Story & Photos by Marianne Salza
Lifelong Winthrop resident, Nanci Saint George, has had a passion for wildlife ever since she was a child. She would bring home frogs, butterflies, moths, snakes, grasshoppers, and fish to her mother, who reluctantly allowed her to raise a herring gull chick in the family’s backyard during summer vacation when St. George was 11-years-old.
The nature enthusiast presented striking imagery of birds and mammals documented around town in her presentation, “Winthrop Wildlife,” during the November 5 Winthrop Improvement & Historical Association (WIHA) dinner meeting in the Deane Winthrop House barn.
“I’ve always had an interest in photography. It allows me to capture the beauty I see in nature,” said St. George. “I think you’ll be very surprised at the bird diversity on our little peninsula. It is remarkable.”
The mother of two spends much of her time photographing with her Canon camera around Deer Island, Lewis Lake, Winthrop Beach, and especially Belle Isle Marsh. Other notable locations that she captures wildlife include the golf course, cemeteries, Hannaford Park, and Pico Park.
Saint George loves when little ones ask her questions when they notice her taking pictures. The Friends of Belle Isle Marsh board member believes in the importance of teaching children about nature in their communities so that they may be inspired to protect it.
“Belle Isle Marsh is the largest remaining salt-water marsh in Boston Harbor,” revealed St. George. “It’s home to birds and mammals. A lot of endangered birds use the marsh for food, rest, and nesting. Many of them migrate hundreds, and sometimes, thousands of miles to get there. The park is one of the most biologically important areas in the Greater Boston area.”
Over 250 species of birds have been identified in the reservation; and St. George has personally documented over 200 of them, in addition to coyotes, raccoons, and a river otter near the Kilmartin Pathway.
“This had to be the most fantastic find for me,” beamed St. George. “I thought it was a muskrat until it turned around. Who would have thought?”
One hundred seventy eight species of birds have been recorded on Winthrop Beach, and 120 on Yirrell Beach, both home to nesting American oystercatchers and piping plovers. The shore birds are listed as threatened on state and federal endangered species lists, and monitored by coastal ecologists and biologists working with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). According to St. George, Massachusetts has the largest breeding population of piping plovers on the Atlantic coast, with over 1,100 breeding pairs in 2023.
“Yirrell Beach has been the nesting ground for the past 16 years for an oystercatcher we affectionately call ‘Yellow 25.’ The bird was banded in 2004, when she was a chick in Chatham. That makes her 20-years-old,” boasted St. George, who added that Yellow 25 spends her winters in Cedar Key, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. “She comes back every year to Yirrell Beach to raise her family.”
Two hundred and seventeen species of birds have been recorded on Deer Island, where St. George has photographed other wildlife like harbor seals and humpback whales.
“Deer Island has amazing views and over a two-mile perimeter pathway and another two miles of trails on the hills of the island,” described St. George. “This is a perfect spot for locating land and sea birds.”
Saint George also shared images of birds of prey, such as hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, and osprey. She partners with the DCR to band and identify these raptors to help researchers study and understand their behaviors, migration, and habits.
“They’re vulnerable to changing climate, loss of habitat, and ingesting rat poison,” listed St. George. “Second generation anticoagulant rodenticides have been devastating Massachusetts wildlife. If a predator eats a rodent that had ingested the poison, they die as well.”
Osprey, one of her favorite birds, exclusively eat fish; so they are less prone to rodenticide poisoning. They can be observed throughout Winthrop, which presently has three nesting pairs that will soon be heading for a warmer climate. Two osprey chicks were banded in the marsh this year.
“The bands aid in the collection of data that’s used to study these birds,” said St. George, who aids in conservation efforts. “Where do they go after they leave here? How long do they live? What’s their migration behavior? What is their survival and population growth?”
Unique to the Eastern United States are salt marsh sparrows, which nest in Belle Isle Marsh, an area susceptible to tidal flooding.
“The marsh has been identified as a high priority for ongoing restoration planning to support this sparrow,” noted St. George about hydrological repair of the reservation. “It’s critical for maintaining these populations. They return every year.”
Visit www.FriendsOfBelleIsleMarsh.com to learn more about conservation efforts, view images of wildlife, and enjoy footage from the osprey nest camera next breeding season.