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June 6
Golf Balls and cathedrals.
A giant recently used the marsh as his driving range and left this.
Actually this is nearly three feet in diameter and is some sort of buoy. It has been nudging up against the creek bank for weeks now. The recent astronomical tides moved it up and over the South Dike and left it now at rest backed up against the East Dike near the Overlook panne. It is really quite large and a surprising thing to see this high up in the marsh.
After a long winter, the sumac cathedral is once again roofed in green. It is out along the Long Thicket and the Overlook. It does feel very much like a vaulted room and a quiet church.
Today it rained off and on. The Osprey are still up on the platform while Starlings and Crows prowled the flats. The thickets were quiet except for the Redwings and it wasn’t until I got to the Overlook before I saw something interesting . A pair of Mallards were guarding a small flock of ducklings exploring the edges of the panne. On the far side, an Ibis and a Snowy Egret were side by side feeding. The Boardwalk was mostly empty except for a few ducks and some Redwings. Over by the Observation Tower, a Baltimore Oriole was flittering about in the thick leafy tree tops. Today the bane of the marsh made themselves very obvious. The mosquitoes were out and that means time for a thick coat of DEET bug sprays. That’s the unofficial start of summer. The real terror can start soon enough. Greenhead Flies are the flesh eating equivalents of Piranha and although we don’t always get them unlike Plum Island, they make life truly miserable while they are here. We might try offering a goat or two in sacrifice if it will keep them away. Anyway, it’s supposed to hit 90 degrees tomorrow and that’s another sign of summer. Barbecue and watermelon will soon be here.
Ciao!
-Jorge