January 25, 2010 by OrientSee.

Yesterday I went on a field trip to Bear Creek Sanctuary. The sanctuary is nearby and is on part of Rumney Marsh which borders on Revere, Saugus and Lynn. It is much larger than Belle Isle and is dominated visually by the Wheelabrator (formerly RESCO) recycling plant and landfill. It is hard to work your mind around the idea of a huge mound of human detritus capped by wonderful views and interesting birds and wildlife. It is private land and so you must sign up to go on one of the guided walks. It’s well worth it.

On the ride into the sanctuary a pair of Kestrels were perched on the wires by the sanctuary center building.

We started walking and then there was a pair of Kingfishers perched on the wires. These are great birds to watch.

On top of the mounds I found a pair of Blue-backed Long-scoped Birders.

The sanctuary has plenty of bee hives in the yellow boxes  and lots of  tree plantings (blue plastic tubes).

You can look across to Broad Sound and see the General Edwards Bridge ( Lynn to Revere ).

This is Rumney Marsh looking South. There’s an Osprey pole and it looks very much like a scene from Belle Isle.

There are several small ponds that must be full of birds in the warmer weather. Those are Revere Beach condos in the background. It’s not really Miami Beach.

We saw hawks and larks and buntings and ducks and geese and fox tracks and on and on. For a winter day it was a delight to see so much. Try it yourself.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 17, 2010 by OrientSee.

 The January thaw left Belle Isle feeling like a March day rather than the depth of winter. The lack of leaves revealed another practice tree for the local woodpeckers. This one has many holes and yet does not seem to have been used for nesting. ??

Further along my path, I found many large patches of chives alive and well in the snow. They are very peppery tasting.

I walked along the marsh edge and found hidden in the dry grass a golden colored crab shell.  A bit of treasure in the hay!

This is winter fruit. It’s a peach from last season. It’s still hanging in the tree. It’s not very appetizing and the birds do not seem to have been nibbling. So it’s probably not edible. Strange to see peach fruit still on a tree in January.

I did not get a photo but I did see a male Redwing Blackbird. I’ve never seen one at Belle Isle this early in the year. Out past the Boardwalk, a large flock of crows were working the marsh grass for food.  They are a loud sociable  group.

The park was quiet but I did get to see a Flicker roosting on a thorn bush as it were a tiny sparrow. It took off before I could get my camera raised for a shot. Out by the parking lot there were a lot of sparrows and this very photogenic robin.

Across Bennington St., a hawk perched on a utility pole waiting for its Sunday brunch.

A strange sight in the creek. A forlorn balloon trapped by its string on the edge of an ice floe. The current pulled one way while the breeze pulled the opposite way.

Today was abnormally warm for January but there was plenty to see and enjoy.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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January 12, 2010 by OrientSee.

 So another year begins in cold and snow. I haven’t been out to the marsh in a while. We’ve had some snow and bird tracks are abundant. I noticed this half buried hard hat. It was the brightest color around in all the glare of white and darks.

Close by, I found this delicate lichen on the side of a tree. It was a delight.

Further along Rosie’s Thicket, the woodpeckers have been busy again. This is a brand new den carved out of a slender dead tree into which two other holes were carved last year. Neither hole was used. I wonder if this one will be filled soon or not.

Some of the neighbors heave their holiday pumpkins out into the marsh and they last very well in the cold. I’ll probably bust them open so that the birds can get at the flesh and seeds.

Another bright touch of color was this cluster of sumac fruit.

In the Long Thicket besides the crows harassing a hawk, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers were flitting from one tree to the next feeding on the bark bugs.

My camera does not like glare filled high contrast scenes but the effect can be quite nice. This is the Overlook panne frozen up and free of the ducks that usually clump together here.

The Boardwalk was quiet. In the distance a small group of Brant were paddling over by the old Osprey nest. A large flock of Canada Geese honked their way over Winthrop. The park was quiet as well.  I noticed that a winter gust had topped off this tree which was mostly dead. While looking, a Northern Flicker hopped on the top to preen itself.

The parking lot and Bennington St. were also very quiet. The creek was nearly frozen over, except where the flooding tide had carved a sinuous path. It was an elegant turn.

I was warmly dressed and thoroughly enjoyed my walk today. Cold weather is no reason to pass up a visit. I’m as guilty as everyone else. I have to get out more. Belle Isle is well worth the effort.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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