October 20

October 20, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Living in New ngland inspires paranoia. Two days ago we had storms and snow. Today it was sixty, a day to treasure.  I shudder to think what’s next.

I was walking over to Belle Isle. When I found this abandoned  child’s shoe. Taking the part for the whole, I just imagined a fretful kid losing the shoe and trying to get his mother to stop.

Rosie’s Thicket is still green and leafy. There is surprisingly lots of bugs still around even with the recent storms and cold weather. This spider was basking in the sun and gathering a meal.

We’ve had several days of astronomical high tides and even though they are subsiding, the tides are still reaching further up than usual.

Out in the south flats, this pair was resting in the sun. The big herons seem to tolerate each other well. This Blue and Great White probably play poker together on Saturday nights.

With the high water, the egrets were especially active hunting for sticklebacks.

This pod and nut just reminded me so much of a Sesame St. character but who?

The rest of the walk was quiet. There was Sharp-shinned Hawk cruising across the foxtails and a Red Tail Hawk out on Bennington St. Another Great Blue Heron was out beyond the Boardwalk.

The Beachmont portion of the creek was full of October sun and color.

I got a glimpse of my first Bufflehead Duck of the season. They are a very small active diving species and fun to watch but hard to photograph.

A Black Duck cruised out from behind some reeds for a real sense of October.

A warm day full of light and even a few butterflies.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

October 14

October 14, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Today was a bright fall day filled with crisp clean air. It was like drinking from the well at my aunt’s house down east in Cape Breton. The thickets and the park were filled with Yellow-rumped Warblers. It was a convention or an invasion. They were just simply everywhere. I caught sight of a Downy  and a Flicker as well so there were woodpeckers about as well.

The south flats were quiet except for a few Great Egrets way out.  As I started out the path to the Overlook, I could not avoid the Sumac fruit, the red of a cardinal’s robes.

The Overlook was quiet. A few ducks desultory browsed the panne but there wasn’t anything else. Then I started to walk across the high marsh towards the Boardwalk. I was startled by an American Bittern bursting out of the grass just twenty feet away. Of course, I froze in marvel and forgot to try for a photo. They are a subtly beautiful bird and quite large. That was supposed to be the end of surprises but just a few feet further on, a Snipe broke cover and startled me again. I was almost giddy with delight. These are terrific birds to see so close. The Boardwalk was quiet. There are several wooden Stonehenges dotting the marsh nearby. These are the remains of the salt marsh haying that used to go on here at Belle Isle a long time ago.

At the top of the park meadow, the milkweed was letting go its seed in the breeze.

On the way out to the parking lot, a small flock of these White-crowned sparrows were feeding in the mown grass.

The Bennington St. bridge spanned the creek at low tide as these Yellowlegs were foraging in the mud.

The return of cold air spared a few bumblebees and even a butterfly or two but not for much longer. It’ll get down into the thirties tonight, a night for hot apple cider.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

October 6

October 6, 2009 by OrientSee.

 It was a brilliant day full of light and light breezes. Rosie’s Thicket was quiet but a single beam of sunlight fell through the gloom to highlight this one weed in full bloom.

The flats were busy way out. A dozen mixed Egrets were feeding in one of the drainage ditches along with a Great Blue Heron. A pair of Red Tail Hawks were floating about. One ended up perched on a light in the T yard.

Walking over the Goldenrod had butterflies in attendance. I wonder how much longer the Dragonflies and the Butterflies will last.

Geoff’s Path was full of YellowRump Warblers. It seemed like every bush and tree had a few.

The Overlook was quiet and it certainly looks different in its autumn camouflage.

I walked over to the tail end of the Muskrat Pond through the reeds and got to watch this Great Blue cleaning himself.

It soon was aware of me and after one move too many, it flew off.  It is a lot of bird to see this close.

The Boardwalk was quiet. One last Snowy Egret was poking about in the pool. The Snowies won’t be around much longer. They leave well before the bigger Great Egrets do. This may well be the last I get to see this year.

The meadow was still bright with wild flowers like this.

Today was another gift. The marsh was full of things to see.  Actually, it is a kind of amusement park. There’s no roller coaster but there are some terrific views.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

October 5

October 5, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Sunday the marsh was full of strange creatures. It was the Belle Isle Harvest Festival. There was music from Supraphonic, a local blues band.

The Creature Teacher was there with some very interesting beasts.  A very cross-eyed opossum seemed a little uneasy in the crowd. I’ve  never seen a live one this close.

A South American Coatimundi was the real star. It is a very active and appealing kind of racoon.

The big uggh factor was supplied by this African Bull Frog. It was huge.

The tall ships always bring me back a hundred years with a glance but these two draft horses pulling a hay wagon have the same effect.

It was an enjoyable ride around the park.

It was a nice day seeing the kids enjoying themselves and meeting people. The park was full and everyone had a good time.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 29

September 29, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Bennington St. is still full of construction crews pulling up the street and replacing pipe. It’s noisy and urban. Loud and dirty. Twenty feet away from the street lies this little glade of flowers and calm. The brush muffles the sounds away and the air is muted in the shade. So very close to the tumult but miles away in mood. The thicket was quiet and the south flats held a few egrets.

Lawn and Palermo were quiet as well but full of apples. The path out to the Overlook was another story. A Yellow-rumped Warbler bounced around as at least two other species of warbler flitted back and forth. These birds do not sit still and are hard for a neophyte like me to identify. I am somewhat consoled by the term used in the bird books, “confusing fall warblers”.

The Overlook panne had a full party of Yellowlegs and ducks. A lone Snowy Egret stood with the boatyard as a backdrop.

At the Boardwalk, a few Great Egrets floated about like dandelion fluff. This single Great Blue Heron was hunched over as if it were December and only twenty degrees out.

Up at the top of the meadow, I found this dry glass of seed, waiting to empty itself to the wind.

A few feet further on, this glass was empty.

I walked down towards the park entrance. I turned and saw a scene from Lord of the Rings, “the road goes ever on”.

Finally, at the Bennington St. bridge, there was this bright still life of fall at Belle Isle Marsh.

The day was bright and still warm but the trees are starting to let go. Although there still are bumblebees and mosquitoes, there’s no mistaking the season. For me, this is the best time to be out walking.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 26

September 26, 2009 by OrientSee.

 This morning the temperature dropped to 44. It was the first below 50 degree night. The sun climbed above a dew sparkled marsh. At the far end of Rosie’s thicket, a Downy Woodpecker stopped. They have become a regular fixture in the thicket. The flats were empty but brilliant in the fall bent light.  In this season the angle of the sun changes and the result is a very different quality of light.  It becomes fall bent.

At the end of Lawn Ave., a terrible predator lay in wait.

I saw my first Cormorant vee of the autumn heading south.

The path out to the Overlook was loaded with Yellow-rumped Warblers. In a few moments, I saw more warblers than I got to see in the entire month of May. It was a disappointing spring but today was just full of hopping, noisy warblers.

The Overlook panne was host to the Egret Breakfast Party. I was surprised to see them still clumped together this late in the morning (9 a.m.). There were ducks, Yellowlegs, Great and Snowy Egrets and even a Cormorant diving in the very shallow pond water. It was wonderful to watch all the activity.

Beyond the panne, a Great Egret was feeding in a tiny pothole. His head was barely above the grass.

The Boardwalk was beautiful but empty except for the noise of barking dogs. The Egrets rose up from the Overlook panne and one flew past very close.

The meadow was full of weed flowers including this arrangement.

By the Bennington St. bridge,  a very calm  Yellowlegs browsed in the mud.

I took a moment to check out the Hidden Pond (actually they are a few more). It was serene and covered with pollen.

Today the marsh was a gift. It really can fill you up with bright images. It’s a yoga kind of place.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 17

September 17, 2009 by OrientSee.

 Today is a real beginning to fall. I was thinking about Goldenrod and Monarch Butterflies because of a column in today’s New York Times by Verlyn Klinkenborg ( http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/opinion/17thu4.html?_r=1&ref=opinion  ). He writes a column called The Rural Life and I thoroughly enjoy its every appearance. I walked into Rosie’s Thicket and found these flowers each with a Bumble Bee in the center.

I walked along the edges of Rosie’s Pond and startled a Snowy Egret who was hidden in the tall grass behind the sewer shack. It took off and cruised over to another pool out of my sight.

At the far end of the thicket, a female Downy Woodpecker was feeding in the bark of a dead tree.

At the south end of Palermo St. underneath my favorite apple tree, I saw this strange wet object in one of the drainage ditches. It was moving at a good clip but I didn’t know what it was.

It popped up. It was a Cormorant busy fishing in the rising tide.

Further along towards the South Dike, a Great Egret calmly ignored me while it was fishing.

On the path out to the Overlook, the Sumac canopy is rapidly thinning as fall gets closer.

The Outlook panne had five Snowy Egrets preening quietly.

The Boardwalk view was filled with Egrets. I counted nine Great Egrets and nine Snowy Egrets. This was just a narrow view of some of the egrets

In the meadow I found Milkweed pods reaching  a size that made them obvious.

Finally from the Bennington St. bridge, I got a photo of a Cormorant just emerging from a dive, shaking himself off.

Today was cloudy cool day full of wind. It was an enjoyable walk with plenty to see and my pockets full of apples.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 10

September 10, 2009 by OrientSee.

Walking into Rosie’s thicket today was a step out of the city into the wild (except for the empty beer bottles). It was quiet enough that only the insect buzz could be heard above the wind. The pond is nearly overgrown with the Spartina but strolling through an empty space was a Snowy Egret.

Further out on the flats a half dozen Great Egrets were feeding while a lone Great Blue Heron patrolled in the distance. Close to the tree line, I found a bumblebee clinging on to a weed. It was barely moving because of the cool day.

Lawn and Palermo Streets filled my pocket with apples for my afternoon walk. There were more Great Egrets to be seen way out in the flats. The Long Thicket and the  Overlook were very quiet. A pair of Yellowlegs poked around in the mud. The Boardwalk was an egret-palooza. Easily a dozen Greats and Snowies were feeding and resting as the tide came up.  This pair were right across from the Boardwalk.

It was fun to see this Snowy parading in his finest including his yellow spats!

The wind was discouraging most of the birds. Starlings and more starlings but not much else in the meadow. I left the park and caught another bee burrowing into a dense display of flowers on a Goldenrod.

The sky was filled with big puffy clouds and the temperature was mellow enough to discourage the mosquitoes. It was a delightful day for a walk.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

September 8

September 8, 2009 by OrientSee.

 I’ve been gone a while and the old paths have started to overgrow. I had made my own game path following my usual footsteps. Rosie’s pond was lush with the late summer growth of grass and reed. This dark seed head on a phragmites will soon be turning silver and white. The foxtails will soon be flashing in the sun.

Along Lawn and Palermo, I frightened this predator who was very wary of me.

The sumacs as usual are the first to loudly announce the season’s change.

Surprisingly this year, the peach tree has not been raided. The richly colored fruit are a sort of Christmas ornament for September.

The long thicket was overgrown in places with drooping reeds. I startled a large hawk. Actually it startled me enormously. I lost sight of it until I got to the Overlook. It was a juvenile Harrier with a long tail and that bright white patch on its lower back.  It was fun to watch it fly over the reeds and in and out of the thicket.

From the Boardwalk, several Great Egrets were feeding across the flats and way off there was a prominent Great Blue Heron. A few Brown Ducks were hopping from one puddle to the next. I was surprised to see a few Tree Swallows still chasing mosquitoes overhead. Up in the meadow, there were lots of butterflies including this small version of a Monarch.

From the Bennington St. bridge, a pair of Semipalmated Sandpipers were feeding in the mud.

Back along Bennington St, a pair of Cedar Waxwings were hopping from tree to tree gorging on the last of the wild cherries.

It was an enjoyable walk with plenty to see.  It was terrific to spend a few hours back out in the marsh.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »

July 16

July 16, 2009 by OrientSee.

 It’s been too long but I took a walk today. Rosie’s Thicket was full of robins and starlings up in the Mulberry trees. Chattering away all the birds filled the air with noise that drowned out the traffic from Bennington St. The heron breakfast party was in full swing on the flats, 3 Great Blue Herons, 8 Great Egrets, 3 Snowy Egrets and one Osprey watching them all.  When the tide goes down further, they will all leave for better feeding out in the harbor.

Walking over to Lawn and Palermo, I found this very different fish.

The Overlook path had lots of robins and my constant companion this morning, a Catbird, who seemed to follow me the whole path.

The Overlook panne had some ducks. A Snowy flew in and then a Cormorant started swimming by. A wader next to a diver in less than 12 inches of water. It was surprising to see the cormorant diving in like it was many feet deep.  All the while a few terns were hovering and diving in as well.

I left the Overlook to walk over to the Boardwalk when something passed over my left shoulder. It was a Great Blue Heron.

The heron seemed as surprised as I was. I didn’t move and so was treated to a very close vantage of this bird. I’ve never been this close without them immediately flying off.

Finally the fishing was not very good in the little puddle and the heron flew off.  It was a spectacular few minutes.

The Boardwalk panne was full of small sandpipers but with the cloudy overcast, it was hard to tell what they were but there were easily several hundred all feeding in the mud flats. The meadow had a good crop of rose hips and they looked delicious but unfortunately not so good to eat. They can be cooked into jelly or made into tea but don’t try to eat them raw like this.

The meadow was full of flowers and in one patch, a mass of thistle flowers had turned into a cloud of cotton.

There were a few Cedar Waxwings feeding in the high grass and a pair of Meadowlarks startled into the air. The park entrance was loud with a gang of Goldfinches bouncing all over. I checked out the pump station pool which  is usually a rusty debris mat floating on dirty water. As I came up to the fence, a bright Yellowthroat popped up on the chain link fence. It was tiny bit of delight until a territorial sparrow drove it off.

The best part of the day were the surprises, Great Blue Heron, Meadowlarks and the Yellowthroat. You can never predict what will show up or even if anything will be in the marsh at all. It happens enough to give me the patience to go out and hope for more.

Ciao!

-Jorge

Posted in Daily | No Comments »