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!”

Beating the heat…

Our heatwave continues, and it was in the double 80s (°F and %RH) at sunrise again, which is not my favorite way to start the day, but there’s plenty of nice shade to be had in Estabrook Park, and we even have water features, so I can’t think of a better place to hide out.Continue reading “Beating the heat…”

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…”

Several mid-July surprises…

As forecast, the cool and dry air we’ve enjoyed in Estabrook for the past couple of days has moved on, and it was warmer and rainier in the park today. The air has remained nearly still, however, and with non-holiday, early Saturday traffic, it was wonderfully quiet this morning. My first treat of the dayContinue reading “Several mid-July surprises…”

Enjoying the cool-down, while it lasts…

It started out even cooler this morning in Estabrook Park than yesterday, so cool that I even wore a jacket for the first hour, but the cloud cover was much thinner, so the light was nicer, and the day warmed up pretty quickly. I didn’t see any herons on the pond, however, and I couldn’tContinue reading “Enjoying the cool-down, while it lasts…”

Some bits of color on a gray day…

It was a soggy morning in Estabrook Park, and the rain was coming down pretty good at sunrise, but it didn’t last, I’m happy to say, and I was able to get out the door by about quarter after six. My first treat of the day was finding our osprey perched on our side ofContinue reading “Some bits of color on a gray day…”

Plenty of ducklings to go around…

It was warm, but not raining, so not a bad morning for a visit to Estabrook Park. Here’s the one picture I did manage to capture yesterday. That’s a great blue heron standing stoically on a log floating in the pond and looking about as thrilled with the weather as I was. The photogenic heronContinue reading “Plenty of ducklings to go around…”

A skeleton crew…

The air was a bit more humid than yesterday, but it was an otherwise very nice morning in Estabrook Park. I saw far fewer critters than yesterday, however, and perhaps the missing ones have already hit the road for the holiday. They haven’t all gone, thankfully, so here are some of the ones I couldContinue reading “A skeleton crew…”

Deer and ducklings…

We had some rain overnight, and it sure was humid at sunrise, but the sky was mostly clear, and the air was almost still, so it was a fine morning to look for wildlife in Estabrook Park. Some of the wildlife didn’t even wait for me to get there, and I was greeted as soonContinue reading “Deer and ducklings…”