September 30, 2007 by OrientSee.

High tide, bright skies and fall colors are part of this photo of a Great Egret in flight. The cooler clear air has an added sharpness. The sun’s angle has changed which means that we see everything differently. Some of these elements could have been present for a similar picture shot in July but now, the sun has moved and so has our vision. It will become more apparent as December gets closer. I wonder how much of this is noticeable further south or how much more pronounced further north. It’s enough that the day’s light changes here and I can enjoy it.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 29, 2007 by OrientSee.

Another high tide and a beautiful day. This Great Blue Heron was taking his afternoon siesta atop the tern platform. He was all tucked down and resting. It’s amazing how a bird that stands nearly four foot tall with six foot wings can fold up like a contortionist. The egrets are around but not much else. The very high tides and gorgeous bright skies have transformed the fall marsh into a pool of submerged waving grasses. Another aspect of the marsh to enjoy before the winter sets in.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 28, 2007 by OrientSee.

The rains came last night but more importantly a high astronomical tide at noon brought water. The salt pans went from bone dry to full. Everywhere there was water. I’ll have to start using my high rubber boots again. The first sight of the walk today was a gathering of 16 Great Egrets, 2 Snowy Egrets and 1 Great Blue Heron all at Rosie’s Pond (behind the Orient Heights T train yard). This one bird graciously posed for a portrait. It was quite a sight for three o’clock in the afternoon. The temperature has finally moderated and is promising to return to more seasonal levels. I met some one who works at Deer Island and he was telling me about deer and wild turkeys recently visiting Deer Island. I guess it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing moose on the beaches in Winthrop and Revere. Now that would be something to see.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 27, 2007 by OrientSee.

Dark settles in over the marsh. Familiar sights change. What little light there is turns the phragmites leaves silver and they are no longer green. The seed heads wave like whitened wraiths over the path. The path becomes filled with noise. Crickets, ducks talking to each other as they fly by, the sreech of wheels from the train yard, a distant dog barking and furtive rustling noises from the sides of the walk, all fill my ears as my eyes lose the light. It is a different world even though I’ve been down this path hundreds of times this year. Tonight the overcast sky hid the moon so I’ll try again Saturday night which promises to be clear.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 26, 2007 by OrientSee.

Backlit and red. The bittersweet vines are overrunning this corner of the marsh. They are climbing trees and sprawling atop a sumac thicket. It isn’t kudzu but it is a bit intimidating. Come fall, the bittersweet redeems itself with this showcase of the color red. It out-reds even the maples. Nothing comes close to this intense shade. Today is one of those anomalous September days that has everyone thinking about global warming. The day time temperature is expected to go over 90. For a cold loving New Englander, today is a real trial. I’m ready for frosts and even snow. I’ve lived in Phoenix and would never willingly live in that sort of climate ever again. Today is all about waiting for tomorrow and the cold front that’s coming.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 25, 2007 by OrientSee.

The sedentary group of Great Blue Herons was still around this morning. They just sat out there in the grass. One of them moved closer to another and then suddenly, the two were fighting. Two pairs of six foot wide wings were windmilling at each other as they leaped at each other in real kung fu crane style. It was startling and then it was over. Everyone pretended that nothing had happened and they all went back to brooding over the marshscape. It would have been very easy to have missed the whole tiff. It certainly isn’t breeding season and they have been hanging around together for a while. It must have been two adolescent boys proving something to no one else. In the meantime a Northern Harrier (Marsh Hawk) was slowly coursing over the marsh hunting. The heron crowd is still around and so it was another good day at Belle Isle.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 24, 2007 by OrientSee.

Watching over Palermo Street by the edge of the marsh, this young lord of the air took his ease this morning. He was not bothered by me in the slightest and allowed me to approach very close. Of course all the sparrows were out of sight. He just sat there and preened himself. He was a vision. I also got to see a group of six Great Blue Herons. At first I was confused by these gray lumpy birds sitting out in the grass. I couldn’t imagine what they were. Then one of them unbended his neck and stretched up and up and up until it was obviously a mature Great Blue. The transformation from a dumpy pile of feathers to a majestic long necked elegant heron was breathe taking. A great morning at Belle Isle Marsh.

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 23, 2007 by OrientSee.

Today was as bright and beautiful day as this plant is yellow. The color is sharp rebuke to your eyes in payment for all the dull colors that you see ordinarily during the day. I took part in a 45 mile charity bike ride (Hub on Wheels) today around the city of Boston. With 4000 others we toured the city from one end to the other. It was a glorious ride that included a great blue and an immature red tail hawk. It was a sort of birder’s bike tour. Actually it was a bunch of people who were not skinny and riding ridiculously fast. There were whole families on wheels. It was very enjoyable and for once, bikers got some road respect. Tomorrow back out to the marsh and new mysteries to discover.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 22, 2007 by OrientSee.

I found this study in contemplation out by the boardwalk. The Snowy Egret was barely moving and it manifested an air of serenity. I was afraid to disturb it. There was a very zen quality of calm to the bird. It was especially apparent since there had been a steady stream of aircraft overhead. The planes stopped and then there was this bird. It was an antidote to all the earlier noise. As a prescription for urban chaos, this is the perfect experience.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 21, 2007 by OrientSee.

It’s not always the big showy sights that delight your eyes. Sometimes a small red dragonfly rests on a leaf in front of you and grabs your attention. I’m as addicted as the next person to the sight of the Grand Tetons or a polar bear but in my real world, this dragonfly is an equal contender. Perhaps it doesn’t have the overpowering size and majesty of a mountain range or an ocean swimming carnivore but there is real beauty here.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »