June 30, 2009 by OrientSee.

 At least it wasn’t raining or fogged in this morning. Before Gaia could change her mind, I went for a walk. Coming through the thicket towards Rosie’s Pond, a break in the tree branches framed a Great Egret feeding in the tide filled pond.

I looked out across to the train yard. I still haven’t seen any hatchlings in the nest but I was surprised to see a second nest, smaller to the left of the main nest. I’m not sure that I had ever seen this before. I wonder what’s going on. Both the Ospreys showed up later but they were perched on the two poles in the flats. Neither even approached the nests.

The Overlook was quiet, as quiet as it gets with Redwings, Cowbirds, Starlings, Robins and Grackles.  It does seem like a lot of Mourning Doves were all around. I think that the new generation of doves just launched from the nests recently. The Overlook panne featured a very stately Great Egret.

Just beyond the panne, I found this Ribbon Snake laying on a piece of driftwood. I was surprised since this is a very wet part of the marsh flats and any passing hawk would have had an easy snack.

Looking back to the water, I noticed this mixed pair of egrets feeding side by side.

The Boardwalk overlooking the east flats had five Glossy Ibis spread out feeding in the little puddles.

The park meadow is still in bloom but except for a Song Sparrow there wasn’t much flying around except for the swallows. By the park entrance, a bumblebee was feeding on top a very large thistle.

Further along Bennington St., a small clump of lillies have gone wild and provide real relief from the dull pavement.

“While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,

I hear it in the deep heart’s core.”

The Lake Isle of Innisfree - W.B. Yeats

The weather this June has been wet and gray. Rain, fog and wind have set new records for this month. Getting out is the best medicinal. Belle Isle is my pharmacy.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 25, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Windy wet weather and a vacation have kept me away. Today the sun came out and so covered with repellant, I went for a walk. The thickets have turned into islands of jungle. There were glades almost as dark as night even though it was noon. A  lilly was caught by a shaft of sunlight and offered this stunning sight.

All the trees and plants are in full production. The wild cherries are flourishing and the mulberries are getting larger and juicier.

Both of the Ospreys were on the poles but the nest was empty. I am beginning to think that they will not breed this year. A distant Great Blue Heron was foraging in the flats. The path out to the Overlook is getting wilder and is close to being overgrown in places. I always admire bumblebees for their industry but the tree swallows are almost as busy. It is only occasionally that you can see one this still.

The Overlook panne was full with just this one Snowy Egret.

Across the creek on the Winthrop side, the rest of the egret clan was in full force with both Snowys and Greats out on the flats. Over to the Boardwalk, this Savannah Sparrow eyed me as I approached.

The Boardwalk panne boasted these four Glossy Ibis busily feeding.

The park meadow was a real delight with the wild flowers in rampant bloom.  It was just spectacular.

Finally out at the park entrance, a Brown-headed Cowbird was perched on the park sign.

It was terrific to be out in the sun and seeing so much today. It has been too long since I was last out. I’m looking forward to getting out early in the morning tomorrow.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 11, 2009 by OrientSee.

 The weather has combined with my inertia and has turned me into a bit of a slug lately. Finally rain or not, I went out for a walk. The thickets are full of wild rose vines in bloom and the mulberries are fattening up nicely. A Great Egret was feeding in one of the deeper drainage ditches and often only his head was showing. The Osprey nest was attended by one adult. I have no idea if there are any eggs up there or not. I’ll just have to wait until a chick pops up a head or not. On Palermo St. I found this allium nearly buried in a jungle of weeds.

Geoff’s path out to the Overlook was full of Redwings and Grackles angrily protesting my presence. The Overlook had a few ducks dabbling for food. A pair of Willets were back and forth. One perched on this log for a while. I expected to be dive bombed by one or the other. Today they ignored me which was a surprise since they can be very aggressive.

At the Boardwalk, the only thing to see was a Snowy Egret sitting still and all hunched over. Nearby at the edge of the meadow, the Rus Rugosa were in glorious bloom.

At the crest of the meadow, two birds were tangling with each other. The first was a Kingbird which was doing its territorial thing.

Its opponent was a Baltimore Oriole. It was the brightest thing at Belle Isle today and it lit up my day.

Further along I cam across a finely made carpet of daisies.

Bennington St. was quiet. At Suffolk Downs station, I found this mysterian, a bird that I cannot identify. It’s an immature something.

[Next Day - The mystery has been solved by my favorite birding guru. It’s an immature male Baltimore Oriole.]

Getting out today was a powerful tonic. It was worth the effort for the uplifting of my spirits. Even the Starlings looked good today.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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June 3, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Today was cloudy and cool. The wind has slackened a bit from the furious blasts of the last few days. Rosie’s Pond had a few ducks, two Snowy Egrets and one Great Egret. One of the snowys was bent over and feeding with it neck nearly horizontal. It held this pose for some minutes. For a few seconds, I couldn’t decipher what it was. I have seen egrets do this before but it does look strange. The Osprey are still attending the nest in the train yard. Perhaps, there will be some nestlings soon.

On the way to Palermo St., I noticed that the mulberries are swelling and soon the birds will be gorging themselves on the fruit. The little meadow was full of wild flowers like this yellow specimen.

On Geoff’s path, I caught a shot of the most insubstantial bit of airborne fluff. The air was full of these little wind driven seeds.

The path was mostly quiet but at the Overlook, I visited with a Goldfinch.

A few ducks were feeding and then a Willet took umbrage at my presence and flew by, loudly screeching.

The Boardwalk was quiet. In the park meadow, a Bobolink flew around while all kinds of butterflies were busy, including this black and yellow fellow on a thistle stem.

The entrance was being mowed which discouraged the birdlife. Across Bennington St., I found this broken robin’s egg on the sidewalk. I wonder how it ended up crashed on the asphalt.

Just feet away from the egg in the middle of a very ugly entanglement of thorn and dead tree trunk, a bright rose gleamed in spite of the trash and lifeless limbs.

It was a beautiful day to be out in spite of the intermittent clouds. The season so far has been disappointing. No warblers to speak of and only one Baltimore Oriole. The hawks are too busy with rearing their young and so they seem to have disappeared. The shorebirds should be here in big numbers but not many can be seen here at Belle Isle. Thankfully, there are plenty of egrets and herons. Drop by and take a look yourself.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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