|
|
 |
|
 |
Quick Links |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Support this Web Site By shopping at Amazon via the link below:
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
Slow start to the month as I deal with some physical issues Trips this month: 4
5/4/08
After spending the entire week downtown on the jury for a first degree murder case I was ready to get out on the water and headed to the Cedar Point put-in a few minutes after sunrise. The abdominal pain that I have been dealing with was still an issue but seemed to be slightly better so I made my way toward the confluence point. The water was glassy and with the tide close to it's peak there was no current whatsoever. As I entered the branch that leads up to the confluence, I spotted a dark shape in the grass to my left and a check with my binoculars showed that it was a Clapper Rail grooming himself in the bright sun. I paddled over and got several shots before he finally noticed me and ducked under cover. I paddled up to the sea daisy island and ate breakfast while listening to the Marsh Wrens buzz around me. My side was feeling OK and I thought about going further but decided against it and headed back. As I approached the area where I had seen the Rail, a Canada Goose suddenly came swimming out from the grass and floated in front of me gently honking as he looked back at me. I have been seeing a large number of these huge birds this spring - far more than previous year's and have been wondering if the ones I see in the wild are migratories that have shifted their routes to use the Timucuan. I thought it unusual for him to be alone and just as that crossed my mind he stopped and began to honk more urgently. At that moment a second goose rose noisily from a hidden pool in the grass and flew low to where the first goose was waiting. I thought for a moment that it would land next to him but the first goose rose from the water and the pair flew off to the south. The rest of my trip was uneventful as I made my way back to my truck. It was my longest trip since I hurt my side but I'm still having to take it slow.
See the pictures from this trip
5/5/08
One of the things that I missed most about not working night shift during this recent spring outage were the days that I could just pack up and head to the Ribault Club for a "veg-out" trip on the FGR. Today I dropped Hopey off at the airport for yet another one of her little trips and then I packed up and headed to the Ribault Club. As I was packing up to launch there was a trio of Red Breasted Mergansers hanging out near the ramp but they flew off before I could get in the water. I decided to do a turn around in the old yacht basin and soon found myself following a female Merganser. As I was shooting her under some trees along the bank, a Pileated Woodpecker swooped down to the roots near the water and began pounding away at them while I shot. I continued my circumnavigation of the basin shooting the Merganser and several Black Crowned Night Herons who always hang out here before I headed back out into the main channel. The tide was heading out and there was a pretty stiff current that I was forced to negotiate but I was able to stay close to the docks and out of the worst of it until I reached the little stream that runs by what we call "our sandbar". I followed another Merganser who was struggling against the swift current for a while until she headed the opposite direction and I made my way slowly out to the main channel where it bends sharply to the west toward the ICW. I was amazed to see how "our sandbar" had grown and developed a healthy growth of vegetation out near the channel. The FGR is always shifting and every time I come out here after an extended absence I have to orientate myself all over again. I paddled across the main channel to the island located on the west side of the entrance to Simpsons Creek - the island where I made my first kayak camp 8 years ago this month. I found a couple of trees suitable to set up my new beach hammock and then took my first dip of the year in the icy water before retiring to my hammock to eat lunch and do some serious "vegging". There were several Redwing Black Birds in the area who serenaded me as I ate, read and dozed for the next few hours. I headed back with the tide still heading out. I dismissed any thoughts of taking the long way around and took the shortest route back to the ramp. As I let the current carry me toward the ramp I shot a Great Blue Heron, a Merganser and a Snowy Egret as I headed back. See the pictures from this trip
5/6/08
I headed to Guana early this morning and was in the water at 8:00 working my way through the extremely low water out to the main channel. Once there, I decided to head north to see how far the low water would allow me to go. The Stilts were in abundance again and I began to see several females hunkered down in their nests in the middle of the stubble.
I spotted a small group of Roseate Spoonbills off the main channel, one of whom was sporting his breeding plumage. They were too far off the main channel for me to get very close but I as able to get a few shots off before they flew away. I made my way north, passing a fisherman poling his canoe as he cast a fly rod. I was approaching the area where at this water level I didn't think I would be able to go much further. I reached an area where I could see several Spoonbills, Stilts and Egrets gathered along with a lone White Pelican. Ahead, there was a narrow channel that looked navigable but a large Gator slid into the water off of a small island and sat squarely in the middle as if daring me to come any further. As I watched, a pair of Great Blue Herons flew overhead squawking and sparring with each other as they circled the area. One of them dropped down on one of the exposed flats where several of the Stilts were gathered. As soon as he touched down he was promptly set upon by one of the Stilts who noisily attacked the big intruder until he finally left. I proceeded through the narrow channel ahead since the Gator had since disappeared but as soon as I was in the same location where I had last seen him there was a large swoosh as he moved unseen from beneath my boat.
I could see a mass of pink ahead so I carefully made my way forward in the increasingly shallow water. As I got closer, I could see that the mass of pink was at least three or four dozen Spoonbills. I pulled up slowly and took several shots as they sat there calmly. At one point a Stilt came marching out squawking about the large pink intruders that had invaded his territory. The Spoonies finally spooked and flew off, settling down a few yards away behind a wall of cat tails where I couldn't see them and I decided to head back.
Not long after I had turned around, I spotted a huge Gator on the bank ahead of me and I pulled over to shoot him. As I watched, a Stilt came out and I was able to get some good shots of him and the Gator. It wasn't until I reviewed my shots later that I realized that there was a much younger Gator in the water nearby and as the Stilt came wandering out a Least Bittern was with him so I got some good shots of the pair as the big Gator slid into the water.
I made my way from there back to the ramp. The pain in my side that has limited my trip for the last several weeks was still present but it has definitely gotten better and this was one of my longest trips in months without too much difficulty so I was pleased. See the pictures from this trip
5/11/08
A strong wind has been blowing out of the SW for several days in a row, causing me to cancel a few planned trips after work but since this was my only day off this week I decided to ignore the high winds and threats of thunderstorms and make at least an attempt at a paddle. I headed to Pumpkin Hill with the tide about mid level, outgoing and planned to float out to the point and then wait for it to turn. Not long after setting out however i realized that it was not going to be a very pleasant day on the water and since my abdominal pain was feeling a little worse I decided to cut the day short and turned around once i reached the trails. As I was heading back I noticed some splashing next to some oyster beds and realized that a pair of Dolphins were heading out with the tide, hunting fish as they went so I paused to take a few shots before finishing my aborted trip. Not much of trip. See the pictures from this trip
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
