January 31, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Another incredibly bright cold day. I was surprised by the wind which made my walk a little brisker than I expected. It was low tide and with all the icing up, it was a quiet vista over the flats from Rosie’s. I walked over and took a photo of the sewer shack. Some time ago there had been a project working on a sewer line that passed beneath this part of the marsh. This crude shack was erected over the pipe access as the work proceeded. It is the most noticeable feature of Rosie’s Pond and a resting platform for many birds. I’ve seen a Great Blue Heron calmly asleep the roof. Now it’s slowly falling apart.

Just a little further along, I found this ice floe stranded by the low tide bridging one of the ditches. It may not be as spectacular as the rock bridges in Utah but I’ll gladly settle for our local version.

Palermo St. was quiet. There was no action in the Knotweed thicket. Usually there are at least a few sparrows beating about the stalks but today nothing. The small park was empty. It was interesting to watch the Locust trees wave in the wind. Apparently when their seed pods split, one half drops off but the other half clings and the small white pod insides mimic flickering bird tails. The Overlook path was full of sparrows and Chickadees by the feeders. A lucky camera shot caught one sparrow in  mid-flight with it wings temporarily folded in. Look Ma, no wings!

The Overlook provided a view of barren ice and snow. It was pretty bleak. I detoured on the walk over to the Boardwalk to check out the Muskrat Pond. It looked like just another empty field but concealed beneath was the summer home of many a duck.

The north flats were empty except for a small band of crows foraging on the flats.  The park provided a glimpse of this Mockingbird feeding on the ground beneath one of the spruce trees. There was a clear soft spot beneath the trees and the mocker was working it for food.

Most days I take close to  a hundred shots with my Canon but lately in the ice and snow, there hasn’t been that much to catch. I’ve been taking barely twenty pictures each walk. I’m not fed up with the cold but I do need some change so that I can get more variety. This winter I have missed the Cooper’s Hawk that was my daily companion. I’m getting nostalgic for the noisy male pheasant and the clamorous redwings.  It’ll be February tomorrow and change will soon be here.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 29, 2009 by OrientSee.

Several days ago on our way to Costco, I saw a Redtail Hawk flying just above the treeline in our neighborhood. It had something in its talons. I didn’t think much about it and drove on. Down the street right next to Suffolk Downs property, I watched two Redtails on the street up against a snow bank. They were tussling with each other as if they were ten year old boys. Some sort of food was the source of the dispute which meant that one of them was the bird that I had seen shortly before. It was a startling display. Two cars stopped behind me and strangely enough they didn’t honk. Usually I can’t drive fast enough for most people but these two cars just waited as their drivers stared at the two birds fighting on the ground. Then they flew off.

We had a lot of rain last night on top of the snow. The result was that everywhere the surface of the snow had the strangest pock marked appearance. It was warm enough so that it was soft and not frozen. It certainly was unusual to see.

Today was relatively warm ( 34 degrees) and  very clear. Rosie’s Pond and Thicket were deserted. There wasn’t even any tracks through the snow. The little path through the thicket seemed very inviting.

A fluffed up Mockingbird immediately flew over to investigate when I popped out of the thicket.

The Overlook path was quiet except for the sparrows at the feeders. I did notice that some one had walked off the path and wandered off into the reeds. I was curious enough to follow but couldn’t find anything that would explain the side trip. Back on the path, I was surprised to hear some one loudly whistling. I couldn’t find who it was and then I realized that some one in the T train yard was on the PA system whistling Col. Bogey’s March.  It was a very strange  tune to hear ringing out over the marsh. The Overlook was quiet. There was a Robin feeding from the Sumac but little else to see.

The park was quiet and from the Boardwalk, it was possible to see a few Brant and ducks on the Winthrop side of the creek. As I started home, one of the large willow trees caught my fancy. It seemed to be a giant bonsai.

There were no big surprises today but the warm sun on my cheeks was ample reward for being out.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 24, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Today was above freezing at dawn which made for a welcome change. The snow has undergone another phase change and is very different from a few days ago. It is soft and melted enough that the tracks are self-erasing. It’s as if no one had  been walking through the snow three days ago. In Rosie’s Thicket, I found this tuft of fur on the snow. There were no tracks or signs of struggle. It fell from the air above. Perhaps the squirrels were tussling up in the branches. Another minor mystery.

With the warmer air, some of the ditches draining into Rosie’s Pond opened up and the ducks and geese were quick to take advantage to feed and rest.

Lawn and Palermo Streets were quiet. From the Overlook path, it was obvious that a front was moving in from the northwest. It’s going to get a lot colder overnight.

The Overlook and the flats were empty. From the Boardwalk, I watched a small bird tangling with the crows who were feeding on something way out on the flats toward the northeast. It was very aggressive and the crows backed off. I looked through my binoculars and didn’t see any coloring so I assume that it was a Merlin. It stopped to perch on one of the poles.

The park was quiet except for the dogs. The Revere creek was full of ice floes. Along the edge of this one in the photo, you can see the ice tendrils reaching out into the water as the air temperature started to drop.

With the front coming and the mixture of dark cloud and blue open sky, the light was dramatic this morning. It was a photographer’s workspace filled with all kinds of light sources. The grate on the Bennington St. bridge is hardly worth looking at. Today it was spectacular to contemplate.

The northwest wind started to roar and got me home to my coffee quicker than usual but again it was a great day to be out.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 21, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Back out this morning and it was cold and bright. The South Flats looked desolate and there was little to see.

I walked out the Overlook path  and saw a full crew of Tree Sparrows at the old feeder. The sparrows intimidate the Chickadees and keep them away from the food. A little ways further and the Robins were still hanging around. The Sumac fruit is enough to keep them in the area. I did see a Blue Jay which is not an unusual bird in most places but they seldom turn up along the thickets at Belle Isle. At the Overlook itself, I had just climbed the stairs  when a Harrier swooped up over my head and then veered off. I swung my camera up but didn’t get the focus set.  Still it was a surprising sight. It’s just this sort of thing that rewards the time spent all those other less eventful days in the marsh.

From the Boardwalk, I saw my own twisting tracks across the flats where I passed on the way over.

On the other side of the Boardwalk, you can see coyote tracks. It seems that the wild canids and I are the only ones walking across the empty flats.

Bob wanted to remind us all that he has been here.

Except for the Harrier, it was a very quiet day at Belle Isle. The wind started to pick up as I left the park and I was glad to get home for a cup of coffee and some snickerdoodles.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 19, 2009 by OrientSee.

We’ve had two snowfalls in the last three days. The snow blower has been very busy and much appreciated. It was cold this morning but not windy for a change. That meant that all the smooth limbed branches were covered with snow. I walked into Rosie’s thicket and (still no wind) the sun seemed to trigger a release of pixie dust. It was a delight. I only wish that my granddaughter had been along  to see it.

There were very few birds about. A large hawk cruised past while a Harrier was coursing far out above the marsh flats. A few gulls wheeled past but no smaller birds and no ducks since everything was well frozen up. Along Palermo St., I admired this landscape shot.

The Overlook Path through the thicket had plenty of Chickadees, Sparrows and Starlings. Further along a small flock of Robins was busy foraging. They are no longer the harbingers of Spring. Some spend the Winter here. They feed on all sorts of berries and seeds. In this case, there was plenty of Sumac fruit (the little red bits) to keep them busy.

The Overlook was snowed over and the flats were empty on the way over to the Boardwalk. I came across this snowy scene and tried to make sense of what I saw. These prints were in the middle of nowhere with nothing leading up to them. I think a bird landed,  then walked or hopped over to catch something (hence the  bigger disturbance in the upper right corner) and then hopped back with prey in beak before flying off.   A sort of snow story written in prints.

Just past this small scene, a Harrier crested over the reed covered Long Dike and startled me. This was the closest that I have ever been to one of these birds before. It was just magnificent.

The park was deserted and the lack of foot traffic was clearly evident in the untrammeled snow. I recently was watching the BBC Earth DVD and was blown away by a scene of Cherry Trees blooming across the side of a mountain. I have never seen such a sight before. Then along one side of the park, I found this long stand of Sumac covered with snow. It might not be a Japanese mountainside but it is also a sight to see.

It was great to be out and not shoveling. There is a calming still to be found and enjoyed in a new snowfall even with all the jets roaring overhead. I’ve found it in some strange places, snowy nighttime alleys between Newbury and Boylston Streets or the great empty plains of North Dakota in January but today it was here in East Boston.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 14, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Another bright windy cold day. Rosie’s thicket was empty and so was the pond. The fresher snow makes for easier and quieter walking.

As I was leaving the thicket, I noticed a very fluffed up Mockingbird and then this hole, the obvious work of a woodpecker. Since all that I have seen are Downy Woodpeckers in the thicket, I assume that this a newly excavated Downy home. The wood is so fresh that it seems to have been made very recently.

Palermo and Lawn were quiet except for a few gulls wheeling overhead and the Overlook path was quiet except for a mob of Chickadees and sparrows at the feeders.

From the Overlook, I got this photo of a ghost moon while the flats are covered in ice, ice and more ice. We’ve had a couple of astronomical high tides these past few days and with the cold, the flats are layered with thin sheets of ice. It’s quite forbidding and difficult to walk over.

From the Boardwalk, there was a small flock of Brant airborne, headed for Winthrop. A good sized group of crows were patiently gleaning through the marsh grass and for once, they were quiet. The park was empty (not even dogs and dogwalkers).

The Revere creek bed at low tide was host to a good sized crew of Canada Geese. Some of the geese seemed to be sleeping on the mud flats which I’ve never noticed before. Across Bennington St. from the bridge next to the pumping station, I saw a Robin which was a little unexpected for a cold January day. Although it was bitter at times with the strong northwest winds, it felt good to be out in the clean cold air. It feels like a drink of water rather than draft of cold air.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 10, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Once again another cold windy day. The crusty snow gave every bird and beast ample warning of my approach. I barely left the street as I entered Rosie’s Thicket when two hawks lifted off the trees and flew off towards the train yard. They had heard me coming. The marsh was flooding with a very high tide. The grass was completed submerged but strangely there were only a few ducks paddling above the flats. I decided to get moving along before the tide made impossible to get across the Overlook flats. There’s a primitive sort of feeder off the path out to the Overlook. A Tree Sparrow decided to take charge by intimidating all the Chickadees that wanted to feed from the box. There was a mixed crowd beneath scuffling over the dropping. It was a lively bunch.

The Overlook panne was frozen over and that meant nothing was moving. I got over to the Boardwalk and it was a completely different story. There was a very large (500+) flock of Canada Geese. A lot of Mallards were floating closer in and in the distance a small flock of Brant was off by themselves.It seemed like there were geese everywhere.

The closer in crowd were busy feeding. Bottoms up in the icy water.

Near the watch tower, a small flock of Bufflehead were being harassed by some gulls who took offense at these small diving ducks.  I can’t imagine what got the gulls so worked up.

The Revere creek was completely frozen over even with the exceptional high tide. That meant ice and little else to see but it was a good day. The coyotes seem to be laying low. There were no new tracks or paths but tonight’s snow will change that. It will be nice to walk without all the crunchiness and look for more bird tracks.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 8, 2009 by OrientSee.

Another bright windy day.  The recent rain on top of the snow cover has made a firm crust and  makes for noisy walking. Nearly every bird and animal for a hundred yards can hear me approaching. A large hawk flew promptly out of the thicket as I walked into the thicket this morning. Rosie’s Pond was very photogenic as the high tide began to recede.

As always, I am drawn to the sight of winter weeds propped up in the snow.

Surprisingly, Rosie’s Thicket was full of wild chive that appeared to be thriving in the cold. The path out to the Outlook and the flats was quiet. The sounds of a large flock of Canada Geese filled the air when Logan would quiet down for a moment. A pair of raptors were perched on the Osprey Platform for a short while but they moved on while Mallards and geese wandered up and down the ditches. By the Boardwalk a few cones sat in small melted clearings. They seem to have many eyes.

While there was a large flock of Canada Geese nearby up on the higher flats, these Brant were cruising the water’s edge feeding off the low Spartina.

The tide brings many things into the marsh and then moves them around. I think that this black plastic pipe has been back and forth across the marsh for over a year. Some one finally snagged it and towed it up onto the park path. It’s been tied up like a horse to prevent it from any further wandering.

Close to home, I found this Chickadee. It’s not really in a cage. Those bars are part of Suffolk Downs T station.

A very windy day full of geese. After the awful rain and freezing of the last few day, the bright sun felt wonderful.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 4, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Another cold clear day. The sky was so blue that it seemed that outer space was descending. It was windy and Rosie’s Pond was frozen over and desolate with all the ice. The thicket was loud with the tapping of this Downy Woodpecker.

I crunched over to Palermo St. and found this little yellow guy feeding from the dry goldenrod seed balls. Yellow is not a typical winter color to find in the marsh.

At the beginning of the path out to the Overlook, a very cold Tree Sparrow had puffed itself up as it chirped away.

Further along the path, I startled a male Cardinal who immediately fled. It was a flame disappearing into the bushes.

The Sumac thicket is now a feeding ground for many birds. It’s not their first choice but it is food for this Mockingbird.

From the Overlook, I was able to watch a Northern Harrier cruise over the marsh hunting. They are very graceful and their flight is a joy to behold. The park and Boardwalk were very quiet except for the dogs walking their humans. At the Bennington St. entrance to the park I was surprised. Yikes a rat! It scarcely paid any attention to me until I got very close. It’s not our best loved animal in the wild but it was a little strange to see it out in the middle of the day.

The Revere creek looked especially cold today.

For such a cold day, there was a lot to see and enjoy today.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 1, 2009 by OrientSee.

 First Day and five degrees. A typical brutal January morning. Strangely enough it was enjoyable. Of course that means being dressed for it and I was. The wind from Montreal howled but I was ready. The new snow was untouched by people but the coyotes had already been out and busy. It is a sight to find that a veritable coyote highway wends its way throughout the marsh. It isn’t till the snow reveals the tracks that you realize how active they really are.

Just by Rosie’s Pond, I found this locust seed pod impaled in the snow acting like a sun dial.

A RedTail Hawk soared over the south flats with an occasional gull floating past. I saw a few pigeons and a very cold looking Mockingbird. The marsh was very quiet from the Overlook which obligingly let me take this portrait.

Over to the Boardwalk, I found a piece of automatic writing. It wasn’t a Victorian parlor trick but rather the wind acting on a bent grass stalk.

The Boardwalk was quiet but the panne was full of curves and half circles. The strong winds, snow and freezing ice created a beautiful pattern to be enjoyed.

Next came a swoosh. Again wind and snow working together created an elegant tracing.  Overhead a pair of RedTails called to each other as they quartered the park looking for food. The wind was unbroken by trees and actually moved me about as I stood on the mound watching the scenery.

Finally in the Revere creek bed, I  found these two large ice blisters in the main course of the stream. Everything was frozen but the tidal flood pushed up through the relatively thin ice and burst through.

I was grateful to be out today in the bright sunshine and stark cold. The weather challenges you on such a day. It is worth the effort to bundle up and watch what there is to watch. I am partly a creature of the Internet but this morning I was an Inuit looking for seal. That was fun.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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