So we headed for the coast…

Since we weren’t having much luck in and around Cheshire this trip, I surprised Deb at 5 am this morning with the suggestion that we try someplace new: the Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary at the mouth of New Haven harbor. Amazingly, she was game, so off we went. It was a bit of a drive,Continue reading “So we headed for the coast…”

The new arrivals pick up the pace…

The change in the weather that I’ve been waiting for finally arrived overnight, after a line of thunderstorms rolled through, and it was cool, dry, still, and mostly sunny in Estabrook Park this morning. Sweet. I spotted our first treat of the day amongst the mallards on the water between the islands in the river.Continue reading “The new arrivals pick up the pace…”

It’s not all bad…

The guy who runs his German shepherd loose over the southern soccer fields at dawn was back today, after a couple day absence, so there was no sign of the twin fawns and their mom. Instead, here’s a video I took with my phone yesterday after I thought I had gotten the best picture ofContinue reading “It’s not all bad…”

A fine start to July…

The month could not have gotten off to a nicer start, here in Estabrook Park. The air was dry-ish, mostly still, and even a bit cool this morning, while the sky was clear and blue. Conditions were so nice for sleeping, that I’m using that as my excuse for sleeping in a bit. I didn’tContinue reading “A fine start to July…”

More unexpected faces…

It was a picture-perfect morning in Estabrook Park, with blue skies, a light breeze, and pleasant temps, at least for the early morning. Sure, the heat’s on its way back, after a couple days of relief, but another sign that peak summer is almost upon us, and one that I love to hear, is theContinue reading “More unexpected faces…”

A few regulars, a few first of the years, and one more first ever…

It rained and then the sun shone; the wind blew and then the air was still. There was no graupel, so it wasn’t April crazy, but the weather was pretty crazy this morning in Estabrook Park nevertheless. I made it to the pond before the first showers started, and our yellow-crowned night heron appeared toContinue reading “A few regulars, a few first of the years, and one more first ever…”

Birds come, and birds go…

The first pleasant surprise this morning in Estabrook Park was finding the yellow-crowned night heron back on the pond. I wasn’t the only one who looked in vain for it yesterday, and we all figured it had finally moved on, but there it was today as if it had never left. The second pleasant surpriseContinue reading “Birds come, and birds go…”

A break in the heat, at last…

Well, the heat wave is starting to break, at least here in Estabrook Park, and it is still only 75°F outside as I write this. The bigger break for me, however, was that the howling wind we’ve had for the past three days has finally subsided, so I can hear myself think out there, forContinue reading “A break in the heat, at last…”

Migration may be over, but the show sure goes on…

The heat wave is still with us, so I tried to get into Estabrook Park right around sunrise to avoid the worst of it. When I reached the pond, I was thrilled to find our celebrity guest, the immature yellow-crowned night heron, was also still with us and already drawing a crowd at that earlyContinue reading “Migration may be over, but the show sure goes on…”

It’s gonna be a hot one…

My thermometer was reading 80°F at 7 a.m., and the heat index is expected to exceed 100°F later today, so I did my best to get a nice early start in Estabrook Park this morning. Another upside to chasing the sunrise is that I got to visit our young guest, the immature yellow-crowned night heron,Continue reading “It’s gonna be a hot one…”