June 29, 2008 by OrientSee.

The fog blanketed marsh looks like a sugar frosted confection. The Osprey platform is in the background and unheard is the sound of fog horns bleating. I was up early hoping to catch a glimpse of the early egret crowd. Just at sunrise you can sometimes find a group of thirty or more egrets and herons. It is one of the joys of Belle Isle Marsh. Today I wasn’t early enough. The birds had already split up. One group of Snowy Egrets was at the Overlook panne along with Yellowlegs and Mallards.

They were all nearly frantic with energy darting here and there eating.  Even the ducks seemed energy charged. By the Boardwalk, there were six Great Egrets.

These two tolerated me the longest. It wasn’t even six yet.  I only wished that I had gotten up even earlier.

Fog transforms the marsh in a way that snow does not. Snow covers things, submerges the landscape and blinds your eyes with bright white. Fog lays a spider web of dew beneath a dim sky. It teases your vision and you look closer because it is harder to see. It’s a different way to see.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 28, 2008 by OrientSee.

This is a disturbing image. It looks like a wounded leg but is not. A mower clipped the root of a tree and damaged the bark.  I have never seen the interior of a tree that looked like this. It is an unusual sight.

The Ospreys were still by the platform. Because of the morning fog, the floodlights at the Orient Heights Train Yard were on and one of the Osprey was perched on it. All I could think of was a car seat warmer. It was enjoying the perch. It was a usual sort of morning otherwise. A small gang of Grackles was being very noisy at the entrance to the Overlook path. Not even the Redwings could challenge them for sheer volume. At the Overlook panne, the ducklings were busy feeding with a few Yellowlegs and a Snowy Egret. Quite suddenly a bird was enraged and repeatedly flew at me making a great deal of noise. It was a Willet.

There must have been a nest nearby because it was so insistent and loud.

I got something in my boot so I sat down on the stairs of the Overlook to get it out and looked up to find two Cedar Waxwings perched close by.

The park was quiet but the meadow was filled with flowers and the scents of summer.  Some one else echoed my thought that he was glad that we had this place to walk in every day and enjoy.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 25, 2008 by OrientSee.

It rained yesterday and the marsh was very wet.  It’s what a marsh does best (besides grow grass) is sponge up water. It was fairly quiet as the tide had gone out and was approaching low. One of the big treats has been the mulberries coming into fruit.

It’s not just the birds but also two legged observers who enjoy this fruit. At some point the floor of the thicket will be paved with dark mulberries and the canopy will be full of birds eating their fill.  Eating is a big activity today.

The Bumblebees are all over the Sumac flowers. It is obvious to see how important these insects are to flowering plants and indirectly to us all.  The ducklings and the Killdeer were out at the Overlook panne while a Glossy Ibis, three Snowy Egrets, and a Great Egret were in the Boardwalk panne.  At one point just beside Suffolk Downs station, I saw something flash across the grass and nestle against a tree trunk. It was a Field Mouse and it tried its best to turn invisible but didn’t quite succeed.

It didn’t move but it wasn’t fooling anybody but itself.

Lot’s to see and enjoy today.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 23, 2008 by OrientSee.

I hadn’t gone very far this morning when I noticed something in a tree. It was a weird angle so I had to walk around in order to make sense of what I saw. It was this Mourning Dove sitting on a nest. She seems so serene and calm. Doves are usually so skittish and quick to fly off but apparently not while nesting. The day was overcast and the fog had just moved back off shore. The Osprey were active around the platform but not much of anything else was moving. At the Overlook the duck family was busy eating while some Yellowlegs and Killdeer were working the edges of the panne. The Boardwalk was quiet as well. There were some Egrets in the creek by the Winthrop side but only white bits showed occasionally above the bank.  On top of the mound in the park, I watched an Ibis glide across the sky to land in the Overlook panne. The long bill in flight with the trailing legs is very distinctive. As I walked down the far side, there is a big patch of thistle and three or four Goldfinches were active.

This was a real technicolor moment. The humidity was uncomfortable and I had lathered on the bug spray while wearing long sleeves. I was uncomfortable and sweating but this bird perched on a thistle made it all worth while.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 22, 2008 by OrientSee.

Out at the Overlook panne, the duck family was taking a break in the sun.  There were six Yellowlegs feeding right around them. It was a busy feeding time. Out beyond the eastern dike on the edge of the creek, two Glossy Ibis were hopping about in the Spartina. The Osprey were both up in the platform for a while but Rosie’s Pond and the thickets were generally quiet except for the Redwings. The female Redwings are off the nests so I assume that they are out foraging for the young. A Cedar Waxwing did a neat little sidestep into leafy cover when it realized that I was watching. It was funny to see. A Snowy Egret landed in the Boardwalk panne while I was there but otherwise low tide and midmorning meant quiet. Out at the entrance to the park, there were a few of these giant thistle.

The flowers are very imposing and it was nice way to end my walk.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 19, 2008 by OrientSee.

Today was another gorgeous day.  I watched a Snowy Egret nearly dancing on top of water. Actually it was frantically chasing a small fish which it appeared to have nabbed but for a moment it looked to walking on the water’s surface. There were five or six Snowy Egrets feeding on the flats east of the Boardwalk and two more in the Overlook panne. Over there, I had an aerial observer.

One of the Ospreys was lazily soaring over the marsh and watching everything.  A few minutes later another soaring bird passed even more slowly over everything. It was a Turkey Vulture.

It was a big day for the gliding crowd. Yesterday morning I went strawberry picking with my granddaughter and my wife in Concord. While out in the field, a Kildeer started calling loudly and kept it up. I was curious and stopped to watch. A moment later the entire universe went oooooooooooo. Out from underneath a strawberry plant popped a Kildeer chick, the personification of cute. That’s why all the fuss. Mom was just protecting the kid.  The Mallard mother did something similar when she saw me today. She herded all the ducklings together and got them up on the bank and hidden in the grass while the evil two legs was around.  Mothers got to be strong.  Summer is officially here on Saturday and that will be a nice landmark for this year.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 17, 2008 by OrientSee.

Out at the platform, the Ospreys were fussing over the nest but no little heads were bobbing up and down. Although the tide was coming in, it was midday and so things were quiet. By Lawn Ave. a Cedar Waxwing perched for a short while and then flew off. The usual Redwings, Grackles and Robins were about but not much else in the thickets. At the Overlook panne, these two Snowy Egrets were very busy fishing while a Mallard family with 8 ducklings was busy as well. Out beyond the Boardwalk, two Great Egrets were out in the flats by the creek edge. I went looking for the Bobolink in the park grass field but no luck. A Mockingbird was acting very strange. It would walk on the grass and then fan out its wings in some sort of display and hold it for a while and then move on and do it again.

I’ve never seen this sort of display before from a Mockingbird. A few Goldfiches flew by and then leaving the park, I saw a Baltimore Oriole fly past.

I had a birding by car moment this morning. I was in Watertown by the Arsenal Mall stopped at a light. Some crows were making  a racket and when I turned and looked on the roof of a small Greek restaurant, there was young raptor (probably a Redtail) calmly sitting and ignoring the crows. The light changed and I had to move on.  Then later on my bike this afternoon while riding along Revere Beach, I finally saw the Manx Shearwaters that are drawing a lot of attention.  It was obvious that they were not your ordinary gulls. All in all, today has been a busy day full of things to see and watch.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 15, 2008 by OrientSee.

It rained this morning and the sky was still overcast when I left for the marsh. I had barely gone a block when I saw these flowers. They were so bright that it was a shock to my eyes. They were growing in a piece of land that is usually distinguished by the huge array of litter that gets tossed into it. Someone cleaned it up not long ago and then there is this bit of beauty. It reminded me that yesterday I worked on my science project. That’s what I call it. I’ve decided to take responsibility for a small piece of my daily path. So I went out with the lawn mower and grass whip. I cut down the worst of the invasive wild roses, mowed the path and picked up trash. I’m going to spend some time each week on this in order to pay forward the enjoyment that I get out of my little part of the marsh.

The Osprey were busy by the platform while the thickets were mostly quiet except for the Redwings and the Grackles. At one point, a Snowy Egret sailed over my head  like an alien otherworldly spaceship. At the end of the trail, the Overlook panne had two duck families feeding. It is noticeable how much larger the duckling have become in just a few weeks. A Kildeer landed nearby and I realized it’s been a while since I’ve seen one. Across the flats, the Boardwalk panne had become an impromptu set for a classic film.

A red balloon was entangled on its string. I just saw the film again several weeks ago with my granddaughter and the film was a delight. So it was great to see this balloon. It reminded me so much of the movie.  Past the park, a Great Egret was near the Bennington St. bridge in the creek. I got closer than usual. Great Egrets are normally very skittish and will not tolerate a human so close.

So in spite of the rain and gray skies, it was another good day at Belle Isle.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 12, 2008 by OrientSee.

That cool wind from Quebec took hold and I had a delightful day. Rosie’s Pond had three Snowy Egrets and a Great Egret picking through the pond and ditches. There was some serious feeding going on. Those long bills kept darting down and the birds came up with something every time. Elsewhere by the platform, a third Osprey was visiting for a while and then retreated. The Osprey that confronted it was carrying a fish in its talons while displaying. I wonder whether it was the nest mate or the fish that had it all riled up. Further on, the thicket was a visual delight in the bright clear air. At the Overlook panne, three Yellowlegs including this one were also feeding along with a Snowy and a Glossy Ibis. Meanwhile overhead the crow tribe was engaged in a spectacular battle. I think that a foreign crow had intruded and the whole crew formed a posse to harass the stranger. There was much vocalizing and the whirling fracas was amazing to watch. It was a full day for a walk in the marsh.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 11, 2008 by OrientSee.

The Bobolink is perched on a solitary rose bush in the park. It’s unusual because the Bobolinks are usually gone by now. There’s a chance that there is a breeding pair somewhere out in the meadow.  Which is even stranger when you see all the dogs that roam the meadow all day long.

Today the same wind that freezes us in January arrived from Quebec and brought relief from the heat and humidity. The air cleared and the scent of blooming plants was everywhere. As I started on my walk this morning, I passed through a swarm of very small non-biting flying bugs. The cloud was visible but unfelt. A little further along another cloud descended upon me. This time it was tree blossoms and they drifted down as if it was snowing. The Ospreys are with us still. The Overlook panne yielded two Snowy Egrets and two Yellowlegs. The Redwings were mercilessly mobbing a pack of crows. They were absolutely ceaseless in their attacks until the crows finally just left.

This is not a discarded blanket but dry algae that has twisted into the shape of a dirty sheet. Supposedly painters and sculptors used to be judged by the quality of  the folds in clothing.  This certainly has painterly folds and shadows.

It was another good day to be out at Belle Isle Marsh.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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