Compared to the heat waves and torrential downpours we’ve had already this summer, the weather was pretty nice in Estabrook Park this morning. The partly cloudy skies even let the sun through once in a while, which lit up this young great blue heron fishing on the pond very nicely. The two hooded mergansers wereContinue reading “Some nice dashes of color after the storm, even if they’re not in a rainbow.”
Tag Archives: monarch-butterfly
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…”
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…”
Failing the sniff test…
In an effort to beat the heat forecast for today, I got out nice and early and was already at the north end by 6:30 a.m. I don’t know if it was my early arrival or we were just due, but I finally found our first black swallowtail in Estabrook. It was waiting for theContinue reading “Failing the sniff test…”
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…”
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.”
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…”
Several more firsts-of-the-year…
Wow! What beautiful weather we had in Estabrook Park this morning. The sky was clear, the breeze was light, and it was cool enough for me to put on a windbreaker for a change. The critters seemed to enjoy the break from the heat, as well, because they were more plentiful than I’ve seen themContinue reading “Several more firsts-of-the-year…”
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…”
More firsts, and some nice seconds…
I could tell there had been quite a storm in Estabrook Park overnight by the number of trees and branches down, including the last big dead tree over the upstream island. That’s were we saw the osprey perched just yesterday, and I don’t know if the big raptors we get to see there will likeContinue reading “More firsts, and some nice seconds…”
Signs of Life in Estabrook Park 