October 9, 2007 by OrientSee.

I was in the thicket by the casket company when I realized how close I had come to these birds. I stayed very quiet and sat down on the ground partially concealed by some high weeds and nearby trees. It was a sight to be so close. I just sat and watched. Neither the Great Egret or the Great Blue Heron is very tolerant of people but I was within 80 feet. The afternoon sun was coming from the right direction so there was no glare. It just was enough to be there. Another wonderful day at Belle Isle Marsh.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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October 8, 2007 by OrientSee.

The heron gang unveiled. For a while now, five Great Blue Herons have been hanging around the edges of the creek. They’ve been too far away for a good picture. Today started off rainy and miserable so the heron gang decided to take it easy by sleeping it off in the GW Overlook pan. Now I could see them clearly and got this photo. It is very striking how much the wet changes the look of everything. Of course, the sound of my camera’s shutter was enough to spook them and off they flew to one of the tidal pools by the T yard. These T yard pools are great for avian privacy. Until you stand over them, they are practically invisible. The reeds screen them from the marsh and the thick belt of vegetation and trees by the train yard shield them from the T. It’s sort of a hangout for the herons and ducks.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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October 7, 2007 by OrientSee.

The Sunday Breakfast Club. Everybody’s hunched over because it’s cold and mist is blowing in off the ocean and there’s no waffles. It’s overcast this morning and the breeze is brisk. I was surprised by the Snowy Egrets because I thought that they had already left for Florida and points further south. A Northern Harrier (marsh hawk) was coursing over the grass looking for prey and the gulls were doing gull things. A few warblers were bustling through the thicket and a few Great Blue Herons were hanging around. It was a low key sort of morning. It really is October and there is no mistaking it. Fall is falling.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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October 6, 2007 by OrientSee.

Grass. Simply grass. The marsh offers a different sort of scene than the prairies of the Great Plains. Out there it’s all about stretching. Everything just keeps on going, sky, grass or clouds. At Belle Isle, there is always a building or a jet in the background. There are limits but it’s very easy to lose sight of them. It’s not about pretending that the houses or the cars aren’t there. It is that they just don’t matter much. This grass is only three or four hundred yards from a street full of homes and people but I’ve seen a Peregrine Falcon stooping over prey on this same spot. After watching that, it’s clear that the background really isn’t part of the marsh.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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October 5, 2007 by OrientSee.

No, this isn’t some one’s dirty wash. It’s bark hanging from a snag out in the thicket. As the bark slips off the dead limbs, it sometimes hangs on or gets hung up in a limb crotch. Then the wind seems to shred it. That’s one explanation. The other is that birds are helping themselves to this marvelous nest building material. I’m inclined to think that it is both things at work here although I have never seen a bird making off with the bark fibers. I have seen birds tearing off branches from this tree for nests. This particular snag is a favorite roosting place for all kinds of birds including hawks. Today the wind swung around to the southeast and favored us with a cooling sea breeze that I deeply appreciated. This warm weather is too much for polar bear like myself but it has been a beautiful day. Enjoy!

Ciao!

-Jorge

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October 4, 2007 by OrientSee.

Almost a moonscape. The little rain that we had last week did not help the many small ponds which are not tidal. This is the Muskrat Pond and it is bone dry. Well not quite. The bottom is just crusty enough to walk on but if you break through, it’s a deep mud puddle beneath. The Great Egrets and the Great Blue Herons are still hanging around but not much else. I accidentally surprised a young man by popping out of the reeds where he didn’t know a path was. He and I got to talking and it was great to hear from some one else that for him the marsh is a special island of calm in the busy city that surrounds it. It was nice to know that others appreciate the same qualities that I find here and enjoy. Parks and marshes are powerful places.

Ciao!

-Jorge

p.s. I had jury duty yesterday - no day 275.

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October 2, 2007 by OrientSee.

The cormorants are moving south. This is only the first time that I had my camera with me this fall season when they flew by. Leaf color, air temperature and other details tell when summer moves on to fall but this is the big sign in the sky. It’s like a neon light display, the closest thing that the seasons do Las Vegas style. I had a big fright today. I was walking out to check on the coyote trap when a pheasant popped out onto the small game path in front of me and complained loudly about my presence. I was unnerved by the sudden shock of it. I had to catch my breath. The pheasant got the best of me in this encounter. I guess that it was payback for me surprising him earlier this year.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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October 1, 2007 by OrientSee.

The marsh is many things but for me most of all, it is the foxtails flashing silver in the breeze. Phragmites is invasive and although it provides cover for many species, it is often considered a noxious invader like Japanese Knotweed. There is some opinion that some Phragmites are a North American subspecies which means that is actually a native and not an outsider. I’ll leave the technical debate to the experts. What I have is delight when the wind blows and the foxtails are new and silvery.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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