January 17

 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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