet of mallards just above the falls. The second one from the leftContinue reading “A shorebird bonanza!”
Happy semiquincentennial eve!
Our recent heat wave continues to wane, but slowly, and the critters in Estabrook Park just keep going about their business as usual. A great blue heron was looking fierce as it fished in the river just above the falls, and this one appears to be in its second summer with a hint of adultContinue reading “Happy semiquincentennial eve!”
June finally delivers some real summer weather…
The heat and humidity that had been promised for days have finally arrived, and it was 80°F and 80% humidity at 6:00 this morning. Jeepers! Given the breathless warnings on the evening news, I expected the weather, but I did not expect to spot this raccoon trotting across the parkway near the pollinator garden. “Sweetie,Continue reading “June finally delivers some real summer weather…”
A nice blast from the past…
Despite the forecast, the sun hardly showed its face at all in Estabrook this morning. It was cool, calm, and dry, however, so it was still a pretty good time to look for wildlife. This first picture is quite dark, because I took it at 5:15 am, and the streetlights might have still been on,Continue reading “A nice blast from the past…”
The sun did come out, but I highly doubt that it dried up all the rain…
That rain, which we enjoyed for much of yesterday, was gone by sunrise, but it failed to take all the clouds with it, so we had a nice enough morning in Estabrook Park, while the sun dipped out for a bit every now and then. Young mallard ducklings keep emerging from the woods, if notContinue reading “The sun did come out, but I highly doubt that it dried up all the rain…”
Wowed in Estabrook some more…
As we all had hoped, it was a gorgeous morning for our weekly wildlife walk in Estabrook Park, and we had five early birds for the 7 am service. The pond was quiet again, but a great blue heron was fishing at the falls as we went down the stairs by the beer garden. ItContinue reading “Wowed in Estabrook some more…”
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 