Oh, what a beautiful morning…

I could not believe my string of luck this morning when dawn broke on still air and clear skies yet again. Plus, it looks like the Canadian wildfire smoke has finally cleared out, at least for now, so I hustled into the park just around sunrise. My first treat greeted me as I strolled downContinue reading “Oh, what a beautiful morning…”

A kerfuffle on the river…

The gorgeous summer weather continued this morning with seasonably cool temps, clear skies, and still air. Even the wildfire smoke seemed thinner than usual, and I had a nice and peaceful stroll through Estabrook Park, but the show didn’t really start until I reached the old boat launch ramp at the north end. As IContinue reading “A kerfuffle on the river…”

I can see clearer now…

It felt as though the smoke was thinner this morning in Estabrook Park, and the wind out of the south that has built up since then is supposed to push it back north, from whence it came, so maybe we’ll have a nice and clear day tomorrow. In the meantime, this is who I sawContinue reading “I can see clearer now…”

Making do with the visibility we’ve got.

Yeah, the smoke is still here, but the clouds were pretty thin, the temps were mild, and the air was nearly still, so it was an otherwise very nice morning in Estabrook Park. The pond was pretty busy when I arrived, with two belted kingfishers, the hooded merganser, at least one wood duck, and theContinue reading “Making do with the visibility we’ve got.”

The smoke hasn’t cleared yet…

The Canadian wildfire smoke is still with us, and it was cloudy this morning, as well, so the sunlight took its sweet time filtering down into Estabrook Park. Add to that the fact that the Milwaukee Birders were here just yesterday, and I should not have been surprised that not many folks turned out forContinue reading “The smoke hasn’t cleared yet…”

Another smokey day…

The Canadian wildfire smoke is back and thick enough for even me to be able to smell it when I first stepped outside this morning. It was great to be back in Estabrook Park, nevertheless, and the first treat to greet me was the doe and her fawn crossing the river at the north endContinue reading “Another smokey day…”

Estabrook Park Report #1500!

You read that right, Campers. This is indeed my 1500th post since this little operation got underway back on March 26, 2020. Since then, we’ve cataloged 322 critters in Estabrook Park on this site and about 450 on iNaturalist, where I feel free to post any recognizable picture, no matter how dark or blurry, andContinue reading “Estabrook Park Report #1500!”

Given the humidity, with a dew point in the low 70s, it was about as nice a morning in Estabrook Park as one could hope for. The temps were also in the low 70s, the air was still, and the sky was clear. For a slight change of pace, I skipped the pond on myContinue reading

Finding what I can on a rainy day…

It was raining when the sun came up in Estabrook Park this morning, and it rained pretty steadily till almost 9 a.m. Since there didn’t appear to be any significant gaps nor heavy downpours, I grabbed an umbrella and headed out. I guess it is a little remarkable that I didn’t get a single birdContinue reading “Finding what I can on a rainy day…”

Keeping cool by the lake…

While the rest of the country broils under the latest heat dome, Estabrook Park and its surrounding communities is enjoying the cooling effect this morning of its own giant misting system, aka a gentle breeze blowing off of Lake Michigan. With all the mist and heavy cloud cover, I didn’t have high hopes for thisContinue reading “Keeping cool by the lake…”