Hot pursuit…

The wind was already blowing pretty good by sunrise, so I didn’t have high hopes for this morning’s outing in Estabrook Park. The sun was shining, however, so it was a pretty day to look at, in any case. Once again, I didn’t see any new birds on the pond or the river, but IContinue reading “Hot pursuit…”

That’ll frost your pumpkin…

Temps were somewhere in the mid-thirties this morning, depending on exactly where you mounted your thermometer. Plus, the sky was clear and the air was still, so we had our first frost of the season in Estabrook Park. Despite the cool weather, we still have a few wood ducks on the pond, and here’s aContinue reading “That’ll frost your pumpkin…”

I don’t see that everyday…

The transformation to traditional fall weather continued this morning in Estabrook Park, and by 7am it wasn’t even clear if the sun was going to bother rising at all today. Luckily, my fears were exaggerated, as usual, and the sun did manage to rise, so I went to go see who I could see. WithContinue reading “I don’t see that everyday…”

Our mellow October days may be numbered…

Despite threats of a wind out of the northwest, our stretch of beautiful weather continued this morning in Estabrook Park. I didn’t have as much time as I usually do to enjoy it, however, because I had someone coming to give our boiler its annual checkup, and they expected to arrive “between nine and noon,”Continue reading “Our mellow October days may be numbered…”

Is this October or June?

The weather was a little unseasonably warm this morning in Estabrook Park, but not one of the fine folks who joined the weekly wildlife walk complained one bit. We did see plenty of birds, but nothing really new, and maybe I was having just too much fun chatting with the company, because I barely tookContinue reading “Is this October or June?”

Mid-October really puts on a show…

It was an absolutely gorgeous morning in Estabrook Park, and if you live anywhere nearby, I hope you were able to get out into it. As I approached the river at the north end, I inadvertently flushed a raptor that was close to the ground, and I assumed it was a Cooper’s hawk. In myContinue reading “Mid-October really puts on a show…”

“Get your own crabapple!”

I had an online meeting early this morning, so I wasn’t able to get into Estabrook till nearly 9am, and it was a little disconcerting. I eventually pulled myself together, however, and found this cute little hermit thrush parked low in a tree beside the river for a second. Out on the water, meanwhile, anotherContinue reading ““Get your own crabapple!””

More comings and goings…

Once again, the weather forecast undersold the morning, and it was much nicer than I expected. The pied-billed grebe and a few wood ducks were still on the pond, and the river was full of mallards and Canada geese. The first picture that caught my eye, however, was these two white-crowned sparrows perched beside theContinue reading “More comings and goings…”

Thank goodness for backup pictures…

It was another very nice morning in Estabrook Park today, with a little more warmth trading off with a little more wind. At least the skies were clear. There was no sign of that shy coot, but a great egret was back again, and here it is flying against that pretty blue sky. A coupleContinue reading “Thank goodness for backup pictures…”

Now that’s a real October show…

It was a spectacular morning in Estabrook Park, with clear skies again, mostly still air, and seasonal temps. The first big surprise of the day was spotting this American coot. It was hiding in the weeds that have grown up on the river bottom around the islands that is now often exposed because of theContinue reading “Now that’s a real October show…”