May 17

 Seasons sometimes slide into the next without any fanfare. No showy leaf colors, no snow. Spring is sliding into summer. The apple and cherry blossoms are gone and the lilac blooms are going by. Soon the mulberries will be bursting with juice. The flats have gone green in just a few days. The emergent grass blades had been hidden in the straw bleached stems of last year but now the grass is bursting with growth and the marsh is fully coming to life.

By the marsh’s edge on Palermo St., this magnificent iris was in bloom.

Almost at its feet, a snail was toiling in the wetness.

Across the flats, an Osprey was feeding off the top of some flotsam.

On the street a Flicker was feeding as if it were a pigeon.

Geoff’s path was quiet. I got a fleeting glimpse of Common Yellowthroat while the Redwings were noisily calling everywhere. The Overlook and the Boardwalk pannes were quiet with a few pairs of Mallards feeding. In the park meadow, an Eastern Kingbird was perched on a weed stem.

I had hoped for an Oriole or two but the wind was up and perhaps discouraged the birdlife. Just by the Suffolk Downs T station, I was fortunate to notice a Flicker flashing its gold underparts. I realized that it was entering a nest hole. Here it is peeking out.

It was cool and wet today but the walking was enjoyable. The mosquitoes haven’t shown up yet and so it is pleasant to walk in the thickets. Still there haven’t been many warblers and few shore birds so far.  I keep hoping for more migrants passing through.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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