Plum Island

Welcome to Plum Island.

Plum Island is an eleven mile barrier island off the coast of Massachusetts. A barrier island is a detached linear islands of sand that run parallel to the shore and backed by a bay, marsh or tidal marsh. It is an eclectic coastal community with miles of beautiful sandy beaches with nothing but a view of the great Atlantic Ocean! On the southern two thirds of the island there is a 4,662 acre wild life refuge where bird watchers from all over the world come to see plovers, cranes, egrets, heron, and bald eagles among hundreds of species of birds. There are nature walks and a great places to ride a bike or just to sit on the beach all day. I live 2 miles from this great spot!

On the southern two-thirds of the island is the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. All the beaches are assessable by foot and some nice boardwalks over beautiful dunes. Almost all of the ocean front is public beach about 8 miles long, so even in the height of tourist season, this beach feels remote and uncrowded!

The northern tip of PI is a densely populated area of summer cottages and year round mansions. It has narrow streets with names like downtown Manhattan; 55th, 56th, 57th Streets. PI is about 3 miles from my house in Newburyport, but when you are out there, it feels so remote, wild, peaceful and extraordinary!

This Snowy Egret is a common bird to see on PI in the salt marsh and on the Merrimac River. The are magnificent to behold when they take to wing as they look so graceful. Another bird showing it's beak around here is the magnificent Bald Eagle! I have seen a couple of these magestic birds flying along the river, and a couple of times over my head! Hard to believe that they were on the endangered list, but the Audubon Society had helped rehabilitate them along the Merrimac River.


Here is a photo of a Bald Eagle in Amesbury, Mass, just up river from PI and Newburyport, taken by a New England Nature photographer. Gorgeous to see them! Check out his many wonderful photos of animals and birds taken in this area I now call home!

NEW ENGLAND WILD LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

Plum Island is named for the wild plum bushes about 4 to 5 feet high, that grow everywhere, and can be used to make jellies and jams if the picking is good. While ripening, the fruit changes from green to pink to red to a lovely deep purple. They like to grow on the rugged shore up and down the east coast from New Jersey to Maine. Here is a recipe for Beach Plum Jam.

Beach Plum Jam

5 Cups beach plums

5 Cups of sugar

( use purple, red and green ones for high pectin)

Sterilize the jelly jars and lids in boiling water. Pit the plums, by hand or with a cherry picker. Leave the skins on but chop them finely. Put plums and sugar in a large pot and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, test by putting a spoonful on a refrigerated saucer, then put back into fridge. Check after a few minutes to see if the jam wrinkles when pushed back by your finger. If it does, then it's done and can be removed from the heat. Spoon into the the sterilized jars, seal, and boil in a hot bath for 10 minutes. It's a lot of work but well worth the effort! Serve it with meat or breakfast foods, on muffins, pancakes, scones...beach plum jam has a lovely tartness.

ENJOY!

Plum Island is very accessible from my house by bike, car and even taxi! I like to walk along the beach in every seaon and sit on the sand and watch the waves on summer afternoons. Also seeing the beach from a sail boat is cool! I like to ride my bike in the quaint neigborhoods and on the nature preserve. It's a great thing to have PI literally out my back door.

I this photo of the Plum Island light house on my October 05 bike ride.


A sand dune path to the beach.

This photo is looking toward the mouth of the majestic Merrimac River.

I hope you have enjoyed your tour of Plum Island. I will be adding more photos and write ups, so check in periodically. My blog is a work in progress.