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Another year on the water. Trips this month: 10
1/3/05 I had to give up my last day of Christmas vacation to attend a vendor school at the airport. That sucks but at least it meant that I got off an hour earlier each day this week so I took advantage of that and the fact that I was just 10 minutes away from the put-in that I had scouted out last week on the Nassau River. The place is where U.S. 17 (Main Street) crosses the Nassau River. On the south side of the bridge there is a road that slopes down to the water on either side and there is a well used area with a pretty nice sloping beach that makes putting in a snap. It's right across the river from "Charlie's Fish Camp" and as far as I know that is a free ramp that you can use but the location of the south side is in many ways better for kayaks than the ramp at Charlie's. The tide was still coming in when I got there but I knew that it was about to turn so I decided to head west with the current. As soon as I passed under the bridge the stream turned north for about a half mile and then headed west and went under a railroad trestle. On either side of the rail line, there were streams that headed north into the marsh but because there were fishermen anchored at the mouth of each stream I decided to continue on in the main channel which soon turned to the south. After about a half mile, the river turned to the west once again and continued this direction for about the same distance. The river was about to take another southern turn and I could see the traffic on I-95 in the distance but there was a small stream that was branching off to the north and I decided to explore this for a while. This stream was long and deep and ran along some land that appeared to be a tree farm that had been recently harvested. I began to suspect that this stream had been dredged and maintained to keep this area drained for the tree farm and later I noticed on my USGS maps that one of the aforementioned streams was called "Lumber Creek" which kind of confirmed my suspicions about the purpose of this branch. I explored this unnamed stream for some distance until the I reached the time I had set to head back. By the time I got back to the river, the tide had turned in my favor and I had an easy paddle back. I was intrigued by a couple of things as I headed back to my truck. The main thing was that there was virtually no bird life evident. I saw a couple of Snowy Egrets and several Blackbirds but that was it. At least part of the reason may have been because of the difference in the vegetation in this area as compared to the eastern part of the preserve where I spend most of my time. The marsh grass here is quite different - especially the further west I got and I'm sure the more fresh the water became. The grass here was well over eight feet tall and was crowned with blossoms that reminded me of of wheat shocks. I felt as if I was paddling in the middle of a giant wheat field in Kansas or Oklahoma where I spent the first part of my life. The marsh grass in the east is only about four feet tall and is not as dense as the grass I saw here and I believe that allows the larger herons to navigate in the grass at high tides as they hunt for food. The density of this grass would prevent all but the smallest birds from feeding except at low tide. The rest of the trip was easy and pleasant with the current carrying me homeward - not a bad way to start the year off. See the pictures from this trip
1/6/05
With my school at the airport coming to an end I headed back to the Nassau River once again to do a little exploring. The weather this week has been fantastic and today the temperatures flirted with the 80's and no wind or rain anywhere in the area. I knew that the tide would be low and coming in the whole time I was out there but I decided to head west with the current to explore Lumber Creek - the small stream I passed on Monday just west of the railroad trestle. The incoming current was very strong and carried me quickly north toward the land mass that runs along the marsh on the north bank of the Nassau. Once I reached it I skirted the high banks of the shoreline which was lined with overhanging oaks and pines. I passed three or four large houses and then the stream headed back out into the marsh for a while before it finally petered out and I began the trip back against the current. The current was very strong but I was able to make good progress against it and as soon as I reached the river it became quite a lot easier. I headed back east toward the bridge and considered exploring the other small stream that heads north but the pull into that branch was very strong and I didn't feel like bucking it on the return. While I contemplated this, I saw a group of Red Wing Blackbirds sitting in the marsh grass above me and the setting sun was making the red patches on their wings stand out against the blue sky behind them. I finished the trip with and easy paddle against a mild current as I headed into a beautiful sunset. See the pictures from this trip
1/9/05 I got in the water just as the sun rose above the horizon and about a half hour before high tide. The sunrise was pretty nice but the sun disappeared quickly into the bank of gray clouds to the east. The tide was slack and there was no wind so the water was perfectly flat and glassy. I did my usual route to the old cedar which was occupied by Cormorants and Herons but they didn't stick around for pictures. Just before reaching the old cedar, I spotted a pair of White Pelicans cruising slowly nearby but they were spooked well before I could approach them and I soon saw them circling over their pool a couple of miles north of where I was. Once I got to the waterway, I turned south as usual and crossed to the east side. I noticed as I approached Shad Creek that one of the cedars that was in the water along the shoreline had drifted well away from shore and was now nearly in the channel. It's not likely to be there long, however, since I could see it rocking in the wake of passing boats. I didn't see much and what I saw I couldn't shoot so I made my way south and crossed over at the Kingfish park. On the way home I came across a large gathering of Mergansers and did manage to get one good shot of a male and female flying away. See the pictures from this trip
1/10/05
This was our first excursion in the St. Mary's River after years of thinking about it. Over the holidays, I explored the area to find potential put-ins and the closest one seemed to be near a community in NW Nassau County called Boulogne. About a mile east of there is a private campground that has a public boat ramp and the area is called "Scott's Landing" on USGS. Adjacent to the boat ramp is a sandy beach that is ideal for launching kayaks. We set out under gray skies around 11 a.m. and paddled upriver against a nearly imperceptible current. Between the ramp and the U.S. 1 bridge, on the Florida side of the river is a small waterfront community of about a dozen homes. Once we passed the highway the homes became much more sparse although always on the Florida side. That is about to change, however, as we passed a development on the Georgia side that's about to place about a dozen homes on a beautiful section of the river about a mile west of the highway. For most of the stretch we had a beautiful, peaceful paddle, with very little signs of civilization. We also saw very little wildlife which seemed odd for such a remote and pristine place. We were serenaded by songbirds from time to time and we could see Cardinals and Wrens flitting through the trees. The area just seemed the perfect place to see a Bald Eagle or an Osprey swooping down the river but we saw none. We kept hearing trains rumbling in the distance and we could tell that we were approaching a trestle. On the southeast side of the bridge we found a large home that had been built on the old foundation of what had been the previous crossing for the railroad. The foundation was made of ivy covered brick and appeared to be quite old. Directly across from the river on the Georgia side was the other brick support. The present trestle appears to be quite old itself so these remnants must be ancient. The river here paralleled the railroad for a stretch before continuing on westward. After about another half mile, the river branched off around a small island and on the NW side there was a sandy beach that a dirt road seemed to dead-end at. I believe that this is Pickney's Landing and it was our intended destination. We pulled off here to eat lunch but we were disappointed at the trashy condition of the place - it was littered with car parts and bait containers. The view was pleasant and if not for the garbage it would have been a truly nice place. We began our trip back with a current that was now barely detectable in our favor - I assume the outgoing tide to the east helped speed the current a bit. Just north of the rail trestle there was a branch that took off to the west into the forest. We followed this until it petered out into a woodland swamp. From there it was an easy paddle home. Overall, it was a wonderful day out exploring the St. Mary's for the first time. Although there always seemed to the noises of civilization in the air, with the rumble from U.S. 1 and the trains coming through at least once an hour - it still seemed wonderfully remote and peaceful. We are looking forward to exploring more of it's 125 mile length from it's origins in the Okefenokee Swamp to where it empties into the Atlantic near Cumberland Island. See the pictures from this trip
1/12/05
I began my night shift last night and so today I wasn't up for much of a paddle but with a change in weather in the forecast I felt I had to get out there and enjoy the incredible weather we have been having the last couple of weeks. The tide was almost fully high by the time I got in and there was virtually no wind and no current as I made my way on my usual route. Once I got to the ICW I decided to head north along the western bank. I wasn't really sure where I was headed but once I got past Marker 79 I could see the heads of my old pals the White Peli's crowded together in their usual pool in the mudflats west of the islands. Just before reaching the island a Northern Harrier flew up from the shell bank just a few feet from me and landed in a clump of trees. I was preparing to get out and try to get closer when he flew off and appeared to join another Harrier and they both landed in a tree on an island off of Hannah Mills. The tide was a little higher than normal but not high enough for me to paddle over the bank and into their pool so I disembarked and began walking through the flooded flats. A group of Wood Storks stood in my way and I tried to skirt around them but they spooked and circled over me in formation a few times before departing. I trod carefully though the grass toward the pool with my intentions to just see how close I could get before they all began swimming away. A few did just that but the majority of them seemed pretty much unperturbed as I slowly made my way to the edge of their pool where I knelt down in the shallow water and began shooting them. After several minutes one of the group flew up and then circled directly over me before landing back where he started. He may have been checking me out and apparently he reported back that it was "just that weird fuzzy guy" because the entire group seemed to accept my presence and even the few who had swam to the center of the pool began to return to the group that were standing on the spit of land jutting out into the water. Even the Mergansers and Herons that were sharing the pool seemed to be comfortable with my presence. As I knelt there I began to come up with a plan to construct a portable blind out of a foam bedroll and my wife's cammo spray skirt that would allow me to lay here and observe my friends for an extended period of time - something that I have wanted to do for a while. Finally, I decided to leave and slowly made my way back so as not to scare them any more than I had to. My trip back was uneventful but the wind had picked up considerably making the waterway choppy but the south wind helped me overcome the outgoing current. See the pictures from this trip
1/19/05
I got in the water a little late and didn't get much help from the tide as I headed out to the sound but with little wind and a slack low tide it was still an easy paddle. After a chilly couple of days, today promised to be a bit warmer and by the time I hit the water it was already warming up nicely. The low tidal conditions and generally beautiful weather meant an abundance of bird life would be feeding in the shallows and before I even put in I could see a Night Heron across from the boat ramp and a couple of dozen Mergansers were gathered a few yards away - the male's white patches glittering in the bright sunlight. The Night Heron and Mergansers didn't stick around for me to shoot them and I wound my way slowly toward the sound, passing many herons and other birds along the way. A couple of Ibis' seemed to always be in the company of a Little Blue in its white phase and when I came back a couple of hours later they were still in each other's company. I entered the sound and headed to the south and explored the little marshy area behind were Little Talbot's beach has extended into the sound . I paddled into the shallow bay that has formed there and got out to take a look at the surf. I sat for a while sipping some coffee and watching the Sandpipers and Turnstones running along the water's edge. There were a pair of pipers that were frantically skirting the water, poking their beaks into the sand and came to within six inches of me - obviously a little perturbed that I was blocking their path. I got some really great photos of them with tiny piles of sand on the tips of their beaks. The slight breeze from off the ocean and the incoming tide helped my trip back to be effortless and I enjoyed the rapidly warming weather as I made my way back to the ramp. See the pictures from this trip
1/20/05 I decided to put in at the Ribault Club today and head west to the ICW so that I could explore a little bit north of the Mud River but once I got in the water I soon realized that my energy levels weren't going to allow me to put much effort into it. I visited the yacht basin first and as usual the Brown Pelicans were there along with three or four Black Crowned Night Herons. The rest of the trip to the ICW was in a slack tide with a slight breeze out of the west. There were an unusual number of Great Blues out and about but I never had any real good photo ops so I just made my way to the waterway. Once I arrived I was pooped so instead of heading north as I had intended I turned around and let the wind push me home.
1/25/05
Browns Creek was my destination today and I got in the water just before high tide. There was a pretty good breeze coming directly out of the west as I set out and I could see the herons gathering on the leeward side of the nearest island. I cruised by them and then headed north with the intention of circumnavigating the island chain and then skirting the western shoreline. From a good distance away I spotted an Osprey in a tree struggling with a huge fish. He soon flew off to finish his meal elsewhere and I continued my journey to the north and then to the west where I began skirting the SJRPP property. I was positioning myself to shoot a couple of Great Blues when a couple of large black shapes suddenly jumped up with a loud roar from the marsh grass along the shoreline. I watched as the two enormous wild pigs crashed through the underbrush and headed into the woods. Just before disappearing, one of them paused and let out a deep and menacing growl in my direction and then continued on into the brush. I continued on along the shoreline and as I approached the landing where I found the machete last summer, I heard another noise in the grass and watched as six or seven small black pigs ambled out of the grass and disappeared into the woods. None of this group was as large as the first group that I encountered and some were definitely babies. From there, I found my way into the plant's runoff pond and spotted a pair of Ospreys at the west end of the pond sitting above the water in separate trees. I began shooting one of them until she flew off. She circled a couple of times and then joined her companion on its tree where they both stayed until I glided underneath. I left the pond and was preparing to head back to my put-in when a Great Blue flew up in alarm and lighted nearby. I paddled over and was preparing to glide in when I spotted the thing that had spooked the heron. It was a large Red Tailed Hawk and I was able to shoot him before he flew off. It was time to leave and I headed back with the wind and tide in my favor. See the pictures from this trip
1/27/05
I set out from my usual put-in as high tide was peaking out. The breeze was out of the NE but not too stiff early on and the sun was bright and the breeze fairly warm. I more or less did my usual northern circuit - to the old cedar and then north to the ICW. As I passed one of the islands just north of the old cedar, I spotted a pair of hawks in the trees and I stopped to investigate. At first I thought it was the same pair of Northern Harriers I had seen the last time I was in the Mills since this was the island I had seen them both fly to. On closer investigation, however, I realized that they were indeed Red Tailed Hawks and I now believe that the pair of Harriers I had seen a couple of weeks ago were probably these same birds. That coupled with my sighting a couple of days ago of another Red Tailed Hawk in Browns Creek is a good sign that these birds are making the marsh a permanent home. I headed east and made the crossing to "Camping Island" where I hung my hammock and ate lunch. After a brief break, I continued south with the wind having picked up considerably. The wind, along with the outgoing current made my trip southward a swift one. I passed a pair of Ospreys - a male and a female and I have noticed that the female's "necklaces" are becoming quite distinctive as we approach breeding season. The trip home was fairly easy even against the tide. The wind was coming across my bow so I stayed on the leeward banks until I was in a position to let it help me. See the pictures from this trip
1/30/05 Gray, blustery day on the water today. Low, gray clouds hovering above dark gray waters separated by the vegetation of the marsh that seemed to be equally gray today. I put in at Cedar Point along Heckscher Drive and immediately began thinking about doing a route that I have wanted to do for some time - a kind of circumnavigation of Cedar Point Creek and Hannah Mills with the ICW as the connecting point. It was amazingly quiet out there but I was surprised by the number of fishermen I encountered - I guess I'm not the only one with a water addiction. Even so, it was a pleasant, although cold and wet paddle northward and I made good time arriving at the waterway in little over an hour. Of course, there was absolutely no birdlife out there - the occasional egret, a lone Harrier and an Osprey but that was about all at least until I was about to enter the Hannah Mills shortcut that takes me back to the confluence point of the two streams. There, I saw a long line of large, white birds with black tips on their wings coming in off the river in an undulating line. They would disappear beneath the grass for a few seconds and then reappear like a hose began straightened on the front lawn and then reappear once again. My old pals - the White Pelicans continued this action as they headed for their pool to the north until they got about even with me when they seemed to hesitate and circle as they seemed to try to decide what formation they wanted make their entrance to the pool in. They finally settled in a V-formation and continued on - dipping and soaring until they finally disappeared below the grass one last time. I headed on with the tide now slack. Until I reached the confluence point I was paddling into a stiff breeze coming from the NW but from that point on I had the wind at my back and it was an easy trip home. One note - I find it hard to believe that I can be further horrified by what I find at my put-ins along Heckscher but today proved me wrong as I was greeted by a large heating oil tank that someone had converted into a grill and since the bottom was now rusted out had discarded here. Here we are a week away from hosting the Super Bowl and being offended by what others are saying about us in the national media. If you see what I see sometimes, folks - I somehow feel we deserve it. |
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