Plenty of warblers, despite the weather

It was cool, cloudy, and breezy this morning in Estabrook Park, but at least the rain never amounted to more than spritzing. Also, the gray sky provides a less-than-ideal background, of course, but the wind forces the bugs to stay closer to the ground, and the birds follow them, so the sky might not evenContinue reading “Plenty of warblers, despite the weather”

More signs of love in the air…

After seeing the towhee in Estabrook Park yesterday morning, Anne and I drove out to her mom’s place in Waterford for a family get-together. There, we were treated to a couple of sandhill cranes and a wild turkey in the surrounding fields, and a parade of ducks on the pond behind her house. The bestContinue reading “More signs of love in the air…”

The wind returns…

After a short reprieve, the wind is back today, and so now are the clouds, but there were a few minutes earlier this morning in Estabrook Park when the weather at least looked nice. My first interesting sight came at the pond, when a bird call overhead caught my ear. I couldn’t place it rightContinue reading “The wind returns…”

Not many perfect pictures despite a picture-perfect day.

It was a gorgeous morning in Estabrook Park with seasonably cool temps, crystal-clear skies, and nice-calm air. I was a bit surprised to find that the critters were laying low, however, perhaps in anticipation of the throngs of runners and spectators of the Milwaukee Marathon, but who knows. One critter who was out and aboutContinue reading “Not many perfect pictures despite a picture-perfect 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…”

No pranks today…

My first big treat of the day was finally capturing this darling pied-billed grebe on film, after only catching glimpses of it for the last couple of days. It has been fishing around the upstream island, and once it has spotted me, it has usually disappeared after just its second dive. Happily, it relented todayContinue reading “No pranks today…”

A rainy day in March…

Well, just as they predicted, it was quite rainy in Estabrook Park this morning. On the radar, however, it looked as though there would be some gaps in the rain, so I grabbed an umbrella and ventured out. On my way from the river to the pond, I saw the screech-owl in its nook again,Continue reading “A rainy day in March…”

Happy 5th Anniversary!

It was five years ago today, on March 26, that I breathlessly emailed family and friends that I had spotted a wood duck on the pond in Estabrook Park. Before that day, I don’t believe I had ever seen one, let alone known their name. Here’s a look at that original picture. For those ofContinue reading “Happy 5th Anniversary!”

Back in Estabrook again…

My siblings and I all arrived home safely from Colorado yesterday afternoon, but before we left, my sister who lives there and her husband really wanted to show us the bald eagles’ nest just down the road from their place, and here it is. I wrote yesterday that it was very windy out there, andContinue reading “Back in Estabrook again…”

Some quick sights before the rain…

It was cool, cloudy, and breezy this morning in Estabrook Park, but at least the rain held off for a while. The critters may have been sensing that a storm was on its way because they seemed more skittish than yesterday. I didn’t take a picture until I was beside the downstream island in theContinue reading “Some quick sights before the rain…”