Monday, January 21, 2008

Winter on the marsh

As it was a positively balmy 24 degrees this afternoon when I got home from work, I thought I'd take a little stroll on the marsh. I got out there a little after 5pm, but there wasn't much sunlight left. The sunset, however, was beautiful; here it is viewed through some teasel:


During the early summer, I saw several Virginia rails and a sora in this little wet area, which is now frozen solid:

I don't know whether they are still out there, as we're just above their northernmost winter range. They probably went south into Maryland or farther, though they could be hiding in those cattails. Who knows? I hope they're warm, wherever they are.

The sun was setting pretty quickly, and the temperature was dropping just as fast.


The full moon is out tonight, low in the eastern sky, which made for some nice photographs:




There were no birds visible out there, though I heard some sharp little tsips and chips coming from the reedy areas in the center of the marsh. I heard some occasional movement in the dry stalks of the plants, but I saw nothing. At one point, I think a little field mouse jumped just ahead of me and into a clump of dry grass, but I didn't relish the idea of seeing him any more clearly than the grayish blur I'd already seen, so I moved on.

No birds on the Long Pond, either, which has a skim of ice on it:

I mentioned in a previous post that I'd seen some ducks coming in for the evening around the time I was out there, and I did see one small flock of mallards fly near the marsh, but they disappeared quickly in the darkening sky. They may have landed on the creek behind the marsh.

By now it was getting pretty dark, so I headed home.

10 comments:

Mary said...

Looks like life here. Too cold. Few birds. Your evening mood shots are wonderful, Delia. Getting out during the frigid evenings is moody but good for the soul.

RG said...

That big early evening moon comes right up over Mt. Baker at our house! It is also below freezing right now ... very rare for us.

Earl Cootie said...

"Teasel" is a funny word. Tops'l the mains'l, maties! You know, I've never seen a Virginia rail or a sora? All these run-of-the-mill, everyday birds here that you don't see, and all the vice there that I versa. It's like we live on opposite sides of the country.

Dr. Monkey Von Monkerstein said...

Great pics, thanks for sharing!

Fran said...

so lovely- so peaceful. i needed this today! thank you.

Amy said...

Thanks for sharing the lovely photos, Delia!

dguzman said...

Glad you like the pics.

Earl, the sora and rail are hard to see, but at least they're here (in their season). They hide well.

Larry said...

Looks like an interesting area.-I've never seen a virginia Rail or a Sora although both are possible to see in CT.

Jenny Jenny Flannery said...

What wonderful photos...

I saw a great flock of some small birds swirling around on my drive home. And a dead goose.

KGMom said...

Lovely lovely photos.
I frequently look at sunrises and sunsets and wish I could capture the calm and beauty of them--you have.