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Paddling Journal December 2006 110 trips and 600 miles to start the month Trips this month: 9
Back to Journal Index
12/3/06
Ruddy Turnstone doing his thing on
the ICW
I woke up early this morning so I decided to try to get a paddle in before
the forecast rains came. I decided to put-in at Hannah Mills and was in the
water a good 30 minutes before sunrise.
The heavy overcast and misty conditions meant that sunrise was a non event.
The slate grey skies to the east simply changed shades of grey as the
morning went on and the light for photography was slow to come. I passed the
little sea daisy island just beyond the big pool near the put-in and the
sight of a Great Blue there made me wish for a just a little more light.
I made my way toward the ICW and was soon heading north toward the Pelican
Pool. As I reached the southern edge of the island that lies to the south of
the slough I saw a large hawk fly up from the marsh and perch on the top of
a dead pal tree. I stopped to shoot what I was almost certain was a Red
Tailed Hawk but there was just barely enough light to shoot him before he
flew off to the next clump of trees.
Red Tailed Hawk on the ICW
As I cleared that island and as I approached the slough I spotted a large, dark
oblong shape sitting in a small clump of trees along the banks of the
stream. I was pretty sure it was an Osprey but as I scanned it with my
binoculars I realized that it was an adult Bald Eagle. I realized that for
all the Eagle sightings that I have seen recently I have never seen one
perching on the banks of the Intracoastal. He flew off as I got closer and
was heading toward Ft. George River when I beached my boat near the slough
and began walking toward the Pelican pool.
I approached them from a slightly different direction - coming from the
south instead of my usual approach from the north. The pool was full, as
usual, and many of them were snoozing away with their heads beneath their
wings. I approached slowly until I was at the edge of the pool and most of
the birds stayed put although a few broke off and began swimming in the
pool. As I left them I could see that several of them had begun to swim down
one of the branches that lead into the pool from the west. Bald Eagle near the Pelican Pool
I walked slowly over to the other pool where I could see a couple of dozen
Wood Storks standing along with the usual assortment of shorebirds. There
were a few herons standing with them in the pool and as I got closer I could
detect a hint of red on their necks. They started to dance a little which
confirmed their identity as Reddish Egrets. I walked around the pool
shooting the storks who didn't react as they usually do but simply walked
calmly away when I got too close.
I headed back to my boat and began paddling back toward the south. I decided
to not take my usual route back but stay in the waterway until I reached the
Kingfish Park. As I floated with the current I spotted a couple of large
hawks perching together in a small clump of trees on the east side of the
waterway and headed over. I wasn't able to get very close before they flew
off but a check with my binoculars confirmed that they were the Red Tailed
Hawks pair that I have seen out in this area together over the last couple
of years - further confirmation that they have a nest nearby. I spent some
time shooting a pair of Ruddy Turnstones sitting on the shell bank. One of
the pair was spending a lot of time turning over the same shell over and
over again while his friend watched a few feet away. White Pelicans
I saw the Hawks flying around the islands a few more times as I headed south and
then crossed paths with a pair of Ospreys who seemed to be together. They
were flying in and out of the trees as I floated toward Shad Creek, never
quite together but always staying close to each other. It is getting close
to that time of year when the Osprey pairs begin to acknowledge each other's
presence once again.
I had reached the mouth of Shad Creek when I heard the rumble of a large
motor yacht coming up behind me. I was distracted by the Ospreys for a second
but soon heard the crash of waves coming up rapidly to my rear. I turned
in horror to see a wave approaching me rapidly cresting at eye level. I
hurriedly turned my boat to face the mini tsunami but it was too late and it
caught me at nearly a 45 degree angle. The top of the wave slammed into my
shoulder and the rest of it crashed into my boat. I thought I was going to
flip over into the waterway but I stayed upright and was able to get my boat
at a little better angle as the rest of the wake followed. Wood Storks
As the huge 40 foot snow birder's yacht sped away southward I cursed and
assessed my situation. My main concern was, of course, my camera and although
it was damp it could have been worse. My bag was wet, however so I pulled
the camera out and tried to wipe the surface off. I didn't have anything I
was wearing that wasn't soaked, however so I pulled over to the banks and
got out and found a camp towel in my dry bag that did the trick.
From there I made a beeline against the now outgoing tide for my truck and
headed home. I got everything dried out and so far no damage but I learned
my lesson. The snow bird didn't do anything wrong exactly - he was well
outside the no wake zone but these huge boats do a lot of damage to the
shoreline along the waterway. It was my neglect that caused the near
disaster, however, and I won't allow that to happen again.
See the pictures from this trip
12/8/06 Shallow water at Reeves Landing on
the Suwannee River
Our family suffered a tragedy earlier in the week when our dog, "Sister", was
killed on the road in front of our house. It was a bit of a shock to lose a
companion of 11 years in such a horrible way and it put a real damper on our
plans for this weekend. We almost decided to cancel our planned trip to the
Stephen C. Foster State Park in Fargo, Ga. but, ultimately, we both decided
that it would be better to make the trip rather than mope around an empty
house.
Of course, when we made those plans we had no idea that a major front would
be coming through and we would have unseasonably frigid temperatures along
with high winds. But we went ahead and left for Fargo around 3 in the
afternoon and arrived at the park a little before five. As we drove up 441
from Lake City I spotted a Red Tailed hawk sitting on a low branch of a pine
tree along the way and then once we turned onto to 177 we saw several deer
grazing along the roadside inside the park including a group of five does
who didn't seem too scared by our presence.
After an uncomfortable night in the worst beds we've ever slept in I got up
and took a hike down a trail through a pine forest. I hoped to see deer,
Barred Owls and Red Shouldered Hawks but I reckon it was just too cold so I
headed back to the cabin. It was cold when I took my hike but not windy but
by the time we got going the wind had picked up and it was frigid enough to make
even me think twice about paddling on a day like this.
We decided that since today was supposed to be windier than tomorrow that it
would be better to save paddling on Billy's Lake where the park is located
for then so we headed back into Fargo and ate breakfast at the Suwannee
River Cafe. After a delicious meal, we first drove down 94 to where the road
crosses the Suwanneecoochee Creek to see if there was a put-in there. They
are building a new bridge there so there is no place to pull off at this
time but the water level was so low it wasn't an option anyway so we turned
around and pulled into the visitors center at the bridge.
After some exploration we decided to drive along the riverbank under the
bridge and put-in downstream of the ramp. We had hoped that there would be
more water in that direction but after a very brief time we realized that
was not the case. We turned around to attempt a paddle upstream and found it
to be impassable as well so I decided to scout out the course on foot. It
looked as though once we cleared the railroad trestle about a quarter mile
upstream that we would have deep water for a while but after talking to the
ranger at the center we decided to drive back up toward the park to a place
called Reeves Landing where she thought we would have a better chance at
finding deep water.
We turned down the road and after being assured by a resident that we could
pay the Private Property sign "no mind" we found what looked to be a popular
local spot on a bend in the river. Unfortunately, we also found more shallow
water especially upstream so we decided to try downstream. It was a
beautiful area with lots of places to camp along the white sandy beaches
lined with Tupelo and Cypress but after less than a quarter mile we also
found impassable shoals and log jams and ultimately we gave up and turned
back.
Had it been about 10 degrees warmer it might have been worth the trouble to
get out and drag our boats through the water but as cold as it was we didn't
either of us feel like getting too wet and since we were using our spray
skirts it just seemed like too much trouble. As we were loading up the wind
blew my boat off the beach and when I went to get it I found it in the
middle of the river heading in the direction we had just paddled. I guess it
decided that it could make the trip easily without my fat ass but
fortunately I ran it down and loaded it up without trouble and we headed
back to the park.
We had one sad reminder of our tragedy as we were getting ready to launch
for the first time - Hopey's boat which sits on the lower bar of the storage
rack I built for our boats had a long piece of golden fur attached to the
stern of her boat. Every morning one of the first things that Sister would do
was go underneath the rack to sniff around and she also loved to scratch her
back on Hopey's boat and now there was a long strand of it still there. It
will probably be there for a while and I'm sure it won't be the last
reminder of her we will find for the next few months.
See the pictures from this trip
12/9/06 Otter on Billy's Lake in the
Okeefenokee Swamp
After the previous day's frustrations we were ready for a bit of an
adventure on Billy's Lake in the Okeefenokee Swamp. When we awoke to
temperatures that were even colder than the day before so we weren't sure
what we would find once we set out, however.
We packed up and checked out of our cabin and signed in to a day on the lake
at the park office. We then bravely set out at the launch point near the boat
basin. where we found ourselves putting in behind a pack of Boy Scouts. Most of
the scouts were novice paddlers in canoes who were being taken out on the lake to
learn the basics of canoeing. It was a bit frustrating to be behind this
raucous group of teens who were constantly running aground in front of us
but we bided our time and as we all reached the end of the run to the lake
Hope and I paused to consider which way we would go. Young Great Blue on Billy's Lake
Since I had heard the adults discuss their days plans which obviously
involved our intended destination of Billy's Island I was at first inclined
to head the same direction but stay on the opposite side of the narrow body
of water and perhaps explore some of the features there. A Great Blue Heron
flew directly in front of us and landed a short distance away in the
opposite direction that the scouts were headed so I told Hope - "let's
follow that guy".
He was a young Great Blue who was hunting for food amongst the Cypress
Stumps and I spent a few minutes shooting him before hooking back up with
Hope who had floated downstream to the west. After a short discussion we
decided that we had a much better chance at quiet, solitude and wildlife
observation if we went the opposite direction as the scouts so we floated
with the current to the west toward the Suwannee River Sill area. Bald Eagle
A short while after making this decision I spotted some activity on the
shore and a quick check with my binoculars revealed that there were a trio
of Wood Ducks - a male and two females. I tried to alert Hope but before we
could head over to shoot they flushed and flew downstream. We continued on -
not seeing much but enjoying the scenery. Hope was just saying that she was
disappointed in the lack of wildlife we were seeing when we spotted a large
dark shape perching on a branch well ahead of us. I assumed that it was one
of the many vultures we had been seeing but Hope said she saw a white head and I
confirmed that with my binoculars. We paddled up and then let the current
carry us the rest of the way toward the mature Bald Eagle. We floated to
within about 50 yards of the majestic bird who was turning his head around
and around increasingly as we got closer. Finally, he flew off and passed
directly overhead as he sought a perch upstream and we headed on. Common Yellowthroat
Not far past the Eagle I spotted a small, green, gold colored bird with a
black band across it's eyes who was very photogenic and I stopped to shoot
what turned out to be a Common Yellow Throat before continuing on. We found
a marked canoe trail that headed off to the north and followed that for a
while until low water stopped us. As we reached the end another trio of Wood
Ducks (perhaps the same ones as before) flushed and flew upstream.
We made our way back to the lake and decided to continue west toward what my
maps said was Mixon's Hammock. We reached it in short order and found a
marked channel called the "Suwannee River Narrows" that signs indicated
led to the River Sill we had visited a couple of weeks earlier. We found a
camping platform on the Hammock itself but the low water prevented us from
easily accessing it so we continued on down the narrows.
Hopey leading the way through the
Suwannee River Narrows
Hope had gotten in front of me at this point as we wound our way down the
twists and turns of the narrows. I was amused and proud at the same time to
sit back and watch her negotiate her way over and under the snags and
logjams as we got deeper and deeper into the dark primordial swamp that was
much more of what we expected to see in the Okeefenokee. There was a Red
Shouldered Hawk who continually flew cross one section of the stream in
front of us but I was never able to find him perching so that I could shoot
him.
Finally, we reached a point where the narrows began to get shallower
and shallower and therefore the water was rushing over the many logjams. The
river bottom was hard packed white sand and it would have been fairly easy
to drag over but we decided that it was too late in the day to keep going
and since we were too unfamiliar with the area we turned back.
I was in the lead now and I made Hope mad by shooting her as she
negotiated the biggest of the snags we had passed. I did it because I was
proud of her but - "oh well". We made our way back to the lake and began
paddling east. We hadn't gone far when we heard a bunch of people
hollering from behind us and we looked to see three Jon Boats coming from
the stream that we had taken that branched off to the north. We were a bit
annoyed that they had broken our solitude but we stayed on the opposite side
of the lake and away from them. "Go away noisy people!"
As they got parallel to us the boat in the lead stopped and began yelling at
the boat trailing them that they had seen some otters along the shore. We
pulled over to the side and watched and we could see the heads of a pair of
Otters popping in and out of the cypress stumps. We decided to wait on the
opposite side of the lake until the power boaters tired of watching the
otters which they finally they did. We stayed put for a couple of minutes until the
sound of their motors faded away and then we paddled across to see if the
otters
were still there.
I honestly didn't think they would still be anywhere in the vicinity but
after giving it a few seconds we began paddling upstream and I began to hear
a huff that I had heard before on Pumpkin Hill. Hope was a few feet ahead of
me and pointed toward the shore where there was a large log on the bank. I
looked and saw one of the otters under the log making a huffing sound as if
to warn us that this was his home and we needed to stay away. He entered the
water and began swimming in and out of the cypress stumps - raising his head
out of the water to peer at us. Finally, he disappeared and we decided that
to him we were no more welcome than the power boaters so we headed on. Young Great Blue being very still
We made our way to the east toward the put-in. I spotted another young Great
Blue Heron near where we had seen the first one at the beginning of our trip
and we stopped to watch and shoot him. Hope paddled on past him while I
pulled over to the side and he barely acknowledged her presence. I stayed
behind and shot him for about five minutes as he stood on a cypress root and
stared intently at the water. I was sure he was about to plunge his head
under the water and grab a fish but he never did. As I have observed in the
past - young Great Blues are very adept at the first part of hunting food -
being very still - but they seem to have trouble with the second part -
catching the food. I decided to take a
video hoping that I
would catch that moment he finally decided to plunge his head under the
water but I ran out of memory and all I got was several seconds of him being
very still.
After several minutes I decided to move on and since I was only five feet
away I knew he would spook so I told him that I hoped he caught he caught
what he was after. Of course, he looked up at me and flew to the opposite
side of the lake and I caught up to Hopey.
We arrived at the run to the put-in and were amazed at our timing - or lack
of it - when we saw that the Boy Scout troop were arriving at the exact same
time. We got in behind the first group and were amazed that they appeared to
have learned nothing at all about how to handle a canoe after a day on the
water. After about fifteen minutes of watching their canoes zig and zag up
the run constantly running aground we took the first opportunity to beach
our boats and I hoofed it to my truck and we were gone.
Great day though - we will be back to Billy's Lake.
See the pictures from this trip
12/11/06
Female Osprey on Browns Creek
What a difference a couple of days makes in NE Florida! After freezing our
butts off in Fargo I woke up to temps that were heading to the mid-70's. I
thought about taking advantage of the 7 day pass we were given at the park
and checking out the Folkston entrance to the swamp but I had some things to
take care of around the house so I delayed getting out there until I was
done. Great Blue Heron on Browns Creek
The weather was just too good to pass up so I loaded up and headed toward
Browns Creek and headed toward the first island as usual. In almost
precisely the same spot as on my previous paddle here I saw a Great Blue
Heron perching in the Oak Trees on the SE corner of the island so I cruised
by him and got some good shots. A little ways past him was a female Osprey
perching in a dead tree eating a fish. Soon after she flew off a Red Tailed
Hawk flew overhead and after watching it soar toward the road I made my way
west.
I decided to vary my route this time and continued around the island and
made an elongated "S" through the island chain coming around the last island
near the old dock or boardwalk that runs into the water. I was directly
south at this point of the small island in the NW corner of the marsh and as
usual it was full of birds.
I paddled over but didn't get many shots before they flew off but as I sat
there I could hear a low grunting sound coming from around the corner. I
couldn't tell at first if it was the sound of a Heron croaking or another
one of the many wild hogs that I have seen in the area but finally I heard a
louder grunt and saw a dark shape move though the grass back onto the
island. I stayed in the area and saw him one more time briefly running
through the Palmettos but it was obvious that he wasn't going to come out in
the open. Osprey enjoying her meal
I paddled along the edge of the woods in the opposite way that I normally do
hoping to see the Red Tailed Hawk I had seen perching earlier in my trip but
he was long gone. I thought about checking out the runoff pond but just as I
arrived a fishing boat headed into it and I decided to head home.
As I approached the first island from the opposite direction I could see the
same female Osprey perching in almost the same tree so I shot her for a
while and then again at the next perch she chose. As I left her I looked
back and sure enough the same Great Blue was still on the same perch that it
had been two hours earlier.
See the pictures from this trip
12/17/06
Young Bald Eagle on Pumpkin Hill
Creek
The forecast called for warm temps, calm winds and patchy fog and that is
exactly what I found as I headed down Cedar Point Road toward Pumpkin Hill.
As I drove down the road toward the put-in the fog was just starting to lift
making a clear line about 10 feet above the ground.
I got in the water at sunrise as the tide was peaking high. I decided to
head over to one of the islands east of the put-in near Black Hammock
Island. As I got close, a lone Dolphin surfaced and entered the pool behind
the island so I followed. I pulled over to the side and watched the him play
around in the pool as he hunted for food. On several occasions he rose up
out of the water within 10 feet of where I was sitting and his smooth skin
glistened as it reflected the morning light that was breaking through the
pines on Black Hammock. When he broke through the glassy water he reflected
a near perfect image of himself each time. Dolphin at dawn
After several minutes he exited the pool and I decided to leave as well and
head toward the trails. There wasn't much to see the rest of the way down to
the point although the same Dolphin accompanied me for part of the way and
as I rounded the bend opposite the point I could hear the exhale of multiple Dolphins
and was greeted by a group of five or six who were hunting near the point.
The point itself was empty of birds as were the flats behind them so I paddled down
to the grove of pines west of there and set up my hammock to eat breakfast.
I could see the heads of the White Pelicans across the way in the center of Edwards
flats but they seemed content to stay there for the day.
The tide turned and the wind picked up a little while I rested so I knew my
trip back would require a bit more effort than the trip down. Northern Harrier trying
As I set out from the point I noticed a Horned Grebe in the middle of the
creek and tried to paddle over to shoot him. He flushed and began flying
toward the point about 10 feet above the surface of the water. As he was
about to land he passed directly beneath a Northern Harrier who wheeled and
dove at the Grebe. For the next five minutes I watched as the Harrier
circled and dove at the Grebe in an attempt to flush him from the water. The
Grebe apparently knew that the Harrier was ill equipped to snatch him from
the water and was safe if he stayed put but the Harrier persisted in hopes
that he could scare the small bird up where he could snatch him. Finally he
gave up and proceeded to swoop over the grass as he is accustomed to. Immature Bald Eagle
I rounded the next bend and as I approached the trails a young Eagle flew
out from the trees there and disappeared. As I rounded the next bend,
however, I spotted a dark shape in the trees and thinking it was a Heron I
decided to paddle over to investigate. As I got closer I could tell that it
wasn't a Great Blue but a young Bald Eagle - probably the same one I had
seen just a few minutes earlier. Apparently he had circled around and was
now sitting in a pine tree just above me. I managed to get a few good shots
before he flew off and I made my way back to the put-in.
I was hoping to find that the gate was open allowing me to drive my truck
down to the put-in but apparently the parking area still needs some work so
I loaded my boat up on my cart and a few minutes later I was on my way home.
That would have been the end of the story except that as I was heading down
New Berlin Rd. near the old dairy farm I spotted a large hawk sitting in a
clump of trees near the fence line. As I passed him I looked in my rear view
mirror and could clearly see that it was a Red Tailed Hawk perching about 10
feet above the ground. Red Tailed Hawk on New Berlin Rd.
I turned around and parked behind him and was able to get out of my truck
and sneak up to the stand of trees he was perching in. Unfortunately, I
wasn't able to shoot through the branches to get any shots of him in focus
and he finally flew down to the ground below. I went back to my truck and
was about to leave when he flew up and perched on top of a power pole
directly above me. I stayed there shooting him for about five minutes and
finally left him to head home.
NOTE: Two days later Hope and I were returning from the Pulaski Road Nursery
with a pair of citrus trees we were purchasing for our Christmas gifts to
each other. As I passed the clump of trees near the dairy farm I pointed and
told Hope that it was where the Red Tailed Hawk had been perching. I then
pointed up to the power pole across the road and started to explain that he
had flown up there when we both saw the same thing - the same (most likely)
Red Tailed Hawk sitting on the same pole. I stopped for a few minutes so
that we could watch him and he seemed quite content to sit there. I whistled
at him before we drove off and tried to pretend to be a mouse but he ignored
us. I guess I will be watching that area a lot more closely from now on as I
drive to Pumpkin Hill.
See the pictures from this trip
12/18/06
Great Blue Heron and Snowy Egret on
the Tolomato River (ICW)
I decided to head back to the ramp under the Palm Valley Bridge and paddle
down to Jones Creek today. The charts indicated that high tide at Vilano Beach
was at 6:30 but that is a good ten miles south so I hoped that there would
be enough water to allow me to paddle the entire length of the creek.
I arrived at the ramp at sunrise and found the water in the ICW glassy with
no perceptible current. I had an easy paddle south and didn't see much in
the way of birdlife on the way down to the mouth of the creek. Once there I found the current still slowly heading in and the water levels were
high enough that I could glide over the grass in most places.
The north end of Jones Creek
There wasn't a lot of bird life but the scenery was incredible. The bright
morning sun was filtering through the Spanish moss and patchy fog as I
snaked my way north. Jones creek quickly narrows down to a stream just a
little wider than my boat and cuts back and forth between Guana and a chain
of small islands to the west. It reminded me a lot of Myrtle Creek as it
winds it's way toward the Nassau Sound.
I was serenaded on the way up by several pairs of Pileated Woodpeckers who
flew back and forth across the creek announcing their presence. The stream
continually narrowed down and I was about to give up and turn around when it
suddenly opened up into a pool beneath a road and some kind of flow control
device. I got out and could see that the stream continued on the other side
of the road and according to the terraserver photo I brought I knew that the
pond was just around the bend. I dragged my boat over the road and launched
but soon found it too shallow to go any further.
I was about to take a hike south down the road to see if there was access to
the pond when some women on horses came riding by. They told me about a
path that I could take to the pond that was just down the road. I'm not sure
if I found the path they were talking about but I did find a trail through
the woods that led to the mudflat that ran along the stream and there were
Raccoon trails that ran through it and soon I was standing at the edge of
the pond. Diego Pond
I'm glad that I didn't try to paddle into the pond because from what I could
see it was only a few inches deep although that may be seasonal and if its
like the rest of Guana is likely controlled by the devices that I saw. I
walked around part of the shoreline and was a bit disappointed by the lack
of wildlife. I expected to see lots of waterfowl in the pond as well as
Gators and it looked like a great place for Hawks and Eagles to perch but I
saw only a few Herons and a Wood Stork wading.
I headed back to my boat and started back to the south. By now the tide was
just starting to head out and I was able to let the current carry me out
toward the ICW. Once at the mouth of the creek I could see that the water
level was down a couple of feet from high tide so there is about a two
hour delay from the north end of the creek to the waterway. I paddled behind
the islands that lay at the mouth until I was at the entrance to the creek
that is the southernmost and then paddled up the waterway and beached my
boat at the center island in the chain.
I found a beautiful island full of cedars that would be a wonderful camping
spot although I was surprised at how trashy it was - I guess even Ponte
Vedra people can be trashy and not just the people in North Jax. Still, it was a great
spot to hang my hammock and eat lunch. There were some large rusty pipes in
the woods that looked as though they may have come from a dredging rig but
they looked ancient. After a nice break I loaded up and headed back north.
The outgoing current here heads south toward Vilano and I was surprised at
how strong it was. It was not unmanageable, however, and I made steady progress toward
the bridge. About halfway up five Jetskiers roared past me - the sudden warm
spell is not all good, I guess. A few minutes later they came roaring past me
from the south. A lone Dolphin rose out of the water ahead of me heading
south and a few minutes later he was followed by another.
Dolphin Tail on the ICW
The waterway was becoming pretty crowded by the time I reached the ramp and
I had to sit in the channel waiting for an old man to struggle with
trailering his
boat. I couldn't easily get out to help him and I have learned from previous
experiences at boat ramps that help is often unwelcome so I waited
patiently. A couple of young men came up in a fishing boat who could have
easily assisted him but didn't. I was afraid they would try to get ahead of
me but fortunately they were waiting for someone so I was able to get out
and load up without a problem.
It's a great place to paddle but I can see that this place is probably a
real zoo on weekends and there is no beach option to launch from so its the
ramp or nothing. Still a great day and the 10.5 miles put me at 629.5 for
the year - a new high.
See the pictures from this trip
12/27/05
Oyster Catchers on Pumpkin Hill
It's finally open! The drive down access to the put-in at Pumpkin Hill Creek
that is. I reached the end of the road just after 7 am expecting to find
everything the same as usual but as I got ready to park and load my boat on
my cart I saw that the posts blocking the road to the water were gone and I
was able to drive down to within about 100 feet of the put-in.
It was freezing cold, however, and the wind was much stronger than forecast -
coming out of the Northwest at 10-15 knots. By the time I got in the water
my fingers were stinging from the bitter cold which made it difficult to
get my spray skirt on. The current was still heading out and that made the
trip out to the point easy in spite of the breeze which the low water level
negated for the most part. There was far less feeding activity than I had
hoped for but as I approached my "shrimpin' hole" a Clapper Rail flew from the
sandbar he was standing on to the opposite side of the creek and disappeared
into the tall grass. Ibis and Egrets feeding
I could hear the the low chortle of Ibis coming from that grass and as I
passed a small stream that cut into the rushes I could see that there was a
large gathering of the birds feasting in a small pool. I shot them for a while
but then spotted what looked like a flock of White Pelicans flying in closer
to the point. As I got close I could see that there were about a dozen of
the giants swimming along the shoreline feeding as a pack.
When I got in range I could see that their activity was attracting other
birds to the frenzy including a large flock of Hooded Mergansers who seemed
to feel safe in the midst of the huge birds. After a while the Pelicans
spotted me approaching and began floating out into the main channel and
headed upstream. There was a couple of Pelicans who were by themselves
originally and they had joined the other group as I approached. They left
the larger group and began hunting separately when the main group headed upstream. White Pelicans and Mergansers
As I got close to Tiger Point I saw several Dolphins feeding near the oyster
beds on the eastern side of the point. They were making huge splashes with
their tails and exhaling so forcefully that I could smell their fishy breath
floating toward me on the wind. I passed the empty point and headed on down
Pumpkin Hill until I reached the big curve where the creek cuts into the
Edwards Flats.
As I got close to the big oyster beds there I could see that there were a
couple of dozen Oyster Catchers scattered on on the beds there so I took
some time to shoot them before heading back. With the wind at my back and
the tide turned I had an easy trip back and was soon past the point. I
spotted the Pelican pair that were hunting by themselves earlier and they
were still cruising along feeding away. I'm not sure why these guys were so
determined to stay apart from the larger group but they seemed content to
hunt by themselves.
I rounded the bend and headed toward the trails and could immediately tell
that the rest of the Pelicans had gathered there and were feeding. I stopped
long enough to shoot them before heading on back to the put-in.
See the pictures from this trip
12/29/05 Otter enjoying a crunchy meal on the
Suwannee Canal in the Okefenokee
After slicing part of my finger off yesterday it really put a damper on my
holiday paddling plans but today, with my finger heavily bandaged, I was ready
to get back out on the water. We decided to head back to the Okefenokee
Swamp, this time to Folkston Entrance located a few miles south of that town
on SR-121.
We got there and were checked in and on the water at 10:45 managing this
time to get out ahead of another Boy scout troop that was loading up to go on an
overnighter in the swamp. We were behind a slow moving tour boat, however,
and were breathing his fumes for the first mile or so until he finally got
well ahead of us.
After our experience on Billy's Lake three weeks earlier I wasn't sure if we
would see any Gators or not. On that trip the frigid temps apparently had
the critters in hiding but the warm spell we were having this weekend meant
that we might have a chance to see some. I saw the tour boat slow ahead of
us and the guide pointed over to the bank where I could just see a Gator
swimming along. He disappeared before Hope could see him but within minutes
we were both seeing so many of all sizes that we lost count. Cute little guy sunning himself
Almost all of them were lying on the northern bank of the canal and most of
them barely stirred as we paused to look at them and shoot. We surmised that
the reason they were all on the same side of the canal was because in the
winter the sun moves across the sky lower in the southern sky and therefore
the northern bank was getting the full force of it's warming rays.
We reached a branch that the people at the check-in had pointed out to us
called the "Cedar Hammock" run where there was supposed to be a picnic
platform located. Unfortunately, we could only go up this branch about a
quarter mile before the shallow water and vegetation stopped us well before
we could see the platform so we returned to the canal. We were now behind
the Boy Scouts but since they were taking the northern branch of the canal
called the "Cutoff" we decided to take the southern. Sandhill Cranes on one of the
prairies
Not long after the split we found a run that the signs said led to several
different areas including Grand Prairie and Cooter Lake. Hope entered the
run first and immediately pointed to her right and told me that she thought
there were several birds that looked like Sandhill Cranes. She knew that I
would be happy since I had told her earlier that morning that I really wanted
to see some. Sure enough, I looked to my right and saw about four of the
giant birds calmly walking across the prairie, grazing as they went along.
There was a huge gator lying at the entrance to the run but he was one of
the few we saw all day who actually responded to our presence as he slowly
slipped into the water.
As we entered the prairie we were amazed at how many Gators lined the banks
of the run. They ranged in size from two feet all the way up to ten or more
and they were absolutely not bothered by our paddling by them less than six
feet away. This was probably due to the fact that this area was one of the
stopping points for the tour boats who would beach themselves within a few
feet of the Gators to show the occupants.
We arrived at a split in the run and took the one that headed west since it
seemed to have more water. As we headed toward a small stand of trees on an
island in the prairie I could see about a dozen Cranes grazing. While I watched
them I spotted a long dark shape loping across the prairie coming
from the water and running toward the trees. At first I thought it was a
Gator but it was moving way too fast and soon I could see the unmistakable
silhouette of an otter who soon disappeared into the trees. More Canes grazing in the prairies
We cruised past the trees never seeing him again but I am sure he was in
there watching us. We watched the Cranes calmly walking through the grass as
they fed and occasionally a couple of them would lift their heads up
to watch us float by. A huge Gator slid into the water ahead of us and we
decided to turn back. Had I interpreted the map correctly I would have known
that we could have continued on a ways further and cut back into the canal but we
turned back and re-entered it where we came in.
As we floated along we began to see an increasing number of Gators. It got
to the point that whenever we approached an area that looked like it would
be an ideal place fro them to lay in the sun it wasn't a question of if, but
how many - often two or three laying on the soft straw like grass that grows
in clumps along the banks here. Occasionally, these would be empty but there
would always be a Gator sized depression in the grass. At one point I passed
a large Gator who slid into the water from his soft, sunny bed and a Green
Heron who was perching above him hopped down and began hunting from his
recently vacated spot. From what we read about Gators - they won't feed at
all during the cold months so the rest of the wildlife feels safer around
them. Green Heron hunting in a recently
vacated Gator bed
As we approached the place where the run we had taken before rejoined the
canal a couple of rangers came out in a Jon boat and I heard them tell Hope
that they were counting birds. They said they had seen and heard a lot of
the Sandhill Cranes and just a few minutes after passing them I heard one of
their distinctive exotic calls coming from the prairies.
We had wondered if we would see any more otters since we were seeing so many
Gators and as the canal began bending north toward the intersection with the
"cutoff" we had seen the scouts traverse we were seeing more and more.
Suddenly, we noticed that we were no longer seeing them and a few minutes
later we heard a crash up in the woods and looked up to see several dark
shapes bounding through the underbrush. It took us a while to figure out how
many otters there were but we finally came to the conclusion that there were
at least five or six. "Where's that lady in the kayak?"
At first it didn't seem like they wanted to get in the water but were
content to run along the bank beside us bounding over and under logs -
popping their heads up to look at us while a cacophony of chirps, whistles
and huffs came from the brush. Suddenly, it seemed like they all plopped
into the water at the same time and continued their playful escort of us.
They would slide up the bank and bound through the woods and then suddenly
it seemed like they were all back in the water at the same time. They were
obviously following us and probably were making sure that we were leaving
their territory.
At one point we spotted one laying just out of the water with his back to us
crunching away at something he held in his front paws like a dog with a
bone. He looked over his shoulder at us and acted like he didn't care that
we were there as long as we didn't try to steal his tasty morsel. Finally,
he got up and joined his companions as they romped through the brush. Otter enjoying a tasty, crunchy meal
on the bank
We continued this amazing encounter until we reached the intersection with
the cutoff where we were going to turn back toward the ramp. They appeared
as if they wanted to continue along the banks as it headed west but suddenly
the main group slid up the bank and it looked as if they were heading back
the direction they had come from. One of the group was still in the water
and he began huffing urgently as he swam further west. We decided that he
probably wanted us to continue on out of his territory and was letting us
know that play time was over so we turned and headed back east.
The cutoff was a bit narrower than the canal we had been on and the moss
covered trees hung thickly over the water blocking out most of the sunlight
and making it very unappealing for Gators. After pausing for a lunch break
on the water we continued on without seeing any wildlife and no people
either. Once we reached the split and rejoined the main canal we saw the
same Gators as before - most of whom had not moved an inch. Great Blue Heron near the put-in
We made it back to the ramp against a breeze that had kicked up but was easy
to paddle against and we had an easy trip back.
See the pictures from this trip
12/31/05
Red Tailed Hawk on Pumpkin Hill
Creek
For my final paddle of 2006 there seemed like I had no other choice but to
make it at the one place I have paddled in more than anywhere else this year -
Pumpkin Hill.
There was patchy fog on the drive out but by the time I pulled up to the
put-in it had pretty much already lifted on Pumpkin Hill as the sun rose
over Black Hammock Island. The tide was close to peaking high and the water
was like glass with no breeze to stir it. I decided to take advantage of the
high water and explore the nooks and crannies on each side of the creek as I
headed down toward the point. I paddled straight across to Black Hammock
Island and cruised along the shoreline there before heading back out into
the creek and making my way toward the trails. Red Tailed Hawk
As I passed the final trailhead I spotted a large bird perched in a pine
tree that sticks up well above the rest of the tree line. At first I thought
it was an Osprey but a check with my binoculars showed that it was a Red
Tailed Hawk who was perched in an odd way holding onto the branch with one
foot while the other enormous claw dangled in the air.
The high water level allowed me to easily approach him from the side
but I was surprised that he allowed me to get as close as he did. I inched
my way forward until I was just beneath his tree and at that point he turned
himself around on the branch. He waited a couple of more minutes while I
shot before he took off and I continued to skirt the shoreline before
heading back out into the main channel. Spider Web on Black Hammock
I crossed over to the Black Hammock side of the creek and explored some
small streams until I found the little stream that had been full of Ibis on
my last trip. I followed it up until I found my way into the creek that runs
right up under the shoreline of Black Hammock. As I cruised along it I
realized that there was a landing under some big, overhanging oaks and
cedars. When I paddled up to it I could see that there was a beautiful
clearing under trees that looked to be an ideal campsite. I walked around
and explored the area amazed that there didn't seem to be any signs of human
activity. I'm not sure if this area is part of the controversial development
that is going in on the Island but if not, it is very close to it. I didn't
see any signs that it has been surveyed or cleared and the only trash was
some ancient beer cans on the shore that likely floated in. At any rate - it
is a place that I will have to revisit before the developers begin clearing
the land.
After eating some breakfast I continued on toward the point with the
outgoing tide now carrying me quickly in that direction. A lone dolphin was
hunting in the large eddy where Edwards Creek comes into Pumpkin Hill. I
didn't stay at the point too long as the breeze was picking up and the sky
started to darken and look threatening. I took my time coming back and, as
expected, I had to wade through the bank fishermen who are enjoying the drive
down access to the launch even more than I am.
So - this wraps up another busy year for me on the water with 119 trips and
651 miles. Not bad.
See the pictures from this trip
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