Roving UHub photographer Mary Ellen went up to Belle Isle Marsh on the East Boston/Winthrop line yesterday and reports the marsh was just full of all sorts of birds returning to the area for the summer, including a frazzled looking snowy egret. Read more.

Yesterday afternoon, an egret waded along the shallows on the Cutler Park side of the Charles in Dedham for awhile, before a duck got it riled and it began flapping its wings and tried to make the duck go away and then it walked onto a sandbar in the low river before flying the final 30 feet or so to the Millennium Park side of the river in West Roxbury.

Earlier:
Egrets, she's seen a few.

Mary Ellen spotted this black-crowned night heron, the great blue heron's shorter-legged cousin, at Millennium Park in West Roxbury today.

Amid all the muck and decaying bikes and pilings and stuff exposed at low tide in Fort Point Channel yesterday, a great blue heron stood looking for a meal - one that wouldn't absorb too much of the oily sheen on the water - Johnmcboston observed.

But the pickings were slim yesterday afternoon, so after a few minutes, he flew off to another part of the pond.

Earlier:
An afternoon snack at Jamaica Pond.

Over the past few days, three herons have taken up residence at Jamaica Pond, along with the ducks and the geese. They'll stand for awhile along the shores, or perch on the branches of the tree on the island, and then something will catch their eye and they'll take off and fly over to another part of the pond.

Slowly is the best way to to walk the path along the Charles River and Saw Mill Brook at Millennium Park - more of a chance to see things you'd miss otherwise, such as the small fish swimming along the river bank, the turtles sunning themselves and the small flowers on some stalks. And if you get lucky and you look across the brook, you'll realize what you thought was the top of a 15-foot tree stump is actually a great blue heron. Read more.