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We start 2009 out in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp Trips this month: 10
1/1/09
As usual, I spent a fitful night in the tent, but for the most part I was warm and comfortable. Occasionally, an Owl with a wild call that I had never heard before would scream from nearby but for the most part the swamp was absolutely quiet. The wind, which had been brisk the day before continued to blow all night and even seemed to increase in velocity adding to the chill.
At 6:30 I woke up and could tell that the light outside was growing so I dragged myself out the tent and tried to keep myself warm. I quickly changed my mind about hopping into my boat to check out Buzzard Roost Lake about a third of a mile south of where we were and watching the sun rise from a better vantage point. The Cranes, which had been mostly silent all night started to trumpet from all around us but at 7:00 am it was if an alarm clock went off and every Sand Hill Crane in the swamp began calling loudly and they all sounded as if they were just on the other side of the vegetation from us. It was like Crane reveille or Sand Hill roll call. After about 10 minutes they settled down to their usual random chortle as the sun started to rise over the swamp. The view from the platform was disappointing since due east was through the thickest part of the woods behind us. Finally, I could see the sun break through the thicket and I decided to crawl back into my sleeping bag to warm up before making a pot of coffee and getting ready to return home. Hope was ready to get up when the coffee was made and we spent the next couple of hours thawing out by drinking our warm coffee and eating our piping hot oatmeal. We packed up our things and were off the platform by 10 am as instructed by the permit and we followed the sign placed at the entrance to Monkey Lake that pointed toward "Home". The wind had died down from the night before but was stronger than it was when we were paddling the previous day. It had also shifted so that instead of blowing out of the NW where it didn't hinder our paddling much it was now coming out of the NE which meant that for most of the day we would be going into the teeth of it.
It was slow going and we were both at a low energy level so we just kept plugging away up the trail that led due north. We passed through Grand Prairie where we saw literally hundreds of Cranes gathered in small groups on either side of us. As they had the day before, we would often paddle past them without seeing or hearing them only to have them trumpet and fly up with a loud "whump, whump, whump" of their wings. We were nearly out of the prairie and about to enter the series of passes through the many cypress islands when I happened to look to my right and see a large doe standing at the edge of the woods staring at me with her enormous ears pointed straight up. I started shooting and then tried to indicate to Hope that I was seeing something interesting but her view was blocked by some vegetation. Just before she came into clear view I could see the deer divert it's attention from me and stare at Hope before it bounded into the woods with a loud series of splashes. We both realized that we had heard the same sound at the same location on the day before so we feel certain that this island is the deer's territory.
We paddled onward through the islands and were about a mile from the turn when I spotted a Canoe loaded with gear coming toward us with a couple of guys in it. Since the path was fairly narrow I pulled over and as they pulled up asked if they were headed to Monkey Lake. They said they were and since it was obvious that we had been camping there they asked how our night was. I told them that we enjoyed it in spite of the freezing conditions and as Hope pulled up behind me I prepared to pull away. The younger of the two then pulled out a note pad and pen and told us that he was writing an article on the swamp and wanted to ask us a few questions. I figured he was probably from a local paper in spite of the fact that his accent clearly indicated that he was not from South Georgia so I laughed out loud when he told us that he was a travel writer from the New York Times. We spent the next five or ten minutes answering his questions the best we could in spite of how tired we were. The other guy told us that he was from Savannah and was the photographer for the article and asked us if we minded if he took our pictures. He then gave us very specific instructions on what to do ("don't look at me....look around you") and so we said goodbye and paddled past him as he snapped away.
A few minutes later, as we took our next break, we both had to laugh at the irony of being interviewed by a New York Times travel writer in the middle of the Okefenokee Swamp on New Year's Day. We figured that they would probably find somebody else out in the swamp who were more photogenic and eloquent so we'll be surprised if we actually get in the article. The writer's name is C.J. Hughes and he said that it would likely appear in the Friday edition late in January so we'll keep and eye out.
We took a few more breaks on our way back to the canal shooting more Cranes along the way. Once back in the canal we were happy to find that it offered us almost complete shelter from the wind and after taking a final break at the halfway point I took off and beat Hope back to the ramp by 10 minutes. There were a couple of canoes and a ton of camping equipment piled on the ramp as I arrived and as I unloaded a young lady walked up and told me her group had just pulled in from Kingfisher where they had a three day, two night trip that was 32 miles long. Apparently, the platforms along that trail are not spaced out very well and she said the last two days were very long. Hope pulled up just as I was putting my boat on the ramp and we were loaded up and on the way home around 3 pm. We both agreed that although we had enjoyed the trip that the weather and Hope's physical condition should have made us cancel the trip. We did it and now we know better what to expect so I think that we will be spending more time out here. See the pictures from this trip
1/6/09
After our Okefenokee trip last week I had weekend coverage at work so it had been nearly a week since I had been on the water. This afternoon I decided to head out after work and get a brief trip in on Hannah Mills. The tide had peaked out about 30 minutes before I put in so there was a slight current heading toward the ICW as I crossed the pool and cruised by the Night Heron roosting spot. I decided to head directly toward the Kingfish Park and had an easy ride out as the sun began sinking in the sky, disappearing briefly behind a bank of clouds that I knew would make the sunset interesting. When I reached the park I paddled upstream in the waterway and then cut back into the marsh when I reached the Manatee Zone sign where the Ospreys used to nest. I cut through that section of the marsh and took the stream that I normally take when I go on my counterclockwise run in this area. As the sun finally re-emerged briefly from the clouds just before disappearing for good behind the tops of the Jacksonville skyline I entered the main north-south channel of Hannah Mills and began paddling back toward the put-in. I was only out on the water for a little more than an hour but covered 3.5 miles and felt better for the effort. I could definitely tell a big difference in the way my boat felt with all the camping gear back at the house. See the pictures from this trip
1/9/09
After my seven straight days of work I was ready to do some paddling so with high tide at 7:30 I decided to turn right at the end of my driveway and visit a place I haven't been to in the early morning in some time - Browns Creek. It was a brisk 45 degrees and there was a good breeze blowing from the NE so I donned my wonderful Xmas present that Hopey made me - a pair of fleece idiot mittens and began paddling toward the big island.
As I got close I could begin to detect several Great Blue Herons perching in the tops of the big pines on the eastern edge of the island where they have been nesting for the last few years. As I got closer I started to realize that literally the entire side of the island was full of Great Blues perching in the trees below all along the shoreline but in the darkness they were almost invisible. There was one tree that held five of the big birds but they soon all flew off as I got close and after circling the island began landing in the pine trees where the other Heron were causing a ruckus as they fought for position. I could see that the nest building had already begun and the Herons themselves were starting to grow the pin feathers that they sport during the spring.
As I sat there watching them the sun started to rise behind Round Top - the little island that is connected to Hecksher Drive by a causeway. Once it was above the island the orange glow of pure light began bathing the trees and turning the plumage of the birds perching there a soft orange. I decided to head south along the trees on the eastern side and check to see what the southern shoreline held. As I rounded the corner I could see that one of the trees was full of birds and decided to paddle against the outgoing current to see if I could get some shots. As I began to head that direction half of the tree was in the shadows but as the sun began to rise it slowly emerged from the shadows and soon the white feathers of the Great and Snowy Egrets were glowing in the morning sun.
I slowly made my way toward the tree expecting the birds to flush well before I could get close but instead they sat there calmly grooming themselves as the bright sun warmed them on this chilly morning. One of the things I appreciate about birds is the fact that they seem to like the same things that I do and sitting in the morning sun on a cold day is one of my favorites. I was able to work my way ever closer to them partly due to the fact that the sun was behind me and partly because they were intensely occupied with their morning ritual of grooming and preening. There were at least three dozen birds in the tree including Great Egrets, Little Blues, Tri-Colored Herons and Snowy Egrets and at times it seemed as if every bird was preening at the same time. I sat there for at least 30 minutes shooting away before I finally let the current carry me away from the tree so that I could paddle past them without disturbing them. Ultimately, that proved impossible and the entire tree flushed but most of them settled back to their same spots as I paddled around the western point of the island and continued the circumnavigation. Once on the back side I decided to make a crazy figure eight of the island chain and worked my way around the three main islands until I came around to the north side of the island that has a couple of camp sites. I got out to stretch my legs and was disgusted once again at the sight of the trash left by campers that they so easily could have taken with them.
I made my way back to the main channel and was floating with the current back toward the east side of the first island when I saw the Great Blues fly up with a racket from the pine trees. I was too far away to be the reason for their departure and as I watched a large black bird rose from the trees nearby and began circling the island swooping low over the trees where the nests are. His white head and rump gave him away and I am sure he was the reason for the sudden departure of the Herons. He seemed to be interested in the nests and I think he may well be thinking that they will be the source of a tender meal in a few months. That is one of the reasons that Herons roost together however so I am sure that he will be in for a fight if he tried to snatch one of the youngsters. I continued around the point and head back to the put-in where a tall, thin young man was getting ready to launch his kayak. As he got out of this truck he remarked that we seemed to cross paths quite often. I realized when he said it that I had indeed seen him out on the water at least a couple of times in the past year - once on Hannah Mills and then shortly thereafter at Pumpkin Hill. We chatted as I loaded up and I found out that he is a Naturalist at Tree Hill preserve. I told him about my web site and he promised to look it up. See the pictures from this trip
1/9/09
I decided to head around the corner from my house for today's trip and put in at Cedar Point Creek. High tide was around 10 am so I knew that I had plenty of time to spend out in the marsh if I wanted to. The temperature was in the mid-40's with a brisk NE wind so I donned my fleece mittens and set out to the south as the full moon set behind SJRPP.
The breezy conditions meant that there was very little in the way of bird life but as I approached the first point I heard the loud honking of several Canada Geese and saw a pair of groups flying out from the dredge spoil on Clapboard Creek. They made a couple of circles above the water and then seemed to return to the dredge pile where there is likely a pool. I continued on against the cold wind and as cleared the next point I could see a mass of white and yellow at the entrance to the confluence point. As on my previous trip, a couple of dozen White Pelicans had gathered on the tiny shell island there but the incoming tide was already coaxing them to abandon them. As I watched they slowly began swimming in single file to the north until there was only a single bird left clinging to one of the outcroppings. Finally, he too had to leave and soon I could see all of them rising into the air as they made their way to their pool near the ICW. I stopped at the sea daisy island briefly to eat an energy bar and consider which way to go. Ultimately, the wind and cold made me decide against heading toward the waterway and so I started paddling north toward the point. The strong wind and current coming in from the ICW made my trip strenuous but I was soon at the place where Cedar Point joins Pumpkin Hill and the current turned in my favor. As I turned in at the point I spotted a bird with a falcon like profile fly up to a tree but I could never positively ID him as a Peregrine.
I paddled up to the landing and decided to get out to stretch my legs but as I was exiting my boat I noticed a log floating toward me sitting vertically in the water. When it began huffing at me and then popped below the surface of the water I realized that it was an Otter and so I got my camera ready and watched for him to return. It seemed like forever before I finally saw him again on the opposite side of the creek checking out the grassy bank. I lost sight of him for a while but I began hearing a sharp bird-like chirp coming from a tiny grass island a few feet from where I stood. I couldn't see a bird anywhere in the area and when something suddenly splashed into the water from the grass I realized that it had been the Otter who was evidently chirping at me as he watched from the island. Almost immediately, he popped his head up and then reacted with a loud swirl as he dove under the surface of the water - the first time an Otter has ever displayed fear around me. He soon recovered and began displaying the usual Otter-like behavior that I am accustomed to - lifting his head high above the water to check me out as he huffed loudly. Finally, he had checked me out thoroughly and the next time I spotted him he had returned to his explore of the opposite bank of the creek and so I got back in my boat and continued north. I stopped when I reached the point where I could see the boat squatters and so I decided to turn back. The current had slacked in the creek but as I returned to Cedar Point it was still flowing in strongly and so with the breeze even more intense at my back I had an easy float back to the confluence point and was soon at the put-in. See the pictures from this trip
1/15/09
This has been the coldest week of the year and perhaps in several years as the overnight temperatures have been dropping below freezing. Today, after a frigid start the temperatures were in the mid-50's as I got off work and with not a breath of wind to bend the plumes at SJRPP I stopped at Browns Creek and was heading under the bridge at 4:45 as the last of the water flowed out of the marsh.
The water was too low to go many places but with the sun setting in a little over an hour that didn't matter too much so I headed to the Heron Roost where several of the Great Blues were once again hanging out. The shallow water prevented me from getting very close so I paddled around the bend to the south and made my way under the trees on that side of the island, shooting an Osprey perching in one of his usual spots. I continued on around the bend to the west side of the island before deciding that I would make my way back.
When I rounded the bend to begin floating under the trees overhanging the eastern shore I saw that the Osprey had now been joined by several Great Egrets who were gathering to watch the sunset. The sun was now low on the horizon and was casting a warm glow on the moss covered Live Oaks. I paused to shoot them a while and them let the still outgoing current carry me toward the bridge. Once I cleared the east end of the island I could see that the horizon opposite the sunset was reflecting an orange and pink glow. I enjoyed that sight for a while but as I approached the bridge I could see that the real show was starting to take place in the western sky now that the sun was below the horizon. The entire western half of the sky suddenly became enflamed with a fiery orange glow that was enhanced by the incredible textures in the clouds. Some off them resembled the ridged patterns in the sand on the beach while others looked like light feathers or flames of fire. I floated under the bridge as I shot and then finally backed my boat onto the beach at the put-in so that I could sit there watching the display. It seemed like much longer but it was probably a good 15 - 20 minutes that I sat there shooting, not wanting to leave in case the show continued to get better. Finally, I packed up and shortly after that I could see the sky slowly begin to calm down and I headed home. I mentioned the sunset to Hope and to a co-worker the next day and their reaction was the same - it was a truly special show - a 10. See the pictures from this trip
1/18/09
I decided to head to Pumpkin Hill for the first time in 2009. After the coldest night and day of the year it was supposed to be nearly the same this morning and I was anxious to try out my new fleece mittens and head band in some truly frigid weather but, alas, the low overnight barely reached 40 degrees. It wasn't much warmer than that as I set out from the put-in a few minutes before sunrise at mid-tide, outgoing and I quickly donned my mittens over my paddling gloves and let the current carry me toward the point.
As I rounded the first bend, the sun rose over Black Hammock Island and began to burn off the mist rising from the water. As I headed toward the trails, I spotted a commotion in the water ahead and realized that it was at least two Dolphins feeding in the area in front of the trails. As I watched, I could see the Dolphins "frost breath" rising from their blow holes - a sight I had never witnessed before. I rounded the bend and after shooting an Osprey decided to try to continue down the western side of the channel thinking that at mid-tide there would be plenty of water left. I soon found out that this was an unusually low tide and had to back track to get over to deeper water.
I thought that I had spotted the Dolphins cavorting ahead of me and as I made my way toward my shrimping spot I was sure that I saw them moving in the water ahead of me. The dark shape I saw didn't look Dolphin-like so I checked with my binoculars and saw instead the distinct shape of an Otter who was moving across the water towards where a Great Blue Heron was standing. I was sure that I saw the Otter hop up into the grass and was afraid that I had missed my opportunity to shoot him and turned my attention to the Heron. As I floated toward the Heron I suddenly noticed that the Otter was back in the water and remarkably, instead of acting alarmed, it calmly began swimming toward me. I kept shooting as he approached, expecting him to dive under the water or change directions but he kept coming until he was close enough to reach out and pat him on the head. I pulled the camera away from my face and I guess that was enough to finally scare him away as he dove violently under the water and was soon several yards ahead of me.
I didn't realize it until later but there had been a second Otter on the bank with him and as the first one swam ahead of me he began to do the usual Otter behavior that I am accustom to - lifting his head and torso out of the water to look at me and huff loudly. I spotted the second Otter swimming along the shoreline ahead of us and it seemed as if it was totally oblivious to my presence while it's mate seemed to run interference. It was huffing so persistently and so closely that I could smell it's breath which was not unlike the breath I have smelled from Dolphins - very fishy. After a few minutes I spotted the second Otter hop up into the grass and I stopped to see if it would re-emerge. While I did, the first Otter stayed close by me constantly lifting its head out of the water to huff at me.
I moved on and continued to follow him as we approached my shrimping spot but the Otter acted like it wasn't sure where it's mate had gone to as its attention seemed to be fixed more on the shoreline than on me whenever it would rise up from the water. It swam past me very closely again and I finally decided to head on and let the two find each other again. I turned into the small stream near my shrimping spot and laughed when a Pied Billed Grebe surfaced next to my boat only to run frantically along the surface of the water until it had rounded the corner out of sight. I headed back out to the main channel and just missed shooting a Clapper Rail who was well away from his grassy fortress.
I paddled on to the point and headed up Edwards Creek hoping that I would see the final part of my Pumpkin Hill Trifecta - a Bald Eagle. As I floated past the point I looked up Edwards Creek I could see another Otter swimming along the bank. I watched him approach a small stream flowing through the muddy banks coming from the grass. He quickly slithered up the stream and disappeared and I paddled over to see if he would come back out. He never did but I was interested to noticed that he left no foot prints as he slithered up the stream which means that his tail was the only means of propulsion. As I sat there waiting for him to re-appear, a pair of White Pelicans came swimming around the bend but turned back and then flew away. I headed back to Pumpkin Hill and made my way around to the cove before deciding to turn back. I spotted a trio of Oyster Catchers who I shot for a while and then headed back. The wind, which had been calm on my trip down had really picked up and was against me for most of the return trip but the tide was slack so it wasn't too bad. See the pictures from this trip
1/21/09
The unprecedented cold weather we are having here in NE Florida has continued into this week with overnight lows dropping into the mid-20's for several nights in a row. The wind this afternoon finally dropped out of the teens so I decided to make another stop at Browns Creek on my way home - especially when I saw the "Heron Tree" bearing it's white fruit on the south side of the big island.
The tide was still coming in as I pushed away from the put-in and began paddling toward the Great Blue Heron rookery. I paused to shoot one huddled in the grass along the way and then floated up to the big oak tree where several were perched beneath the pine trees that hold the nests. They flushed and after making a circuit of the area began landing with a commotion in the tops of the pines, joining those who were already there. I cruised to the south along that edge of the island shooting a few more along with an Osprey and then rounded the corner and made my toward the Heron Tree.
With the sun behind the tree, the Herons didn't stick around for too long before flushing but when they did they didn't go far and I was able to shoot the Great Egrets with their wispy pin feathers starting to turn a light orange as the sun began to get lower in the sky. I decided that the tide was right and I had enough light to make it all the way around the island so I did so and found myself back at the rookery as the sun was at the horizon. Once past the rookery I could see that the Great Egrets were back at their usual spot so I decided to paddle up to them as carefully as possible to try to catch at least one of them as the sun set behind them. I spent most of my time shooting one who was perching close to me and was sporting a beautiful set of pin feathers. Finally, the sun set and I decided to head back. Compared to the show the sun put on last week there was no comparison due to the lack of clouds - maybe a six on a scale of 10. Still a great evening on the water. See the pictures from this trip
1/23/09
I headed toward Kingfisher Landing this morning to paddle in that part of the Okefenokee. After crossing paths with someone who had put-in there and camped at Bluff Lake I was curious about the camping platform and wanted to check it out. She had told me that it was a 6 mile journey but after I measured it I discovered that it was more like 7.5 miles and wasn't sure if I wanted to do a 15 mile round trip today.
I figured that I would at least give it a try and see what it was like on the Green Trail in that direction. As I made my way down SR-40 towards Folkston I could see that a very heavy fog was just beginning to lift but as I pulled up to the ramp at Kingfisher it was all but gone. I paddled west and as usual saw very little wildlife apart form the occasional Pileated Woodpecker and Eastern Phoebe. I could hear some Sandhill Cranes trumpeting to the south but they were quite distant. I made the turn to the south and followed the same trail that Hope and I had taken on our first visit here a year and half ago. The main difference between that trip and this one was of course the higher water levels and much clearer paths and I was soon at the location where Hope and I had turned around, The trail meandered to the south through some thick vegetation before it turned back to the east and things opened up a bit. It turned back to the south and headed though some prairies that unlike the ones to the south were full of tall grasses so that if there were Cranes about they stayed well hidden until they flushed which a couple of them did. I reached the five mile marker and debated turning around at that point but since it was only 10:30 I decided to at least press on for a little while longer and see how I felt.
That turned out to be a good decision as a short time later I spotted a sleek, dark shape slithering back and forth across the trail. I paused to shoot the Otter as I inched forward and watched as he sat on the bank of the trail digging in the mud. When he finally saw me he jumped into the water but his head soon popped up a few yards ahead of me. He was crunching on something dark as he huffed at me which sounded odd since his mouth was full. He popped up close by a few times and then headed down the path. I followed him for a few yards but after a minute or so I saw his bubble trail heading toward the grass and he disappeared in the direction of a cypress island. Not long after the Otter had disappeared, I saw the tail of a large Gator who had obviously seen me coming and was trying to thrash his way into the water. He never re-appeared and I continued on until I finally reached Durdin Lake which was only a half mile upstream of my destination. It was close to noon which was my turn around time but decided to press on and was entering the large lake just after noon. To my disappointment there was no shelter along the shore of the lake and I wondered if I had been mis-informed. I saw the exit trail on the other side of the lake and as I approached there was a sign that indicated that the shelter was in that direction.
About 100 yards south of the lake was the platform so I paddled up and exited my boat to take a quick break. The platform is a bit smaller than the one at Monkey Lake but there was plenty of room for a few tents. The best part of it was that the view from the platform was clear in all direction so that sunrises and sunsets would be spectacular. There was a log book at the shelter and I could see that it had been well visited since August of last year - at least 50 people. At 12:20 I decided to head back and since the wind had been in my face all morning I hoped that it would help me on the way back. Of course, as luck would have it, the wind changed directions and started blowing from the north but it wasn't strong enough to matter. I was bushed and knew that I was definitely overdoing it so I took several breaks as I made my way to the north. I saw even less wildlife than on my way down except for several Wood Ducks who always flushed well before I saw them. As I pulled up to the boat ramp I was able to see a pair of them hanging out nearby and managed to get a few decent shots before I forced them to flush and headed home. See the pictures from this trip
1/25/09
This morning the tides were right to stay close to home so I headed east intending to put in at Cedar Point but when I found that location occupied I continued on and set out from Hannah Mills as the sun tried to make its appearance into a slate gray sky. The water was absolutely glassy and reflected the color of the sky perfectly as I set out across the pool next to the road.
The sea daisy island was occupied by a variety of shorebirds who were twittering excitedly as I approached and all but one flew off in a flurry as I got close. As I headed toward the old cedar where I usually eat breakfast I heard the sound of Geese honking and spotted a pair of Canada's floating along on the opposite side of the stream I was entering. I made my way toward the cedar and flushed a Little Blue who was perching there. As I rounded the grassy point west of where the tree is now located I saw that another Little Blue was still perching there and I managed to get a few shots of him before he flew off. As I pulled up beside the tree to eat my meal I was amazed to see him com flying back and he landed on another branch just three feet from where I sat. I was sure that his visit would be brief once he realized that I was still there so I spent several minutes shooting him while he eyed me carefully. Finally, I decided to go ahead and eat which meant reaching for my cooler which created a good amount of noise. He flinched and cocked his head to look at me but he never flushed and so I ate my breakfast and then shot him so more before pushing off and heading across the creek. As I approached the ICW I spotted a dark bird perching on a dead tree along the banks of the waterway where the parallel stream I was paddling emptied out. I couldn't identify it for sure at first but as I got closer a check with my binoculars confirmed what I was beginning to suspect - that it was an immature Bald Eagle.
It flew off before I could any clear shots but I watched as it headed north along the ICW. A few minutes later, as I approached the Pelican Pool, a young Eagle flew out from the trees nearby and a minute or two later I spotted yet another young Eagle (or possibly the same one) perching on a dead tree in the mud flats but it too flew off before I could get any shots. I exited my boat and walked across the flats toward the Pelican Pool which was only about half full from the peak capacity of late. I didn't plan to stay long at the pool so I just walk up to the edge and took a few photos as the Pelicans scooted into the water. I noticed a few ducks swimming about and when they flushed I realized that they were a type that I had never seen before - A Northern Shoveler. Had I known that they were hanging out in the pool I would have been more careful about approaching the pool and perhaps gotten some better shots.
I left the pool and began paddling north thinking that I might enter Cedar Point Creek and finish the circumnavigation of the marsh. As I approached the mouth of the creek, however, I could see the horizon disappearing into a haze and soon a light mist began to fall. Once in the creek I realized that the current had ebbed so instead of an easy trip past the point and to the confluence area I would have to expend some effort and after a 15 mile trip on Friday I decided I was not up for it and turned around. I drifted with the current until I reached the entrance to Hannah Mills and turned in there. A few yards down the creek I heard the honking of the Canada Geese and watched as a pair flew by me and headed toward Cedar Point. The sun finally made an appearance and blue skies started to break through above me and I finished my trip back to the put-in. See the pictures from this trip
1/26/09
I had plans to be a responsible adult and take care of some much needed things around the house today but all of that changed when I stepped outside to retrieve the paper and saw a beautiful, dense fog shrouding Heckscher Drive. I made my apologies to Hope, grabbed my stuff and headed up the road to Browns Creek. I managed to get in the water at the same time the sun was due to come up but, of course, the thick gray soup meant that the sun was going to be a "no show" and I paddled through it up to the Great Blue's rookery. The mist was so thick that I could feel it hitting my face and soon covered my glasses.
I skirted the shoreline on the eastern side of the island and then paddled under the usual Heron roost getting a few shots of the Egrets perching in the fog. I considered checking out the run-off pond at SJRPP but decided to continue around the island, shooting a few Great Blues along the way. I came back out on the east side of the island and decided to head north toward the third island in the chain. I could tell that the fog was just beginning to lift as I made my way toward the island but there was still plenty of the gray stuff out there and the stillness meant that the water was absolutely glassy and added to the mirror-like effect of the fog..
As I came around the north side of the island I could see that the trees overhanging the water were full of Egrets and Herons but they flushed and headed to another small island just west of there. I paddled around it and then since it was peak high tide I continued on westward until I found myself at the old dock that I discovered 10 years ago on my first trips out in Browns Creek. It has now fallen over - perhaps yet another victim of Mighty Fay who did more damage and rearranged more things out in the preserve than any other storm I've seen. From there, I paddled north toward the small island located near Island Drive that is usually full of birds but today was empty. As I paddled back toward the main channel I could see the bubble trail that my paddles had left a few minutes earlier undisturbed in the stillness of the day.
I got back in the main channel that runs along the north side of the island chain and as I approached the next small island I could see a pair of large, dark birds perching next to each other on a dead tree. A check with my binoculars confirmed my suspicion that it was the pair of Red Tailed Hawks that I have seen out here for the last few years. It's obvious that the two are mates as they were sitting close enough to one another to touch and when the larger one flew off the second one waited only a few seconds before following.
I watched as the pair flew directly over to the small island where the Herons and Egrets had congregated. The Egrets all flew up in alarm as the Hawks closed in and it looked for certain that the Red Tails were having fun causing the commotion and chased them around a bit before settling down to a pair of dead trees on the island. I paddled up and got some good shots of them before they both flew off. I cruised by the third island shooting the Herons latest perching spot before making my way back home to be a responsible adult. See the pictures from this trip
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