January 31

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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