Back in the broiler we go…

The promised heat dome has arrived, but it wasn’t too bad yet when I reached the pond at about 6 this morning. Unfortunately, that’s also when this racoon decided it was time to amble off to bed, and this is the best look it let me have. Happily, this great blue heron is not nocturnalContinue reading “Back in the broiler we go…”

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!”

A few holiday surprises…

The first fun surprise today was finding a quartet of least sandpipers on the exposed river bottom around the upstream island. We haven’t seen them since last spring, and they must have been quite hungry because they were hustling around much more than the spotted sandpipers or killdeer usually do. Luckily, I was able toContinue reading “A few holiday surprises…”

It’s finally starting to feel like fall…

Since it was raining pretty good when the sun came up this morning, and the big green blob on the radar was forecast to take its sweet time drifting out of the area, I took the morning off to run some errands. At around 10:30, I noticed that it was starting to look dry-ish outside,Continue reading “It’s finally starting to feel like fall…”

October continues to surprise..

I could hear it raining this morning as I waited for the sun to rise, but the clouds dried up by the time it was light enough for me to venture out. Plus, the winds were light, and the air was probably warmer than seasonal, so it was a great morning for all the plannedContinue reading “October continues to surprise..”

A surprise late season appearance…

Well, we finally won the trifecta of poor October weather for a walk in Estabrook Park this morning. It was cool, which isn’t necessarily a negative by itself, but it was also breezy and rainy. The bright side is that I pretty much had the place to myself, which is a nice treat once inContinue reading “A surprise late season appearance…”

Autumn returns…

It looks pretty nice out now, if a lot cooler than yesterday, but it was raining lightly when I woke up this morning, so it appears that our recent run of sunny, summer weather in Estabrook Park has finally come to an end. Given the cloud cover, I was thrilled that I was able toContinue reading “Autumn returns…”

Feels like summer is back…

Don’t blame me if I sound like a broken record because it’s not my fault that the weather just keeps getting a little nicer every day. In fact, it is supposed to get so warm this afternoon that this yellow-rumped warbler, our first of the season, may wonder if it didn’t set out too soon.Continue reading “Feels like summer is back…”

Fogged out…

Welp, the fog must have heard me whining about it yesterday, and said to its buddy, “hold my beer.” It was so thick this morning that I couldn’t see across the soccer fields or the river. Thank goodness there are still wood ducks on the pond. Since I don’t have any more bird pictures toContinue reading “Fogged out…”

Day of the Deer…

The temps were mild, and the air was still, but the clouds were thicker than yesterday, and they even leaked a little bit, so the weather was a mixed bag this morning in Estabrook Park. The mosquitoes, however, were decidedly not mixed. Instead, they were just plain fierce, as though they were angry about beingContinue reading “Day of the Deer…”