All kinds of babies at Oak Creek…

It was quite cloudy and a bit breezy this morning in Estabrook Park, and I got off to a pretty good start when I spotted this youngish-looking great blue heron wading a little deeper in the pond than they usually go. But then I remembered that the Milwaukee Birders were going to the Oak CreekContinue reading “All kinds of babies at Oak Creek…”

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…”

Family photo day…

The beautiful weather we’ve been enjoying in Estabrook Park is starting to look a little rough around the edges today with towering clouds embedded in a hazy sky. Thus, it was a little darker than usual at the pond when I arrived, which made a nice background for the youngish great blue heron we’ve beenContinue reading “Family photo day…”

It’s not August yet, but these sure feel like some lazy days of summer.

The recent great weather in Estabrook Park continued this morning, the cicadas were already singing at 7 a.m., and this green heron making one of its infrequent visits to the pond was icing on the cake. There was also this trio of wood duck hens there, and they’ve started that mutual preening behavior that we’veContinue reading “It’s not August yet, but these sure feel like some lazy days of summer.”

More wildlife than walkers today…

It was another beautiful morning in Estabrook Park, and it seemed that the Canadian wildfire smoke, which had dimmed yesterday a bit, has mostly moved on. My first treat of the morning came on the river, just north of the falls, when I saw that a big section of a cottonwood tree had fallen intoContinue reading “More wildlife than walkers today…”

And the award for most-lost visitor goes to…

Oof! What a day. My plan was to skip Estabrook again and go straight to the lake front to join the Milwaukee Birders one more time at Lakeshore State Park. My recent outings with them have been so fruitful that I had high hopes. There were some flies in my ointment, however, because I hadContinue reading “And the award for most-lost visitor goes to…”

Back to Havenwoods once more…

It was a nice enough morning in Estabrook Park, and the critters were mostly out and about, but I didn’t see many scenes that were particularly photo-worthy, so I pulled the plug on my visit after a couple of hours and hustled up to Havenwoods State Forest to join the Milwaukee Birders by 8:30 a.m.Continue reading “Back to Havenwoods once more…”

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…”

A little bit of everything…

It was another beautiful morning in Estabrook Park, and I thought there was enough light for me to get a nice and early start. So early, in fact, that I surprised this raccoon, who was still out foraging by the underpass when I walked by. Things were quiet, however, and the only bird picture IContinue reading “A little bit of everything…”