August 2, 2008 by OrientSee.

Besides all the Mulberries and Wild Cherries, there are also Blackberries to be found in the marsh as this Mockingbird can attest. There really is all kinds of fruit and berries which is why the Cedar Waxwings hang about. They eat only fruit and berries. The bugs and Killifish satisfy the high protein feeders. Everything is busy eating something else while it can be had.

This Mullein just came into bloom. All the plants are busy putting out seed or more flowers as the final race to fall has started in earnest. I noticed a Mourning Dove close by. It just sat on the ground and did its best to broadcast the message, “I’m not here!”. Finally as I got about six feet away, it finally took off.

The tide was just coming up so the pannes were not busy. Some Egrets were scattered across the flats but not much was about except for a big flock of starlings. In the park, there were a lot of dogs and a lot of flowers.

The humidity started to work its worst and so wilted by the wet, I went home happy for another visit to Belle Isle.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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August 1, 2008 by OrientSee.

The kids are still on the couch and with an adult as well, it’s getting crowded on top of the platform. The adult Osprey is the second from the left and as you can see the “chicks” are nearly full grown. I’m curious what will happen. Do the kids just get up flying one day and leave? Or do they hang around for a while?  I took this photo from the siphon on the Winthrop side of the creek. From there I went over to the Key in Revere.

There were a few egrets and this Great Egret had just swallowed some sort of fish which explains the adam’s apple.

As usual the nearer that you get, the bigger birds are the first to take to wing. The Snowies practically invite you in for dinner. As the whole crowd took off, out of the bushes jumped this immature Night Heron. He surprised the hell out of me because I had no idea that he was lurking so close by.

He was quite close.

Finally I took this shot of the Boston skyline from the Key to give you an idea of how close to downtown Belle Isle is.

It was a beautiful day.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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July 30, 2008 by OrientSee.

The kids are still on the couch. The two adult Ospreys are off the platform sitting on poles in the flats nearby. They are paying attention. One gave a warning cry when I popped out of the bushes. They are not tending the three chicks who are now quite large. I think that this is how they’ll get them off the nest and onto their own wings.  I hope to see them take off shaky and wobbly as they first fly.

The thickets are alive this morning. Birds everywhere making noise and none of them Redwings. All the usual friends, Mourning Doves, Robins, Catbirds, Mockingbirds, Kingbirds, Sparrows, etc. A few warblers briefly exposed themselves with yellow breasts flashing and then off into the leaves. I couldn’t tell what I saw. The South flats looked empty at first and then at closer exam, it was an Egret convention. There was close to 24 Snowy Egrets and 4 or more Great Egrets. They were all partially concealed by the high grass as they were feeding along the bottoms of the ditches. There could have been even more and even a small submarine. Those ditches are much wider and deeper if you walk out to them and look closely. A Great Blue Heron popped up and then flew by. I haven’t seen very many of the Blues lately.

The Overlook panne was full of shorebirds, ducks, egrets, terns and swallows. The rising bubbles indicate a lot of insects and fish to feed on. It was a real show of the food chain at work. I looked down from the platform and caught a dragonfly with its wing flashing gold.

It was a moment’s serendipity and delight.

Over by the Boardwalk, other things were happening. Geoff, the DCR Ranger, led a group of kids canoeing through the grass.

It did really look like they were paddling through grass. They all seemed to be having a great time as the high tide let them up ditches that are usually mud flats. I kind of wish that I had my own canoe or kayak. Another small group was out in the creek itself in a rowboat with traditional oars.

The next few nights are going to bring astronomical tides and that means all kinds of change and new discoveries in the marsh. Even if it just means that the same old stuff gets rearranged, there will be changes to appreciate as old things are uncovered. The pannes will get more fish and the feeding will go into high gear for all.  I’m looking forward to it.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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July 29, 2008 by OrientSee.

The Ospreys are doing very well. The three chicks are clearly visible along with an adult. The other adult was perched on a pole in the flats nearby. They are exercising their wings and will probably soon be in flight for the first time.

After watching the Ospreys, a Black-crowned Night Heron flew nearly over my head and on into the N.E. Casket Thicket.  Down by Lawn Ave., a small flock of Goldfinches were very busy amongst the chicory and thistle weeds feeding on grass seed.

With all the blue and pink, it was a very colorful sight.

The Long Thicket and the Overlook were fairly quiet except for the Robins and Catbirds. It is now clearly noticeable the diminishing numbers and noise of the Redwing Blackbirds. They are moving on and leaving a measure of quiet after all their noisy romance and family life.

The Boardwalk is bordered by a few trees, Ailanthus, Mulberry, Wild Cherry and others.  A large flock of Starlings had obviously been enjoying the cherries while perched on the railings of the Boardwalk.

They just never seem to clean up after themselves!

Further on, I was watching the Muskrat Pond for birds when I looked down and saw a large Garter Snake silently gliding out of my shadow into deep hiding. As I pulled my eyes back I saw this dragonfly perched on a Phragmites leaf. They are very hard to catch a shot of.

Looking down today was nearly as beautiful as looking up at the birds.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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July 19, 2008 by OrientSee.

The Ospreys appear to be doing well. This picture gives you an idea of who their neighbors are and how close the planes come to the platform. Several years ago before the nesting began, an adult Osprey was taken out by a plane. It is a very busy place to be raising kids. The thickets were filled with Robins today. Everywhere I looked there were Robins. It looked like a gigantic Robin nursery. The Redwings have become scarce. I only saw two today and their calls are rare now. The Robins have taken over in the noise department.

The flats and pannes were deserted. This photo is not of rain drops but of protein. Those ripples are insects which all the birds feed on and which often feed on me if I forget the bug spray. Grass, bugs and fish are the basis of the marsh food economy.  Things are getting a little dry. No high tides and not a lot of rain recently leads to the inevitable mid-summer parch.

It’s normal for the grasses to look like this. I had been out to the Nashua River Trail ( a really great trail to walk or bike from Ayer to Dunstable) for a long bike ride and haying had started at several farms along the way.  The bane of allergy sufferers is starting to bloom now. It causes a lot of runny noses and headaches but it is actually luminous with color.

I’ll be going out with my scope for a closer look at the Ospreys tomorrow after my 50 mile ride. Today was not the most pleasant walk because of the heat and humidity but I was glad to see the marsh in all its full summer lushness.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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July 16, 2008 by OrientSee.

I had a short walk into the marsh today. These two Snowy Egrets were at the edge of Rosie’s Pond while the Osprey family appears to be in good health at the platform. The usual mix of birds was shook up when a young Cooper’s Hawk appeared out of nowhere and flew into the thicket. Three Crows who had been sunning themselves joined the mob chasing the hawk and then finally left. Over by Leverett Ave.  A Northern Flicker was casually seated upon a telephone pole observing the state of world affairs.

Along the Long Thicket path, I found this superbly camouflaged  Robin’s nest. It was only when the adult bird flew off in alarm at my approach that I even noticed it at all.

It is an amazing work of subtlety.

The skies were blue and a gentle sea breeze was blowing. All of which made for a very pleasant walk.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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July 13, 2008 by OrientSee.

I was up early to count herons. The sun rose over Beachmont and Belle Isle as the Snowy Egrets were drowsy in the Boardwalk pool.

I was able to tally 12 Snowy Egrets, 3 Great Egrets, 15 Glossy Ibis and 1 Black-crowned Night Heron. The quiet morning with low clouds streaming overhead provided an idyllic moment. There were Robins everywhere along with Mockingbirds, Sparrows and Swallows. There was a very active group of Least Terns feeding in the Overlook panne. A Sharp-tailed Sparrow posed in the rising sunlight.

On my way home a pair of Eastern Kingbirds were noisily squabbling.

As you can see it was later and much brighter.

My last shot is actually a mistake but it does look interesting. I was trying to track two Snowies in flight. Moving the camera in time with the subject is called panning and if done well, allows you to see things that ordinarily move too fast. I didn’t get it right but still here it is.

It may not be your cup of tea but getting up at 4 am does provide another point of view. At Belle Isle Marsh it is certainly worth trying.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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July 12, 2008 by OrientSee.

I went to watch the platform today and count Osprey chicks. It would have been no surprise if there were fewer but it turns out that there are still three thriving chicks. It was hard to seem them all at once since the adult bird’s body obscured the view. When a second adult landed on the platform, everyone shifted and then the three chicks were obvious. I moved over to the Winthrop cemetary where I was surprised to find a very active community compost program. Looking down from the high ground, I realized how many birds there really were down in the creek. Ordinarily I cannot see down over the edge of the marsh grass at low tide so it is hard to see what  it is actually down in the bottom of the creek bed. Today there were at least a dozen Egrets, some shorebirds and couple of Cormorants. It was a pleasant surprise. Next, I went over to the Key on the Revere side. The Key is often quiet and that is its lure for me. Today it was a little different. A pack of a dozen Mockingbirds were noisily bickering back and forth. Some Starlings, Robins and Mourning Doves were about. Then as I turned a corner, I surprised a duck family and got this picture.

They were at the bottom of a ditch. As soon as they heard me, they scooted along. They didn’t take to wing so I assume that they are not fledged yet. Ordinarily ducks will explode into flight if I come this close. Mama got behind the kids and herded them along as fast as they could waddle. A Snowy Egret landed in one of the pools for a very typical pose.

Thankfully the bugs weren’t bad today so it was great to be out watching stuff under the big blue tent.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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July 10, 2008 by OrientSee.

My first surprise of the day was finding a crew of kids cleaning up a part of the Thicket by Rosie’s Pond. I was delighted to see some one taking care of this neglected corner of the marsh. The thickets were alive with birds feeding on the mulberries. The Osprey chicks are getting bigger and the Mockingbird is still trying to drive them off.  I wonder when the chicks will first to try fly. In the the Long Thicket there was plenty of activity including this Downy Woodpecker. I realized that I was seeing a lot of immature birds out on their own, especially Mockingbirds.  Although it was low tide and midmorning there was a lot of thrashing around in the thicket. Out by the Overlook, I got a picture of this butterfly.

In the panne there were a few ducks and shore birds. The Redwings are quieter now that the big territory wars are over. The females are much more visible so I suspect the young must have hatched. The Boardwalk was very quiet until I noticed further out in the flats a small group of four Ibis. I walked along through the park and got a little closer but they then rose up and flew off.

They are amazing birds to see in flight. The park was quiet and as I left, a Goldfinch capped my walk for the day.

Another nice day at Belle Isle.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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July 6, 2008 by OrientSee.

Today I went over to Winthrop to watch the Ospreys. I could see three chicks. Two were more active and dominant. The third was definitely less aggressive and active. Things seem to be going well. I was suprised to see a Mockingbird make several threatening attacks on the adult Osprey on the platform. I fully expected to see shredded Mockingbird but the adult Osprey just ignored the impetuous smaller bird.

Here you can see the Mockingbird soaring up after diving upon the Osprey. It was amazing to watch.

After this I decided to move along the Winthrop side of the creek where I seldom go. A couple of Great Egrets allowed me to approach closer than I have ever been to one of these huge birds. The secret was that I was in my car. I have been told that a car can make an effective blind to observe and photograph birds. Today I found out how true that is.

They are always impressive but this close is almost overwhelming.  I went over to the Key in Revere (another part of Belle Isle - once a military radio station). It was quiet except for a few Great Egrets who didn’t allow me to come close at all. The Key is a delight just to walk. I saw a RedTail Hawk for the first time in several months. It flew past while being harassed by a cloud of smaller birds who were mobbing it.  A particularly obnoxious boater insisted in driving up all the smaller branches of the creek at top speed. I was silently wishing that they would beach themselves but it didn’t happen. Canoes, rowboats and kayaks don’t bother me in Belle Isle but fast moving motor boats are real annoying. They show little respect to the wildlife and the marsh itself.  Maybe I’m just being cranky. It was a nice afternoon to visit parts of the marsh that I don’t get to very often.

Ciao!

-Jorge

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