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The dog days of August - still catching shrimp. Trips this month: 9
Back to Journal Index
8/1/07
Spoonbill and Snowy Egret on Pumpkin
Hill
I was on the schedule again to provide dinner but I had to abort my planned
trip out on Pumpkin Hill the day before which would have put me at my
shrimpin' hole just before low tide at 6 pm. Today, I left after work and
was in the water by 5 which meant that I would have two hours to mess around
until the conditions were ideal at 7. There was a surprisingly stiff sea
breeze coming in and as I rounded the bend near the trails I was confronted
with a channel full of swells coming right at me which made the going slow
and tedious.
I knew that once I got down to my spot the Black Hammock would shield me
from the wind and keep the water there calmer, especially at low tide when
the grass would also create a buffer. I didn't see many shrimp jumping on
the way down but I wasn't sure if it was due to the rough conditions or if
they were gone from the area.
As I reached the bend I spotted a pair of Spoonbills feeding along the
sandbar opposite my spot and so I cruised by them taking several shots. I
pulled over to the grass and decided to go ahead and try my luck figuring
that if I caught enough for the next evening's meal that I could leave early
and if not I would wait for low tide. I figured that we only needed four
dozen good sized shrimp and if I was as successful as I was last week I
could get that many in a dozen throws.
A dozen tosses later and I finally hauled in my first shrimp and although he
was a big one it was clear that I was going to have to work for my dinner on
this night. I probably should have stopped trying and messed around shooting
the birds while I waited for low tide but I decided to keep trying. After an
hour I had perhaps two dozen and started to think about reducing my goal to
three dozen. About the time I reached that goal the tide finally reached its
low point and my success rate went up dramatically. In the next 30 minutes,
I raked in a couple of dozen more large shrimp which brought my total to 60
and after a couple of empty tosses I headed in.
I passed some more Spoonbills on the way in as well as a Yellow Crowned
Night Heron but I was bushed and so didn't try very hard to position myself
for any shots. Of course, to top off my frustrating afternoon, a young
family was occupying the put-in forcing me to duck under their lines and
drag my boat around their chairs to get back to my truck.
I'm not sure if the shrimp have left the area or not. The ones I caught were
mostly quite large but it was a lot of effort for little reward. I probably
threw my net 150 times to get five dozen shrimp and my bad shoulder was
screaming when I got home. The strong breeze may have had something to do
with my lack of success but I have learned my lesson about the tides. Only
at low tide will it be worth the effort.
See the pictures from this trip
8/5/07
Great Blue Heron on Pumpkin Hill
It was stiflingly hot as I headed back to Pumpkin Hill to try to catch more
shrimp. After my lack of success a few days earlier I wasn't sure what to
expect but I had a feeling that if my timing was better that they would
still be there and we'd be having a shrimp dinner once again. Alligator hanging out at my
shrimping spot
Low tide was at 10 so as I set out at 7:15 I knew that I had a good three
hours to mess around and this time I wasn't going to try my luck until it
was a lot closer to low tide than I did on Wednesday. As I passed by the
sandbars across from the trails I spotted a Reddish Egret and paused to
shoot him but he stayed on the far side of the bar. As I got close to my
shrimping spot I spotted a shape ahead of me in the water that I have been
seeing out here for the past couple of months - an Alligator! This time I was
finally able to get photographic evidence that there are Gators hanging out
in Pumpkin Hill Creek and have been for at least two months. From the looks
of him he can't be more than four feet long and I didn't see the other one
that I saw back in June. Roseate Spoonbill
I continued on past my spot and came upon a young Great Blue Heron who
flushed several times but never flew very far away and allowed me to get
very close on several occasions. Like a lot of young Herons he wasn't very
adept at catching anything and at one point he seemed to be fascinated with
a dragon fly that was perching on the grass above him and considering
whether or not to grab it for a snack.
I headed on to the point which, as I expected, was empty and so I headed on
around to the bay east of the flats and at my breakfast before heading back
toward my shrimping spot. I arrived about 30 minutes from low tide and
on my first toss I knew that my success rate was going to be a lot better than before.
After a few tosses I decided to set my goal at 200 and I quickly got close
to that goal. On one toss I was amazed when the entire top of my cast net
became a solid writhing mass of gray as I pulled it in. I believe on that cast alone
I had over 40 large keepers.
Reddish Egret
Once I reached my goal, I kept casting but decided to keep only the really
big ones until I reached 250 and I was at that number in just a few more
minutes. I loaded up and headed back on the incoming tide and was soon back
at the sand bar near the trails. The Reddish Egret was still there dancing
around so I stopped to shoot him for a few minutes before heading on back to
the put-in.
See the pictures from this trip
8/7/07
Osprey on Half Moon Bluff
With my scheduled weekend coming up I had the Tuesday off and after deciding
against attempting the flooded St. Mary's, I headed to Simpsons Creek to
paddle down to the Sound and "veg" on a stiflingly hot summer day.
I was somewhat surprised to find someone else putting in ahead of me
considering that this was a weekday and the sun had just popped over the
horizon as I arrived at the A1A bridge. The tide was a little past mid
level, outgoing but there was just enough water to cover most of the muck at
the end of the ramp and my launching, although messy, was not too bad.
I acknowledged the kayak fisherman who had beat me to the water and was
parked in an inlet casting across the stream and then floated with the
current on a day when not breath of wind was stirring - even above the
grass. It promised to be one of the hottest days of the summer and I looked
forward to hanging my hammock and cooling off in the waters of the Nassau
Sound while I read and drank beer. Taking off
There wasn't much to shoot until I approached Half Moon Bluff but, as
expected, there was an Osprey perching above the sandy cliffs and I got
several good shots as he flushed to a couple of different locations along
the shore. I spotted a Snowy Egret opposite the bluffs and paddled over to
shoot him. When he flushed, I realized that there had been a young Green
Heron perching unseen on the same tree the Egret had been on and he flew off
down the shoreline. I spent the next several minutes playing hide and seek
with him and I think we both enjoyed the game. After a while, it was
apparent that he was almost more curious about me and was determined to not
go very far, even when I nearly ran into him. When I finally left him, he
was staring intently at me through the blades of grass along the muddy
shoreline. Young Green Heron
I made my way out to the sound and since there was a large boat anchored to
the east of the mouth of the creek I decided to head northwest along the
oyster beds which separate the two Talbot islands. I paused to shoot a
beautiful Ruddy Turnstone and then turned my attention to some activity I
saw up the little secluded creek where I have been hanging out on my recent
trips here. I caught the tail end of a dance that I quickly recognized as a
Reddish Egret feeding in the shallows and spent the next 30 minutes watching
and shooting him. He looked young and must have been too self conscious to
perform with me sitting there since he never really cut loose again so I
pushed off and decided to see if my hammock tree was still on the beach just
east of Black Rock. Reddish Egret ruffling his feathers
on the Sound
It was, and I strung it up and spent the next three hours doing what I do
best - relaxing in the hot sun and - when there was any - the warm breeze.
The water felt tepid, especially after our trip to Ginnie Springs on the day
before, but it was cool enough to relieve me from the heat and felt
wonderful.
Finally, with the tide coming in and well past midpoint I packed up and
headed in. There was a trio of kayakers at Half Moon and it was obvious that
the pair who were in the tandem were inexperienced since they spent a lot of
time weaving back and forth across the channel so I decided to stop and
shoot another perching Osprey and let them get well ahead of me since it
would have been a pain to try and pass them. I took my time and let the
current do most of the work back toward the bridge and since the heat was so
oppressive it proved to be a good decision.
See the pictures from this trip
8/13/07
Green Heron on Pumpkin Hill
Well, shrimpin' season is finally over, apparently. I took off early from
work this afternoon to make sure I arrived at my shrimping spot with about
30 minutes to go before low tide. I saw a fair amount of activity in the
water on my way down although most of the shrimp I saw seemed to be on the
smallish side. As I pulled up to my spot I felt pretty confident that I
would be able to bring home supper for the next couple of nights.
A dozen throws later I wasn't quite so sure but I kept plugging away for the
next hour or so. Just before 6 - a good half hour after low tide, my cooler
was bulging with TWO shrimp that I normally wouldn't have bothered to keep.
Well, I knew it had to end someday and it might as well be today so I
reached for my cell phone to tell Hopey to go to plan "B" on the menu.
One problem - no cell phone, and the bag that distinctly remembered putting
it in was no where to be found either. I knew that either it had fallen out
unnoticed when I was getting ready to shrimp and was now floating around
Tiger Point or else it was back at the put-in where I had piled my stuff as
I was loading up. I wasn't sure that it would still be there since a couple
had pulled up after me for an apparent tryst on the picnic table and I was
sure they would have it by now.
I pulled up to the put-in and as I walked up the slope to my truck I saw the
bag sitting in the grass by the posts - right where I had left it so I
called Hope and loaded up happy that this afternoon didn't turn out to be
too much of a downer.
I'm kind of glad in a way that the shrimp have moved on. I know now that
this time of the year I may as well put aside plans to paddle elsewhere when
I know I can catch shrimp but now I can get back into a more regular
routine. I'll still carry my cast net with me when I come to Pumpkin Hill,
just in case, but no more "Shrimp Specific" trips.
See the pictures from this trip
8/15/07
Dolphins on Browns Creek
Not much of a trip but I had a hankering to do an after dinner paddle so I
headed to the west end of our island and got in the water at 6:30 to catch
the incoming tide. I paddled over to the big island and cruised under the
trees but seeing them empty I turned around. As I was passing the point I
was disappointed to see that the palm tree that has been leaning
precariously at a 45 degree angle for the last several years has finally
fallen into the water. It has been one of my favorite photography subjects
over the years and I always try to shoot it with the setting winter sun
behind it - often with Herons and Egrets perching on it. All good things
must end I reckon.
I let the current carry me north along the sandbars and I enjoyed the stiff
sea breeze coming at me from across Pelotes Island. One of the reasons I
enjoy after dinner paddles out here is because the heat has had a chance to
lessen and the ocean breezes are always nice. I didn't see much as I cruised
around teh bend but as I was preparing to turn north and go through the gap
I usually take a group of three or four dolphins surfaced in front of me.
After they passed I entered the gap and opened my beer and relaxed while I
enjoyed the breeze. I started to head back as I sipped my beer letting the
breeze push me against the current. I passed a Yellow Crowned Night Heron
but he was too far away for good pictures. As I paddled along the eastern
edge of the big island hundreds of Little Blues came flying low along the
water heading east toward their evening roost along the ICW. It looked as
though they all must have been feeding in the same general area - possibly
the runoff pond at SJRPP.
The rest of the trip was pleasant and uneventful. The pictures were
disappointing - even the few opportunities that I had and I realized later
that I had set my camera up for some inside shots at work and left it that
way so they turned out too grainy.
See the pictures from this trip
8/17/07
After a busy day of taking the babies back to the Nassau County Humane
Society for a visit we decided that the weather and tides were just too
perfect to ignore and loaded up for a rare paddle picnic.
We put in at Alimacani around 4:30 and let the outgoing tide carry us
swiftly out toward the ocean where we beached our boats. We spent the next
few hours swimming, eating, drinking and enjoying each other's company while
we watched the sun set behind Little Talbot Island and then caught the
incoming tide back to the ramp.
No pictures. Not many opportunities and I was just too busy relaxing to
bother with it.
8/19/07
Peek-a-boo! Clapper Rail playing
hide and seek with me on Pumpkin Hill
Our daughter, Jenny's, birthday is today and she requested grilled shrimp for
her dinner so even though I was pretty sure the Pumpkin Hill shrimp were
gone the tides were ideal for me to get out there and give it another try. I
reached the put-in about 30 mins after sunrise and the baby shrimp were
popping at the water's edge but no big ones were in sight.
Great Blue Heron
All around the put-in, however, I could see the distinct silhouettes of many
Yellow Crowned Night Herons - far more than I have seen at one time so far
this summer. A quick check with my binoculars showed that the majority of
them were immature although I also saw quite a few mature ones. I rounded
the bend near the trails and began making my toward my shrimping spot. As I
floated along I suddenly realized that a smallish bird standing in the
morning glare on the mud was a Clapper Rail out for his morning
constitutional. As I nearly hit him with my boat he scurried back up to the
safety of his grassy fortress but within seconds he re-emerged and began
checking out the rude intruder in the red-yellow kayak. Rail coming out of hiding
For the next several minutes he popped his head in and out of the grass and
at times came walking boldly out onto the mud before his insecurities got the
better of him and he scampered back to the grass line. At times I would see
him peering at me through the blades of grass as he made his way down the
line and I was amazed at how he could walk through the thick grass without
disturbing it.
Finally, we parted company and I headed down the stream. I spotted three
bulky white shapes on one of the sandbars and was surprised when my
binoculars showed that they were White Pelicans. I have seen the flock of
Pelicans that I suspect live in the interior of the Edwards Flats hanging
around and soaring above the flats during the middle of summer but never
this close to the point. I know that the ICW Pelicans don't hang around here
during the summer but its obvious that the Edwards flock stays year round.
White Pelicans - a summer rarity
This trio didn't allow me to get very close before they flushed and flew in
the direction of the point and I made my way toward my spot where I very
quickly proved what I already suspected - no shrimp. I made a quick call to
Hope to let her know that we would have to buy our shrimp for the night's
dinner and headed toward Tiger Point.
As I cruised along, I spotted another Rail and spent several more minutes
playing the hide and seek game with him, much as I had done earlier. I am
continually amazed at how fortunate I seem to be to not only see these shy
birds but get incredibly good photos. Most people only hear the raucous
calls of these funny birds and only get rare glimpses of them as they run
from hiding place to hiding place but I seem to always be in the right place
at the right time.
I could see the trio of White Pelicans swimming ahead of me and they
disappeared around the bend opposite the point. As I rounded it I wasn't
surprised to see them sitting on the muddy bank in the company of several
Wood Storks and many Great Egrets. The Pelicans flew off and headed for
their pool in the Edwards Flats and the Storks began flying off as I passed
by. I headed for the bay east of the flats to see if there was anyone
hanging out there but after seeing no one I headed back toward the point. Yellow Crowned Night Heron
I had hoped that with the tide coming in that I would get to see the
Spoonbills perching in the trees there and indeed there was a lone bird
trying to find the ideal spot to wait out the tide until it was time to feed
again but he flushed well before I was in range. Opposite the point, in the
entrance to Edwards Creek were about eight of the pink birds grooming
themselves and so I floated over to them and shot them as they began
marching in a line away from me and soon they flew off. Spoonbills near the point
With the point empty, I headed back for Pumpkin Hill and let the incoming
tide carry me back toward the put-in. As I approached the trails I spotted
a lone Reddish Egret who was calmly standing in the shallow water. I
was surprised as I passed by the landing where the trail ends at the water
to see about a dozen Black Vultures who were having a family picnic where we
normally bring the puppies on our walks. They looked at me like I was an
interloper trying to steal their fish and then flew up to the dead tree
above the water there.
I headed on to the put-in where I had to once again negotiate my way past
the bank fishermen who were blocking the way and refused to move. All in all
a good day on the water - shrimp or no shrimp.
See the pictures from this trip
8/20/07
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly along the
St. Marys River
I decided to finally make it over to the St. Marys River so that I could
paddle there while the levels were still up. In the two weeks since it had
crested at 14 feet it has slowly and steadily dropped to its present level
of just over four feet.
After some deliberation, I settled on the Stokes Bridge put-in and an hour
after leaving the house I was parked on the SE side of the bridge. The only
other time that I had put in here, two years ago, I tried launching from the
NW side of the bridge but everyone else apparently uses the SE side so I
decided to attempt it. Unfortunately, everyone else in the area uses this
area and putting in after the final weekend before school began meant that
it was thoroughly trashed out and, in fact, I found it to be the trashiest
area I have yet seen along the St. Marys so far. It was downright disgusting
- I'm not sure how or why people can actually lose their underwear but they
do. Stokes Bridge across the St. Marys
The launching point itself - as far as I could tell - was a pretty long walk
down a sloping trail to the water and I had to carry my boat down and then
make two additional trips to carry my stuff before launching. Finally, I was
set and headed upstream against a surprisingly strong current. At 4 feet,
there were plenty of sandy beaches showing and relatively few snags in the
water but I had to paddle hard without let up to make progress.
As is the norm on this river, bird life is scarce and the only two I saw on
the day came in the first few minutes after launching as a Little Blue Heron
flushed from near the put-in and a few minutes later I spotted an immature
Ibis up in the trees. I found the entrance to Brandy Branch Creek and turned
up it to explore. On my last trip here I was able to paddle up it a good
ways but as I made my way upstream I could tell that the water level was at
least a foot lower than it was on that day and I had to turn back after less
than a half mile. Viceroy
As I headed back upstream on the river I realized that I wasn't going to
make it very far on this day due to the current and my low energy levels
after a very busy weekend but I had in mind a particular place that I had
found back in 2005 and decided to make that my stopping point. I had just
finished shooting a Viceroy Butterfly when I spotted a beautiful Tiger
Swallowtail sitting on the beach so I paddled over to see if I could shoot
it before it flushed.
I thought it odd that the butterfly was sitting so still on the sand since
there was nothing that looked like food to draw its interest. It was
obviously drawn to something because I was able to sit in my boat just a few
feet away and take several pictures. As I sat there, I began to notice that
it was doing something that I had never witnessed before. Every five or ten
seconds its body would twitch and something would come shooting out onto the
ground. It looked from my vantage point like a silvery liquid but I couldn't
see it on the ground. After several minutes I floated downstream a few feet
and got out of my kayak to try and approach it from the land. Tiger Swallowtail
I circled behind it and sat down behind a fallen tree just three feet from
where it was still sitting. I noticed that after several minutes of ejecting
it's fluid it would turn slightly and then continue what it was doing.
Occasionally, it would fly up briefly but land back in the same area and
begin anew. Finally, about 30 minutes after I had initially stopped it
seemed to fly up and flutter away for good so I decided to see what I could
find on the ground. What I found were several (perhaps as many as 20) neat
little piles of orange, brown pellets stack like cord wood. They were
scattered in a circle on the sand in the same area where the butterfly had
been and it seemed obvious that they were eggs.
For a while I thought that what I had seen ejecting from its body were these
pellets but after reviewing my pictures I realize that the eggs were already
there by the time that I arrived and the video I took clearly shows some
kind of fluid coming out. There also appeared to be some kind of glistening
substance on the ground so apparently that was what I was seeing. I have no
idea (yet) whether or not this was the female and was part of the egg laying
ritual or if it was a male who was in the process of fertilizing them.
Either way - it was something I had never seen before.
(NOTE: I have since "Googled" butterfly reproduction - specifically,
Tiger Swallowtail reproduction, and I now realize that there is no way that
these were butterfly eggs and the fluid could not have been "sperm". I have
no idea what it was I was seeing so if you know - e-mail me.) Spider in the swamp
I pushed off and continued to paddle upstream and about the time I had set
for my stopping point I recognized the little creek that cut through a beach
and I knew I was at my destination. Although the water in the river itself
was cool and refreshing it was nothing compared to the iciness of the water
flowing from the swamp that was hidden behind the beach. I'm not sure it
that was because that water never sees the light of day or it there was a
spring back in the woods somewhere feeding this creek but it was
significantly cooler. I set up my hammock and took a refreshing dip in the
river. I was amazed at the darkness of the water - far darker than the
Suwannee or the Santa Fe rivers. An inch beneath the surface my hand turned
bright red and after three inches it was gone.
I ate lunch, drank a couple of beers and then dozed in my hammock. I did
this off and on for a couple of hours broken up by a few dips in the river
before packing up and heading back for home. The trip down had taken three
hours of hard paddling but 45 minutes after setting out from the beach I was
in sight of the bridge. It was a tough load since it was now uphill but all
in all not bad.
See the pictures from this trip
8/25/07 "Notchy" the Raccoon on the Suwannee
River
Hope is attending a church wide retreat at the Episcopal Church retreat
center - Camp Weed and she invited her heathen, reprobate hubby to tag along
so that she would have a good reason to stay in the Inn. Thinking that it
would be a good excuse for me to be in the area nestled between the the
Suwannee and Santa Fe Rivers, I agreed. Wild Turkeys at Camp Weed
We drove out Friday afternoon and arrived at close to 5 pm. After doing a
dinner run to Live Oak I camped out in the room and watched the sunset over
the mostly dry lake and then watched a DVD while waiting for her to come
back from the first evening's activities. The next morning, I woke up early
as usual and went for a pre-dawn stroll where I was serenaded by the many
Carolina Wrens that live in the area and who were not happy about me walking
through their territories while I went to get coffee. After watching an
Armadillo burrowing into the leaves near the boardwalk and then stand up on
his hind legs to sniff the air as he tried to detect my presence a few feet
away I returned to our room where we were then treated to the sight of a
flock of 20 wild Turkeys strolling past out balcony.
After a sumptuous breakfast, we finally parted ways and I headed into Live
Oak where I found CR-249 heading NW. A few minutes later I was crossing the
Suwannee River at the spot Hope and I found back in June when we were on our
way to Suwannee River State Park. The entrance to the Alapaha Rise
I pulled into Gibson Park on the NW side of the bridge and a few minutes
later I was launching from the boat ramp there. A guy was launching a wooden
canoe ahead of me and after chatting and wishing each other a good paddle he
set off and I followed a few minutes later. My camera, which had spent the
night in a way too cold room and then a way too cold truck cab, instantly
fogged up and since the sky was overcast and the air moist I knew it would
be several minutes before it unfogged of its own accord so I finally pulled
over and cleaned it.
There was a surprisingly strong current near the bridge and just east of it
was a small but easily passable shoal. Just past the shoal I saw the reason
for the current as the Alapaha Rise came rushing out of the northern bank of
the river. I pulled over to take some pictures and was contemplating trying
to paddle up over what looked to be some pretty good shoals when I spotted
the canoeist coming down from the rise toward me. As he passed I asked if
this was indeed the Alapaha Rise and he said it was and that it was at least
10 degrees cooler at the rise itself so I decided to try it. The Alapaha Rise
The current was strong and a bit tricky but there was plenty of water to dig
into so I was able to get past it without a problem. As I progressed up the
run I entered into a large circular pool surrounded by sheer limestone walls
at least 20 feet high. The land around the rise is obviously privately owned
and there was a rope swing hanging over the west side with some steps
leading down to it. As I sat there against the wall shooting I heard a loud
bark and looked above me to see a large dog peering over the wall at me.
I floated back down to the Suwannee and began paddling upstream. I entered a
stretch of river where the banks were lined with sheer limestone walls 15 to
20 feet tall. Unfortunately, it was also where the houses began to appear
including one double-decker shack teetering precariously on the cliff. I was
surprised on the day how many houses I saw - probably more than on any
stretch of the Suwannee I have paddled so far. I had assumed, because of the
Holton Creek River camp is located in this area, that all of this land would
be part of the SJRMD property but apparently not. For the most part the
houses were out of sight on top of the bluffs but every couple of hundred
yards there would be a staircase dangling from the top down to the water. Butterfly on the river
It was still quite beautiful regardless of the presence of the homes and I
enjoyed the quiet and solitude since there were few people actually out on
the water. I was paddling along when I suddenly spotted something coming
down one of the steep banks to the water. As I watched I could see that it
was a Raccoon who had come down to take a dip. I managed to drift in quite
close to him and beached my boat down stream of him. He didn't seem to mind
my presence and swam a feet down the river where he exited and began
climbing back up the steep, rubble covered bank. He was moving very slowly
and I began to wonder if he was sick but the terrain was such that I don't
think he had much choice. When I reviewed my photos late I could see that he
was missing part of his left ear and it looked like he had had a tough time
of late - poor guy. Luna Moth rescue
I continued on upstream and around 12 I began looking for a place to pull
off for lunch in a stretch of river that looked unoccupied. As I approached
a sandy beach on a river bend I saw a large butterfly fluttering close to
the water as it appeared to admire it's reflection. I was just thinking that
he was getting dangerously close the the surface when he suddenly flopped
into the water and began thrashing around. I paddled over to him and
realized that it was a Luna Moth and after a few attempts I managed to scoop
him up in my hand. He clung to my hand but was shaking uncontrollably and
when I tried to place him on the deck of my boat he kept trying to fly away
- attempts that landed him back in the river. Finally, I was able to keep
him on my boat and paddle over to the beach where I walked up to a tree and
placed him there to dry off. Unnamed spring on the Suwannee
The beach I had chosen didn't prove to be a good place to string my hammock
but I spotted another place around the bend on the opposite side of the
river. As I paddled over I notice that a small spring was entering the river
at the bend just down from where I beached my boat. I found a couple of
hammock trees up on the bank and after taking a swim I ate lunch and relaxed
a bit in my hammock. As I was sitting there thinking about packing up and
heading on I spotted a hawk fly up the river and swoop into the area where
the spring was located. I grabbed my camera and worked my way down the
shoreline toward the spring. I had to be careful since the footing was
narrow and slippery. When I got in sight of the spring I couldn't see him at
first but soon I saw him down at the edge of the spring where he had
evidently been drinking. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get my camera ready
quick enough to shoot him until he had already flushed.
Holton Creek
I saw where he had flown to but I couldn't get a shot from where I was so I
hiked back up to where my hammock was and tried to circle back around him
but by the tide I did he was long gone so I packed up and headed on
upstream. My goal on the day was to attempt to make it all of the way to the
Holton Creek River Camp but I knew that it was over five miles from Gibson
Park so I decided to make 2 pm my stopping point. Not long after I set out
from my lunch stop I passed where Holton Creek enters on the north bank.
Beyond this point it was obvious that I was in SRWMD land and the houses
were gone for good. I reached the time I had set for stopping but decided to
go around the next bend and as soon as I rounded it I could see the landing
for the river camp. My destination - Holton Creek River
Camp
I paddled a little ways past it and then decided to beach my boat and see if
I could refill my water bottles. I found a spigot at the top of the stairs
and filled up and headed back down to my boat and began paddling downstream.
Just as I approached the spring where I had eaten lunch I could see drops of
water begin to hit the water. I had been in the process of trying to shoot a
Great Blue and had to stow my camera as the skies opened up and soaked me.
The shower lasted only a few minutes and soon it was sunny again as I
floated with the current.
I spotted another Red Shouldered Hawk perching low over the water and
managed to get a quick shot of him as he flew a few yards downstream. I
thought that I had seen where he flown up to and I could hear the angry
chirps of some Cardinals so I paddled downstream and beached my boat. At
first I couldn't see him but luckily I looked up and spotted some black and
white speckles through the leaves just above my head. I sat there a few
minutes and got a few shots as he peered at me through the leaves before
chirping and flying off downstream. Red Shouldered Hawk
As I began to approach the limestone bluffs where most of the houses were I
began to hear the rumbling of thunder and saw a few drops begin to speckle
the surface of the river. I passed another kayaker coming upstream and
within a few minutes of passing him the skies opened up once again. I
thought about toughing it out since I knew that I was getting close to the
ramp but I began to see lightning and figured I should seek some shelter. As
luck would have it at that moment I was passing a limestone wall that had
two large caves at water level so I decided to see if I could fit my boat
inside one of them.
Female Wood Duck
After scanning the roof and walls for signs of creepy critters who might
want to hitch a ride I backed my boat in and found that I had plenty of
room. I felt cozy and dry and I knew that barring a direct lightning strike
that I should be safe. After sitting there about 10 minutes the rain started
to let up and since I hadn't seen any ground strikes close by I got ready to
pull out. At that moment a large lightning strike hit close upstream and so
I decided to stay put. The rain got heavy once again so I pulled back in the
cave and pulled out my last beer and decided to wait it out. Some of the
strikes were pretty close but mostly appeared to be back upstream where I
had been earlier so I hope the other kayaker had found a good place to wait
it out.
After another 30 minutes, it seemed to let up the lightning was less
frequent so I left the security of my cave and headed out. I soon realized
that I probably should have kept going since I spotted the bridge as soon as
I rounded the next bend meaning that I could have been back at the ramp
before the worst of the storm hit but I had fun in my little cave and was
glad to find it. Taking refuge in a limestone cave
The next day I woke up to a foggy day and looked out to see the same turkey
flock strolling past our balcony. As I was shooting a fight suddenly broke
out so I switched to video and shot the ensuing fracas. It seemed to involve
one turkey who was trying to harass several others. After this went on for
a while three or four of the others began chasing him in circles and
continued to do so until he finally began running away from the rest of the
group. He continued running until he was out of sight - almost as if he had
been ostracized from the rest of the flock for some kind of aberrant
behavior. I couldn't tell what that behavior was - to me he was just acting
like a turkey.
We had planned on paddling together after Hope wrapped up her retreat
activities but we decided that we were both a little tired for that so we
packed up and headed toward home. About half way home we decided to take a
detour and head up to St. George, Ga. and get something at the "Shack by the
Tracks". If you haven't had the pleasure - be sure to check it out. It's an
aptly named, odd little place and we ordered a slab of ribs and then ate some
ice cream before heading on home.
See the pictures from this trip
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