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…”

Plenty of happy sights to go around…

It was a pretty morning in Estabrook Park, with clear skies and seasonably cool temps, but we could have used a little less of that stiff breeze out of the north. Luckily, there are plenty of places for us and the critters to get out of that breeze and let the bright sun warm usContinue reading “Plenty of happy sights to go around…”

Nice weather brought almost everyone out of the woodwork…

It was a gorgeous morning in Estabrook Park, and on my way upstream along the river to the beer garden parking lot, I finally saw my first great blue heron of the year that was not merely flying over. “Welcome back, Beautiful!” I’m not sure which was the bigger draw, the weather or the promiseContinue reading “Nice weather brought almost everyone out of the woodwork…”

A morning better than expected…

It was a surprisingly nice morning in Estabrook Park, considering that the weather forecast just last evening had pretty confidently called for rain. Sure, it was cool, with the air temperature just below freezing, and the cloud cover was pretty thick, but the wind was light, and not a raindrop fell, so I call thatContinue reading “A morning better than expected…”

One more trip around the sun…

This morning got off to a great start in Estabrook Park, with nearly clear skies, nearly still air, and nearly 50°F temps. It was almost balmy, and I skipped a poofy jacket for the first morning this year. The birds seemed to be digging it, too, because I could hear them singing their little headsContinue reading “One more trip around the sun…”

A morning of browns and grays…

The cold and wind in Estabrook Park this morning were about the same as yesterday, but the clouds were back with a vengeance, and the pretty blue sky we had was long gone. Nevertheless, this ain’t a portrait studio, and we’ve gotta take pictures with the light and backgrounds we’ve got, so here we go.Continue reading “A morning of browns and grays…”

The March weather rollercoaster continues…

In addition to a 35°F drop in temperature from the high of 70°F yesterday afternoon, the other big surprise in Estabrook Park this morning was our first eastern phoebe of the year at the pond. I watched it fly off that perch and return a couple of times, as if it was catching bugs, andContinue reading “The March weather rollercoaster continues…”

Right on schedule…

It was a classic first full morning of astronomical spring in Estabrook Park with no sign of the warmth and sunshine that are forecast to blow in by this afternoon. The first pleasant surprise of the morning was spotting this little cutie, our first pied-billed grebe of the year, on the river below the pairContinue reading “Right on schedule…”

How’s this for a warm welcome home?

Man, by the looks of things in Estabrook Park this morning, those of you who live around here must have really had some weather while Anne and I were galivanting around Europe. Trees are down and there’s snow on the ground, but spring is back again, and birds are really on the move. The firstContinue reading “How’s this for a warm welcome home?”