Kohler-Andrae 2025, Day 5

It appears that some of the Canadian wildfire smoke is back, or there is enough of it in the sky east of here, but either way, it turned the sunrise over Lake Michigan into a dim fireball this morning. Happily, the birds didn’t notice or didn’t care, because there were plenty to see this morning,Continue reading “Kohler-Andrae 2025, Day 5”

Nature is calling…

The dreary weather continued this morning in Estabrook Park, but at least it had quit raining by “sunrise”, and the winds were light, so it was a pretty good time for using my ears to help me catch a glimpse of the new arrivals. When I got to the pond, I could hear a newContinue reading “Nature is calling…”

A few dashes of color on a gray day…

The clouds were thick, but the winds and the temps weren’t too bad, and the rain hadn’t started yet, so it certainly wasn’t the worst April weather I’ve seen in Estabrook Park. Before I even reached the river, this reddish-brown fox sparrow reminded me that they haven’t all left yet. The ice that may haveContinue reading “A few dashes of color on a gray day…”

A great show, despite the cold…

It was a bit chilly this morning in Estabrook Park, and the flooded area where we’ve been seeing the coot was all frozen over, but the wind was light, and the sky was crystal clear, so it was a good morning for checking on the critters. My first treat was finding this muskrat, whom IContinue reading “A great show, despite the cold…”

Another surprise guest appearance…

It had gotten cold enough overnight for a skin of ice to form on the puddles, but it was back above freezing by this morning. Plus, the wind wasn’t too strong, and the clouds were pretty thin, so it was a fine time for watching wildlife in Estabrook Park. My first treat was catching thisContinue reading “Another surprise guest appearance…”

Sewing silk purses…

It was a very soggy morning in Estabrook Park, but temps were in the 40s, the winds were light, and critters are on the move, so I eventually dragged myself out to take a look. The ice on the pond is starting to melt, and here’s the first critter I found taking advantage of theContinue reading “Sewing silk purses…”

A close encounter of the hawk kind…

The snow did come last night, but not a lot, and the interesting wrinkle, which I only discovered once I was in the park, is that there must have been some freezing rain for a bit, before it changed over to snow, because the trails were as slippery as I’ve ever experienced them. I evenContinue reading “A close encounter of the hawk kind…”

The wind takes a short break…

The wind is back to howling again this afternoon, but there was a little while this morning when it was on break. Plus, temps were in the upper twenties, and the sky was mostly clear, so it was a another pretty nice January morning in Estabrook Park. I was finally able to catch one ofContinue reading “The wind takes a short break…”

And the wind began to howl…

It was a pretty nice morning in Estabrook Park, if you don’t mind the wind, and I’m happy to report that seven such folks came out to join our weekly wildlife walk. We stopped by the pond first, but all the fancy sparrows must have been hunkered down, because we didn’t see much more thanContinue reading “And the wind began to howl…”

A slight reprieve from the cold…

It has really warmed up since yesterday, and it was in the low twenties this morning instead of the low single digits we had yesterday morning. Plus, the breeze was pretty light and the sun was shining, so it was about as nice a morning in January that I could hope for. The critters wastedContinue reading “A slight reprieve from the cold…”