“There were 9 of us in the marsh on Wednesday morning above the dike off Back Bay Drive, once again targeting Algerian Sea Lavender. In about 3 hours we removed another 8 bags of this pernicious weed, some were flowering. I headed for the southernmost stand again and was distracted in my marsh mosey, yes mosey – one must take it slow to avoid breaking the shrubby pickleweed et al., each of which is a Belding’s perch during the breeding season; out here along the main channel, many are also Belding’s nest cover. My distraction was twofold, a noisy brace of large wading birds flew by overhead, interacting as they flew; it was quick but the size, reddish neck and head, along with the goofiness of the flight pattern, they must have been Reddish Egrets. The height of their flight and consistent line suggested that they were headed out of the bay over Jamboree. My second distraction was even more curious to me. Belding’s were back in this part of the marsh and again acting territorial, something I hadn’t really noticed over the past several weeks. I investigated a few of them more closely but nothing was revealed until I left this area, heading east to join the others when a would-be fledgling jumped out of the marsh and flew heavily for a few feet before crash landing in front of me. Its flight was very labored and the little guy barely had a tail; there was at least one later-breeding pair in this part of the marsh! My main task this morning was to pull the two tarps that we had positioned here many months ago and check for ASL that managed to hide along the edges. This accomplished I checked for flowering patches in the neighborhood, discovered and removed one, along with two patches of seedlings. This marsh berm is done for now! Before I left I watched a small fish skip jump along the main channel, an unseen predator must have been cruising below. As I stood there, a small school of mullet cruised by close enough to note their dark markings. Skimmers had been yelling at me all morning and I finally focused on a larger flock of about 20 adults, followed closely but lower by 5 fledglings! Sad note but a reminder too, on the way in this morning a cyclist was stopped next to a wounded Kingsnake on the edge of Back Bay Drive; it looked like it had been struck by a bike! Except for that grim beginning, it was another glorious day in Upper Newport Bay. ” – Professor Richard Zembal 8/29/18
Have you seen a bright purple plant in Upper Newport Back Bay and weren’t sure what it was? Check out the photos below.
Environmental Studies Blog 