March 31, 2007 by OrientSee.

More signs of spring. The thicket out to MarshHenge is full of these birch like trees. Suddenly all these catkins exploded into existence over a few days. Plant life has woken and is growing with a force that is amazing. One day branches are empty and dead looking, next day furry catkins every where. I’ve seen a few barn swallows which live almost exclusively on flying insects. No bugs in the air, no swallows. Now there are swallows again. I even saw a few dandelion blooms. So it really is here.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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March 30, 2007 by OrientSee.

Finally, the emperor struts forth. For some time, he has been surprising me with his quick bursts of flight or his barnyard noises. Today, he coolly walks out in front of me and poses. The day was overcast at this point so his colors are magnificent in the midst of all the dry grass and bare branches. The other big news is that one of the showboats showed up. I had a good glimpse (although at a distance) of a great egret. Think of a great blue heron with a five foot wing span only white. That’s a great egret.  The only thing missing today was the check for a million dollars. It’s been a great day.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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March 29, 2007 by OrientSee.

Last night we had a freeze. This pool which has had twelve or more ducks, geese and gulls all last week was suddenly empty. Although it was high tide, the marsh felt deserted. That does not include the red wings who are still loudly present. The cold has put a temporary hold on spring. I did get to see a pheasant this morning. He thought that I didn’t see him and so just scuttled off without exploding out of the brush. The northwest wind kept every one down in their hiding places except for me. It is a bright day and messing about in the marsh wearing my new geekly rubber boots is just fun.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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March 28, 2007 by OrientSee.

It was high tide today but there wasn’t much to see. The red wings are raising ruckus and there was a crow walking around out on the marsh acting like a duck. I surprised and flushed a small group of 9 snipe and as usual they surprised me more than anyone else. On the way home a pair of red tail hawks were quartering the area looking for breakfast. This is from the muskrat pond and is just a quiet peaceful scene of three mallards. They won’t get your blood racing but they are just wonderful to enjoy.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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March 27, 2007 by OrientSee.

Hardcore birders will probably sneer at this photo of a goldfinch. The goldfinch is not rare and not the prettiest bird in town. On the other hand after a long stretch of gray days and less than colorful sights, this is a wonderful sign of Spring and I’ll take what I can. The best of the day didn’t come out well enough to post. For some years, we had breeding kestrels in the neighborhood. The grounds people at Suffolk Downs knew and encouraged them to nest on the roof of the grandstand. Kestrels are bright feisty little hawks and they are very, very colorful. They came year after year. A while back I realized that I hadn’t seen them in a while. They’d hunt along the marsh and the side of our drumlin hill but not any longer. This morning after checking in at Rosie’s pool, I looked up and heard a mockingbird declaiming his presence. Just beyond him in the next tree was a familiar sight. It was a kestrel. It was like seeing your grannie again after years had gone by. He was gorgeous but the low light and my bad photography meant that the picture didn’t come out. Still a kestrel is a kestrel and that certainly made my day.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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March 26, 2007 by OrientSee.

A grey day before the rain begins. The tree is the largest in the marsh and I have a nickname for it, the Monarch of the Marsh. The crows often perch in it while watching for food and invaders. The pond in the foreground is one of several hidden in the phragmites stands and is supposedly the home of muskrats. In any case, it’s very calming to watch the ducks here even though the planes pass directly overhead and that is downtown Boston in the background. The subtle joys of the urban wilderness.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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March 25, 2007 by OrientSee.

In bright light this bark wears a brilliant coat of green lichen. The lack of color in the thickets and tree stands leaves everything so monochromatic that this stands out. It practically shouts out, “Look at me!” I’ve been keeping an eye on the leaf buds bud still not much to report. I am so ready for Spring. I’ve had a spell of virus and chest congestion and am looking for the change to begin.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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March 24, 2007 by OrientSee.

We’ve had some warm days for over two weeks now. There’s very little snow or ice anywhere except in the dirt encrusted snow piles that will last until May. All that dirt and urban crud is very effective insulation. Here in the marsh on the side of ditch running with melt from the higher thickets is a bit of ice lace. In the water there are small fish and drifting across the grass are beetles and flying insects. Life is stirring although there is little green growing plant life yet. Over by the casket company is a veritable forest of onion chive growing. It’s a little shocking to see such bright growth there and nowhere else yet. I’m still patiently waiting for the explosion in bird life but still so far nothing exciting. March is a waiting game.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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March 23, 2007 by OrientSee.

The high ground surrounding the marsh is a battleground filled with failures. Fast growing invasive species try hardest and do well for a while and then inevitably the wet salty ground poisons the growth and the plants grow weak and are knocked down by the wind and snow. Piles of this dead wood build up and look very eery.  There is probably all sorts of small animal and insect life down in the middle of these piles but the unsettling appearance makes me feel like I’m visiting a cemetery. Life is tough on the edges.

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March 22, 2007 by OrientSee.

At sunset if you look across the marsh from my windows, the setting sun sometimes will hit windows on the Winthrop side and light them up with spectacular reflections like this. You are looking east and seeing the setting sun in the west. It is actually a little too bright to look at for long. Since I live on a northeast slope of a hill, I don’t get to see sunset directly from my house but I do get this consolation prize. Better than this is in the summer when a thunderstorm blows out to sea, we often get to see rainbows. I’ve seen a complete double, one rainbow beneath another horizon to horizon and once a partial triple, two complete arcs and a third partial arc. I’m hoping that my other lens will catch some of these later in July and August.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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