|
|
 |
|
 |
Quick Links |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Support this Web Site By shopping at Amazon via the link below:
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
The end of summer - HOT! Trips this month: 10
Back to Journal Index
8/2/05
Shooting the storm
My daughter, Jenny has been in town this week and as usual of late one of
always gets sick and it kills our plans to go paddling. This time it was me
and unfortunately it may be a recurrence of my kidney stone problem rearing
back up. It never got so bad as to send me to the hospital and I was feeling
a little bit better so we decided to brave the thunderstorms and get out
there for a quick trip before she has to go back to Brooklyn.
The sky to the west was menacing but there was a good sea breeze coming in
that looked as if it would keep the worst of the storm away from us so we
headed toward the old cedar. I have been asked to write an article for
Southern Tide and Trail about photography so I asked Jenny (who is a
photographer) to take some pictures of me with her new digital camera while
I posed with my camera.
The rest of the trip was uneventful as we headed to the old cedar to drink
some Newcastles and talk but we were treated to the sight of six or eight
Roseate Spoonbills who flew overhead as they appeared to be heading toward
Tiger Point. Once we got to the cedar and took a break we headed back with
the current and wind in our favor.
See the pictures from this trip
Back to Top
8/4/05
Not much of a trip - just had the urge so I put-in after dinner at Cedar
Point along Heckscher drive. Storms were threatening to the west but a stiff
sea breeze was winning the battle. Not a bird in sight the entire trip
except overhead where I saw plenty - all heading to their evening roosts
somewhere south. I paddled steadily up to the sea daisy island where Hannah
and Cedar Point join and then turned back around and headed home. The sunset
to the west was mostly obscured by the storms but it did break through
briefly.
Back to Top
8/7/05
Feather on Cedar Point Creek
Finally, I felt good enough to take a trip of any length! I got in the water
at 8 - about 3 hours from high tide and headed north toward Cedar Point. The
water was pure glass and the plumes from the stacks at SJRPP were going straight up.
I saw a few herons on the way up but not much of note. I was preparing to
drift in on the sea daisy island at the confluence point when a fishing boat
cruised by and ruined the shots of some Egrets so I took a break and ate breakfast. While
sitting there enjoying the solitude a Marsh Wren flew by with a long piece
of grass in his beak and disappeared into the nearby bank of grass. He was chittering away excitedly so I floated over nearby and took some shots of
him when he scampered to his lookout point to look around. After waiting for
him to return for a while I headed on north stopping to stretch my legs
when I reached the landmass south of the road.
From there I headed on northward in the small branch that I like to think of
as Pumpkin Hill South. A Red Tail Hawk circled overhead as I floated in with
the tide and a pair of Wood Storks flew by. I didn't see much up there but
at one point I passed a small feather in the water and I noticed that there
was a single drop of water balanced perfectly in the middle so I
paused for several minutes while I circled it trying to get the perfect
shot.
I turned around after an hour or so and headed back to Cedar Point hoping to
catch the last of the incoming tide. As I passed the first bend going south
I saw a splash ahead followed by a fin and so I waited to see if the dolphin
would re-appear. A ridge of water passed quickly under my boat followed by
the "bloom" of a tail fin and soon after a pair of dolphins began surfacing
as they headed out to the ICW.
The rest of the trip was more or less uneventful. As I neared my put-in I
spotted an Osprey sitting on the tide pole and was able to drift in close to
him.
See the pictures from this trip
Back to Top
8/15/05
Black Crowned Night Heron on Hannah
Mills
I've been a bit under the weather of late - that coupled with the
oppressively hot and humid weather and the fact the my little sister Gigi is
in town - well, I just didn't feel much like going out.
Today I felt good when I got up and we had some free time before we set out
on our shopping adventures so I hit the water about 20 mins before sunrise.
As soon as I headed out I knew that I had miscalculated the tides a bit and
so I would only have a couple of hours before I needed to be back at my
put-in. As always on my pre-dawn paddles I headed over to the cedar grove
directly east of my put-in and checked out the dozen or so Night Herons
hiding in the trees along with a Great Blue or two before turning to the
north.
It was already hot and the haze on the horizon meant that the sunrise was
late and somewhat unspectacular when it finally appeared well above the
horizon. I passed the first sea daisy island and saw it was full of herons
including a couple of Great Blues but it was too dark for photos and so I
continued on to the old cedar.
It was full of whites of varying sizes and the current was favorable for me
to drift in on them except that I got hung up on the oyster beds well away
from them and the shots never happened.
I was about to give up on getting any good photos and the water levels were
getting ever lower so I headed directly out to the waterway and began to
make my way south. I had just finished shooting some herons on a tree near
the west bank when I heard the huff of a dolphin and turned to see a pair
heading toward the river with the tide. I paddled along with them for a
while and got some good shots before heading back into Hannah Mills at the
Kingfish Park.
For the rest of the trip it seemed like I was just about to get a good shot
of a Great Blue or White Heron when they would spook and I would miss the
shot. Once I got back in the main pool that changed as I could see that the
bird life was out along the mudflats feeding and I could have had several
opportunities to shoot if I wanted. I headed back to the cedar grove near my
put-in and got several good shots of a White and a Night Heron before ending
my trip.
See the pictures from this trip
Back to Top
8/19/05
Reddish Egret on the FGR
I finally got a chance to go paddling with Gigi this morning and we got
going just as the tide was turning in the FGR. The current was slack, however,
and we had an easy time paddling as we headed towards the plantation. I was
pleasantly surprised at the amount of wildlife we encountered along the way
- it was nice to be able to show my little sister what I usually see when I
go out.
We passed the docks and turned into the little stream the goes along the
sandbar there. We scared up an Osprey and then a Green Heron who flew over
to the sandbar. I followed it over and had begun shooting when I noticed a
Reddish Egret standing at the edge of a pool waiting for the tide to go out
so he could start dancing. I motioned for Gigi to come over and explained to
her the comical antics that the Heron does in its attempt to catch food.
We continued on pausing to shoot a Night Heron at Point Isabella. We stopped
just short of the plantation and with the current just beginning to head out
we had an easy paddle back to the sandbar where we had seen the Reddish and
Green Herons. We had a pleasant time swimming, reading and talking before we
headed on back. We crossed paths with Ray Hetchka as he brought a group out
of the yacht basin near the boat ramp.
It was almost too hot to paddle but we had a very pleasant time.
See the pictures from this trip
Back to Top
8/23/05
Not much of a trip - the tides were low and there was stormy weather to the
west but I knew my schedule for the rest of the week was going to make it
difficult for me to get out so.....
The sea breeze that was keeping the storms at bay also pushed me easily
against the outgoing tide as I skirted the first island. There were Wood
Storks and Ospreys up in the trees but no photo ops turned out so I rounded
the corner and headed north until the shallow water made me turn back.
The rest of the trip was uneventful but just as I beached my boat and stowed
my camera I saw a large brown bird flying across the river from the
direction of the port. As it passed nearly overhead I could see the white
head, massive yellow beak and white rump. I watched as the Bald Eagle flew
in the direction I had just come from.
Back to Top
8/28/05
Stormy skies at Tiger Point You know that you are living in a special place when you
start getting annoyed by the eating sized shrimp that keep jumping into your
lap when you are out kayaking! More about that later.... Hurricane Katrina passed us by well to the south and is now
bearing down on the cajuns in New Orleans after barely affecting us at all. There were
some remnants of the rain bands leftover but for the most part today
promised a return to the sweltering heat and humidity that has typified this
summer and made me scale back on my paddling. With high tide well before
sunrise I decided that a trip to Pumpkin Hill would be nice so that I could
catch the current both ways and give my arms a rest. Katrina has piled up a lot of water out in the ocean and
even though it was almost mid-tide it appeared a lot closer to high. I could
see by the water line on the grass that the high tide mark was at least a
foot higher than normal. There wasn't much current and very little wind as I
set out for Tiger Point. To the east was a large thunderhead through which
the early morning sun was breaking making the usual spectacular sky over
Black Hammock Island. I made slow but easy progress toward the point and stopped
to shoot some night herons along the way. Just as I began to approach the
tree that held the herons I saw an enormous mottled bird flying above the
tree line a quick check with my binoculars confirmed that it was an Immature
Bald Eagle. I watched as it headed over to Black Hammock where it was
greeted by a chirping Osprey who let it know whose territory this was. It
continued on east in the direction of Big Talbot Island. A sort time after
that I passed a sandbar where a lone Black Bellied Plover was sitting - I am
convinced that this species has taken a vote and decided "to hell with what
the bird guides say - we're not going back to the Artic Circle!" Water spout over Black Hamoock
Island I had just passed the last bend before the point and was
heading down that final long stretch of creek when I noticed that the skies
were darkening behind me. I turned to see that the single thunderhead was a
now a nearly solid wall of dark clouds intermixed with sunlight breaking
through in spots. I watched in amazement as a waterspout descended down from
one of the clouds. It appeared to be quite a distance away - probably out
over the ocean still and it never got close to the ground so I never felt
threatened in any way. I floated along backwards with the current watching
it and after a short time it ascended back up into the storm front. About that time I had reached the point and as soon as I
made the turn into Edwards Creek I could see the pinkish fruit hanging from
the trees. The current Spoonbill on Tiger Point from Edwards made a drift by difficult so I made a loop away
from the trees and came in from the other side. The dark storm clouds were
behind the point now and it made for some wonderful shots of the pink plumage
against the dark skies. At one point a cormorant flew up near the Spoonbills
and sat there drying his wings. I paused at the point to eat breakfast and I could hear the
sound of roaring water coming from the east. Soon Black Hammock Island
disappeared in the deluge and in a matter of minutes I was soaked to the
bone by the downpour. Just when it seemed as if the rain would last forever
it stopped and just as quickly the blue skies returned. I watched as one by
one the Spoonbills began to fly off to the southern edge of the Edwards
Flats directly across from the point and began their distinctive feeding
along the grass.
Clapper Rail on the Edwards Flats I decided to head back out into Pumpkin Hill and skirt the
flats as the current carried me north. I stopped to shoot some feeding
Spoonbills along the way but was surprised when a Clapper Rail ventured out
from his hiding place and began preening himself. I was so amazed at how
close this normally invisible but very vocal bird came to my boat that I
wound up shooting more of him than I did of the three Spoonbills who were
feeding nearby. The really incredible thing happened as I was pushing away
from the flats so not to be stranded in the soft mud. When I stuck my paddle
in the mud a large shrimp came flying out of the water and landed in my lap.
I finally managed to grab his antennae and toss him back but over the course
of the next hour this scene was repeated several more times. I began to wish
that I had brought some cocktail sauce along. It's kind of cool when the
shrimp are so thick that you begin to think of them as pests. About this time I decided to head back. The tide was heading
back in but the current was undetectable and the sea breeze that followed
the storm front was in my face for the first leg of the journey. I passed
several more individual Spoonbills along the way along with the usual
assortment of other bird life.
See the pictures from this trip
Back to Top
8/29/05
Hitchhiker
We had thought about taking a trip down Simpsons Creek this morning but
breezy conditions made us scale our plans back so we stopped at Nicoles,
picked up a sandwich and headed for Alimacani where we caught the outgoing
tide to the inlet.
It was a bit breezy on the east side of the bridge but it was not too bad
and we quickly found a good place to beach our boat. We had to shoo away the
dozens of stingrays that were flying about in the shallows in order to take
a swim but the water was cool and pleasant and we enjoyed sitting in the
wind and sun with the sound of the surf roaring nearby.
Not much of a trip but very pleasant. No photo ops while we were out there
but I did get some great shots of a Green Tree Frog that was clinging to
Hope's boat as I was loading it.
See the pictures from this trip
8/30/05
A doe, a deer, a swimming deer along
the St. Mary's River south of St. George
I've been monitoring the water levels on the St. Mary's River since my last
trip there back in July and have seen it rise and fall dramatically in a
matter of hours. Today, I checked and saw that it was nearly 10 feet lower
than my previous trip so I decided to head back toward SR 121 to put-in
either back at Thompkins Landing or else try a new place - the Bridge at St.
George, Ga.
It took me nearly an hour to get over to St. George - putting in at a boat
ramp on the SW side of the SR-2 bridge. The water level was well down but
still a couple of feet higher than I had seen it back in June and there was
a lot of flow going by. The current wasn't too bad, however, and a steady
but not too strenuous paddle made good progress up stream.
About a mile south of the ramp I crossed under a railroad trestle and after
a big horsehoe bend the river widened out and continued straight for another
mile. I wasn't seeing much wildlife which is normal for the St. Mary's but I
began to hear the familiar call of the Red Shouldered Hawk. On a couple of
occasions one of the hawks would cross the river several yards in front of
me but he would never perch near enough to the river to be seen.
I had just seen a hawk and was trying to spot him in the branches when I
heard an enormous splash ahead of me on the left bank. Thinking that it
might be a gator I began waiting for it to pop its head above the water but
instead I saw a head bobbing in the water along the bank. I soon realized
that it was a deer that had jumped into the water and was now swimming along
parallel to me. I'm not sure what his intentions were - he may have been
trying to get to the other side of the river but changed his mind when he
saw me but he seemed in no hurry to get out. In fact he climbed out a few
times only to jump back in and continue swimming against the current.
Finally, he climbed out and calmly walked into the woods where he
disappeared.
I continued on for another mile or so until I was well off the terraserver
photo I brought with me. At one point the river went through a series of 90
degree turns so tight that a whirlpool had formed after the water rushed
through the overhanging cypress and magnolias. About this time I began to
hear some distant thunder and I had reached the time limit that I had placed
on my trip so I pulled over to one of the many white sandy beaches I had
passed and ate lunch.
The thunder kept getting closer so I ate quickly and headed back with the
current. After about 30 minutes the rain started coming and once I reached
the long wide stretch of river before the railroad trestle I decided that I
was becoming a bigger target for lightning than the trees so I pulled over
to some willows and laid down in my boat. The rain let loose and soaked me
pretty good but in 15 minutes or so it passed and headed on.
I made it back to the ramp in good time and decided to check out the section
of river just north of the bridge before ending my trip.
It was a great trip - I didn't see or hear another human the entire time on
the water and didn't see any other signs of civilization save a tree house.
There were literally dozens of great places to pull off and camp or picnic
all along the way - white sandy beaches along with high banks. It was a
wonderful stretch of pristine river.
See the pictures from this trip
8/31/05
Green Heron on the ICW
It's a rarity that I try to paddle four days in a row but weather and tides
were right so I figured I may as well say farewell to August on the water
with an after work paddle.
It felt good to back in my salt marsh home waters and the stormy weather
stayed well west of me. The sea breeze felt good over the water and it was a
pleasant afternoon.
I took my long northerly route out to the ICW stopping at the sea daisy
islands and the old cedar to attempt to shoot the herons that were gathered
there in great numbers but without much success. Once I arrived at the
waterway I spotted a brave little Green Heron in a tree on the banks who
posed for me for several minutes.
I continued south staying on the western bank and as I approached Shad Creek
a pod of four Dolphins surfaced near where an Osprey was perched. As I
continued on I spotted several of the rebellious Black Bellied Plovers who
flew off before I could shoot them and report them to the authorities for
not returning to the Artic Circle.
Once I got to the Kingfish Park I spotted another Green Heron on one of the
pilings so I shot him and a Snowy Egret who was nearby. The tide was still
coming in so I had an easy paddle in toward my put-in. I had a real
opportunity to shoot a Yellow Crowned Night Heron but I miscalculated a bit
and came up on the wrong side of the grass bank where he had perched. I made
up for it by shooting a few of the Black Crowns in the cedar grove near my
put-in.
See the pictures from this trip
|
|
|
Sponsors :
The Timucuan Paddle Page - In Affiliation with GearPro.com