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Paddling Journal November 2006 Cool temps but not much daylight Trips this month: 8
Back to Journal Index
11/1/06
Great Blue Heron
at sunset on Browns Creek
My first trip after the time change is always a bit depressing as I realize
just how quickly the sun goes down after I get off work. Today, there was an
overcast sky that ran almost to the horizon and made things seem even darker
than it was. There was a gap between the edge of the clouds and the horizon
so with the sun just above it the sky behind Northside Generating Station
was already glowing orange.
I headed west toward the runoff pond and as soon as I reached the first
island I paused to shoot the Herons and Wood Storks who were nicely
silhouetted in the trees against the setting sun. There was an owl hooting
from the interior of the island and as I sat there the young Eagle who lives
in the area came flying across from the direction of NGS and headed behind
me to the island where I usually see him perching.
Save a Night Heron and a Green Heron I didn't see much in the pond and as I
headed back out I could see that the sun was beneath the clouds and it was
turning everything on fire. I decided to head back the same way to see if I
could get anymore shots with the sunset as a backdrop. There was a lone
Great Blue Heron who let me get fairly close but he was slightly out of
position.
Still - it was nice - short but nice.
See the pictures from this trip
11/9-10/06
Otter waiting for me at my camp site
on the Broward Islands
A five day weekend with Hopey in New Mexico gave me a good excuse to go
camping. I had a real hard time deciding where I should go but ultimately I
decided to try a new place that I likely wouldn't attempt with Hopey - the
Broward Islands off Pumpkin Hill Creek. With tides high at mid-day I knew it
would be a perfect time to attempt it since the campsite that I knew about
was only easily reachable at high tide. I was concerned about the weather
since we had been affected by a Nor'Easter all week. I knew I would have to
buck the tides to reach the islands and I didn't want to have to buck high
winds and rough water as well.
I almost regretted my choice as I set out from the house at 11 as the river
across the street was full of white caps. The weather forecast called for NW
winds around 5-10 mph and it was obvious that was not the case. It was too
late to change my mind so I made my way towards the put-in. Their were a
couple of guys at the put-in working on the new parking area so I stopped to
ask them about when the area was going to be available for drive-downs and
they told me "2-3 weeks". The gal from the city who has been trailering a
jon boat down to the water was pulling up as I was getting ready to launch
so I kind of hurried the packing of my kayak. Young Wood Stork on Pumpkin Hill
At any rate - I set out into an incoming tide and a stiff breeze of at least
15 mph. Because I had to load so much stuff above deck my boat was a bit
unstable so the choppy water made me take it slow and easy as I made my way
toward the point. The little point just after the trails was full of birds
so I ducked in out of the wind and cruised by to shoot the Wood Storks who
were perching there.
The rest of the trip put was arduous to say the least and I just made sure
that I stayed at an angle to the waves that were crashing into my boat.
Finally I reached the stream that cuts into the Edwards Flats and runs along
the south edge of the Broward Islands. Since it had taken me so long to
reach this point - nearly 2 hours - I was now facing an outgoing current
coming from the flats so I didn't catch a break. I was pretty exhausted by
now and the current through this stream is always pretty swift so I had to
paddle pretty steadily until I reached the final bend.
Otter near my camp site
There were a few birds gathered in the trees near the campsite and I knew
that just beyond was a favorite roost for Wood Storks so I prepared to shoot
a few pictures before I beached my boat. The birds flew off before I was
ready but just as I started to head for the shore I spotted a large stick
floating toward me. Suddenly, the stick stopped, changed directions and then
raised it's whiskered head out of the water to check me out. I pulled over
to the side and shot the Otter as he swam back and forth occasionally
lifting his head completely out of the water to peer at me. Finally, he was
satisfied and disappeared for good and taking this as a good sign I suddenly
felt a lot better about my choice of campsites.
The campsite has been well used by someone very recently and I was a bit
concerned when I felt the fire pit and detected warmth. Whoever had been
using it has brought concrete rubble to make the fire pit and has been
cutting down trees and limbs leaving a substantial pile of fire woods off to
the side. I was concerned, however, that I might have a visitor who wouldn't
be too happy about my claiming the site as my own but I went ahead and set
up camp. View from my camp site across the
flats
Although I don't condone the tree cutting I give the person credit for
making a wonderful campsite that offered an incredible view of the flats. I
spotted a Northern Harrier fluttering across the way and then he landed in
the grass out in the middle and sat there for several minutes before taking
off and continuing his search for food. With my binoculars I could look
across the flats and see some vegetation that appeared to be at the edge of a
body of water. I could also just barely see the tops of the heads of White
Pelicans who occasionally would raise their large beaks and so I knew for
sure that I was seeing the pool that the Edwards Flats flock uses as their
home. It's a huge pool - easily twice the size of the ICW one and much
harder to get into. I will have to plan a trip that takes my into it a peak
high tide because it looks like a great place to visit. Dusk on the flats
With the light quickly waning I cooked my steak and then sat by the fire
drinking my bota of wine while the sun set. Unfortunately, the campsite was
situated so that the sun set slightly behind me but I got a good view as the
grass on the flats changed colors. As often happens when I camp out solo at
this time of the year with no one to talk to I usually head to bed pretty
early and was in the sack by nine. I spent a comfortable night dozing,
listening to the odd calls from woods - some I could easily identify and
others I had never heard before.
At one point I heard some splashing in the water that sounded as if it was
coming closer and closer. I got out of my hammock and stood by the oak tree
that overhangs the water and looked down to see a pair of White Pelicans
swimming just below my feet, plunging their heads into the water as they
swam. I took my flashlight out and shone it at them which caused them to
stop and then turn toward me. They swam toward the light, their eyes
shining, until they were a few feet away and I said hello to them. When I
turned the light off they flew off in the direction they came from and I
went back to bed. I heard the Pelicans return several more times during the
evening and would occasionally peer out of my hammock to see them swimming
past me. It seemed as if they would always stop when they reached my site
and one would fly back while the other would swim. Dawn
I dozed off and on until 6 when I could see the sky begin to lighten so I
got up to stir the fire and make my coffee. As I stood by the oak I saw a
pair of Wood Storks walking down the bank feeding along the shoreline. When
they spotted me they stopped and after a minute or so flew off. Since there
was a large muddy drop-off from my campsite to the water I decided to wait
until the level came up so that I could launch without too much trouble but
still be able to catch the incoming tide. I was lounging around in my
hammock when I heard a loud grunt/squeal coming from the woods behind me and
I turned to see a large black Pig standing at the edge of my campsite.
Behind him I could see three or four other wild pigs crossing back in forth
in the clearing.
Here piggy, piggy, piggy..... .....one of the wild pigs on the
Broward Islands
I took a couple of quick shots and then since I have always heard that wild
pigs can be dangerous I yelled at the lead pig who then scurried back into
the woods. They didn't go far and so I stood at the edge of the clearing
shooting them until they finally left. I could hear their grunts and squeals
as they crashed through the underbrush so I knew they were not far away but I
went ahead and prepared my breakfast. About 20 minutes later another pig -
this one black in the front and white in back came walking calmly into the
campsite. I yelled at it from my hammock but it merely paused briefly and
continued toward me. I tossed a stick at it but it merely walked up and
tried to eat the stick and kept walking toward me. Finally, I got out of my
hammock and stomped my foot, flailed my arms and yelled "go away pig!" and
it scampered back into the woods where it began digging around. It was in
the company of a small reddish brown pig and at one point this youngster
appeared from a different direction at the edge of the clearing while my
back was turned. When I turned around it grunted and ran off - we were both
scared and I yelped as well. Cruisin' home on glassy waters
The black and white pig returned one more time and finally I heard the
grunts and squeals fade into the woods and I never saw them again. I
wondered about their behavior after they left and decided that the campsite
was probably the watering hole for whatever wildlife - deer, raccoons and
pigs - lived on the island. I never felt really threatened by the pigs but
they were certainly persistent about wanting to come through my site. I'm
not sure if pigs can drink brackish water or not but it also is probably a
great place to come down to feed on clams, oysters, crabs and snails.
I hung out in my hammock until the water got close to my boat and then
packed up - this time taking the time to arrange things a bit better on my
boat and headed out. I decided to head back the way I came rather than
taking the incoming tide around to Edwards Creek because I figured that I
would rather buck the current initially and then cruise the rest of the way.
Once I reached Pumpkin Hill I was amazed at what a difference in the weather
from the day before. The water was pure glass even though there was plenty
of current carrying me in. As I rounded the bend where Pumpkin Hill runs
close to Black Hammock I nearly ran head on with a Dolphin who disappeared
beneath my boat and re-surfaced several yards away as it headed out to the
Nassau River.
The rest of the trip was easy and pleasant although not much in the way of
wildlife.
See the pictures from this trip
11/13/06
Hey!! That's my spot!! - Feeding
frenzy on Jones Creek
Today was another one of those serendipitous days when my original plans
didn't work out but ultimately things worked for the good and maybe even
better than my original plans.
Those aforementioned plans had me heading to Guana for one final
trip before they shut Six Mile Landing down for the winter. Or at least that
is what I thought until I pulled up and found the chain across the entrance.
After a bit of cursing the powers that be I turned around and quickly moved
on to "Plan B". I didn't really have a "Plan B" but in the back of my mind I
had been wanting to check out what was at the end of Mickler's Road since my
last trip to Guana had taken me up there. I turned down it not really
knowing what I would find but soon was at the base of the new Palm Valley Bridge
across the ICW. There was a park with a ramp under the bridge but there was
also a road that led off to the south that took me to the north entrance of the Guana Preserve so
I checked that out first. If I had brought walking shoes with me I might
have given up paddling for the day and hiked the trails in this area instead
but since I only had my Tevas I headed back to the ramp. Looking south on the ICW near the
Palm Valley Bridge
On my Gazetteer I saw that a couple of miles south of the bridge was a creek
called "Jones Creek" that went deep into the marsh that lays along the west
side of Guana. It looked as though after the initial houses that line the
waterway at this point that the rest of the way was pretty well devoid of
development - something very unusual on the ICW south of the St. John's
River. I loaded up and headed south and was soon clear of the last dock.
The waterway here is quite different from what it is north of the river
where I usually paddle. North of the St. Johns it is lined with oyster
shells nearly the entire way but here it was a marshy, grassy bank. The
channel for the first mile was much narrower than the Sister's Creek section
and seemed to slope much more gently toward the sides. Young Bald Eagle on the ICW
Not far after leaving the last house I spotted two large, dark shapes sitting
in a dead pine tree on the western bank. I paddled over to investigate and
was sure at first that I was seeing a pair of Red Tailed Hawks because of
their size and the darkness of the heads. One of the pair flew off and landed in a
grove of pines just to the south while the other stayed put. I found a small
stream that cut between the two groves and began to work my way up against
the outgoing tide. As soon as I came into the clear the second bird flushed
again but the first one stayed at it's roost the entire time I was there. I
got my binoculars out and soon realized my mistake in identifying the
birds. What I was actually seeing was a pair of very immature Bald Eagles -
no more than a year old and very likely this spring's most recent fledges.
They were almost completely dark and even their beaks were dark with a black
tip. Their eyes were also darker than I am used to seeing and it really changed
their whole appearance.
Snowy Egrets hovering above tailing
Red Fish
I finally left the second Eagle and headed back out to the waterway and soon
spotted what I was sure was the entrance to Jones Creek. It turned out to be
a false entrance and my way was soon blocked by low water forcing me to turn
around. I found another entrance to the creek a few yards south and it was
there I witnessed one of the oddest things I have ever seen in the marsh. There
was a huge massing a a variety of birds - Snowy Egrets and Ibis being in the
majority - who were feeding in the shallows. Most of the birds were doing
their usual thing of stalking their prey beneath the surface of the water
but the Snowy's were actually hovering above the surface of the water and
hopping about occasionally snatching things from the water.
It was soon evident why they were doing this as beneath them in the water
was a swirling mass of large fish - at least six in number and I could
occasionally see large fins rise up out of the water and swish back and
forth. As this would happen I would occasionally see small fish jump out of
the water and quite often into the waiting beaks of the excited Egrets. My
boat was resting in the shallows near a grass bank when one of these groups
of large fish began swirling toward me. Finally, one of the huge tails rose
out of the water and I could see the large black spot and I knew that these
were Red Fish. There were at least three separate groups of these enormous
fish and all of them appeared to be at least 18 inches in length. I've since
talked to some fishermen who told me what I was witnessing was a Red Fish
activity called "tailing" where they get into a feeding frenzy that makes
them oblivious to everything around them. Apparently if you are lucky enough to
encounter this with your fishing gear you will bring home your limit pretty
quickly. Ibis with a tasty snack
I left the mouth of the creek and headed up what I thought was the main
channel. Not far up I noticed a commotion to my left and pulled over. There
was a pool that was elevated above the creek blocked off by oyster beds and
therefore it's level was very slow to equalize to the rest of the creek. Trapped within its
boundaries apparently was a mass of small fish which were now attracting
the attention of several dozen Ibis, Snowy Egrets and Little Blue Herons. At
least three dozen of these birds were crowded into a pool not much bigger
than a plastic kiddie pool and their numbers were increasing by the minute
as all types of birds started crashing the party from above.
The Ibis kept up their usual constant "quack" as they swept their
curved bills back and forth in the mud and occasionally one would lift a
comically muddy face above the water to take a break before plunging back
in. The really funny thing to watch was the Egrets who would stalk their
food until two of them would come face to face with each other. At this point the pair
would raise their heads above the group, crests raised and squawk out a
challenge. On several occasions this challenge would spur a brief fight
which usually entailed the pair leaping straight up into the air, crests
raised, wings extended before common sense prevailed and pair settled back
to the business of gorging themselves. Bald Eagles courting? Or just having fun?
I left the banquet behind me and slowly made my way up the stream until the
shallow water stopped me. I decided to wait and let the incoming tide pick
me up and carry me further up stream rather than trying to fight it. While I
sat there waiting, several stingrays came floating by and a lone adult Bald
Eagle circled overhead. I could see that just ahead of me was another
feeding frenzy of Ibis and Egrets and I could see groups of the two birds
dropping in along with the occasional stork. As I waited, hung up on an
oyster bed, I watched a pair of Bald Eagles doing an apparent aerial courtship
display above me. At least I assume that is what it was since I have heard
that they do such a thing and it certainly didn't look like it was a pair of same sex
birds disputing territory. Rather it was a gentle, beautiful exhibition of
flying as they circled and turned together never really colliding but coming
quite close as made their sharp turns in the air. It went on for several minutes as
they floated westward past the ICW. They were still doing it when I lost
sight of them and turned my attention back to the stream I was in.
I gave up on traveling any further and headed back to the mouth of the
creek. On my way back I encountered one of the hunting packs of Red Fish who
were following the tide in. When we crossed paths they reacted to my
presence, darting underneath me rocking my boat as they did. They turned
back and pushed a ridge of water ahead of them as we traveled back to the
beginning of the creek. BIg Gator near the mouth of Jones
Creek
Once back where I started from I realized that I had not been in the main channel
of the creek after all. I found it and realized that it went up alongside the
woods of Guana and so I headed that direction. I hadn't traveled far when
something to my left caught my eye. I then saw what was probably the last
thing I expected to see just a few yards off the waterway - a huge gator
laying in the grass up on a high bank. He was at least 10 - maybe 12 feet
long - one of the biggest I have seen in the wild. He was motionless as I
floated past him and I started to wonder if he was even alive but as I
positioned myself directly behind him I thought I saw his head flinch
slightly as if to check where I was. Although it was odd to see him there I
started to wonder if Jones Creek was fed by a freshwater spring somewhere
deep in the woods of Guana. I tasted the water to confirm that it was indeed
very salty but I have since verified that the creek appears to originate
from a pool in the north end of Guana that I assume is a spring. If this
gator lives there he apparently spends a lot of time out near the waterway
since there were no tracks where he had climbed up the steep bank. That
means he must have been there since high tide - a good 10 hours earlier.
There was a small duck swimming around in the vicinity of the where the
gator was lying that I later identified as a Ruddy Duck. Female Osprey
At any rate - he was in no mood to leave his sunny perch so I turned and
headed upstream where the creek soon ran beneath the trees on Guana. I
spotted a young female Osprey sitting in a tree above a pool. As I worked my
way close to her she chirped once but never seemed to be anxious about my
presence. I eventually floated almost directly beneath her and sat there for
a few minutes before she flew off. She wasn't trying to protect a fish and
she didn't seem to be searching the water for food so I guess she was just
in the mood to hang out. When I located he again she was sitting in another
tree a few yards further upstream grooming herself. "Can't a guy take a nap around
here?"
I decided to end my exploration of the creek although the incoming tide
would have allowed me to go much further. I decided to leave that for
another day and began paddling back toward the waterway. The gator was
still there having not moved a muscle. His little duck friend was still
there swimming about so I paddled up behind him and sat there shooting.
He finally decided that he was tired of being watched and suddenly stood up and
slithered calmly into the water and disappeared. Ruddy Duck Big Blue, Little Blue
I paddled out the waterway and made a call to our newest favorite takeout
place - Zoe's in Pontra Vedra to order dinner. I paddled to the island just
south of the mouth of the creek and checked out what looked like a really
great campsite before I started back north to the ramp.
That's the way it goes sometimes out in the water and why it is always good
to have a backup plan in case things out of your control keep you from your
intended put-in. Sometimes the backup plan turns out to be the better option
anyway.
See the pictures from this trip
11/19/06
White Pelicans waking up on a Sunday
Morning
I decided to visit my Pelican pals up on the ICW on the coldest day of the
year so far. It was 41 degrees when I got up but I had readied myself the
night before by getting all my cold weather paddling gear ready to go.
I squeezed into my spray skirt about 15 minutes before sunrise and began
paddling north. My new fleece lined paddling shoes and gloves made me feel
pretty toasty under my skirt and I quickly found myself approaching the old
cedar which held a lone Great Blue in it's branches. I stopped just long
enough to shoot him before he took flight and I headed across the main channel
of Hannah to the parallel streams that run next to the waterway. An Osprey
was perched in a cedar that is washed up in the grass next to the ICW but he
flew off before I got too close.
Red Tailed Hawk on Hannah Mills
As I headed up the waterway toward the Pelican Pool I spotted a dark hawk in
the trees and a quick check with my binoculars confirmed that it was a Red
Tailed Hawk. He flew off to one of the islands I had just passed but a few
minutes later I spotted another flying around near the waterway. I have
spotted a pair of these birds in this same location in the past so I am
pretty sure they nest nearby.
I continued up the waterway until I reached the slough that leads into the
Pelican pool. I could see the heads of the Pelicans off in the distance but
in the slough itself were a couple of dozen Wood Storks one of which was
doing sentry duty near the ICW.. I beached my boat up the way and began
walking toward the pool that lies behind the island. It was full of Wood
Storks who stood there watching me as I walked up to the edge of the enclave
they were sharing with Herons, Dowitchers and Willets. Wood Storks and company
The majority of Storks flushed and flew off to join their buddies in the
slough and I began walking toward the Pelican pool which held several dozen
of the giant birds - most of whom had their beaks tucked under their wings
sound asleep. The storks who had flushed flew over the Pelican pool and
alerted one group of the big birds who now were watching my approach. The
rest stayed dozing away in the intense morning sunlight until finally my
approach alerted the entire group whose huge yellow beaks now appeared from
under their wings.
The whole flock eventually entered the water and they began to calmly swim
back and forth across the shallow pool as they kept their eye on me. After
shooting them for a while I turned my attention to the group back in the
slough and began walking back toward them. There were several Hooded
Mergansers in the slough and their crests were glowing brightly as they were
backlit by the sun. Eventually they flew off and joined the Pelicans in
their pool and after a while the Storks rose up en masse and flew off to the
north.
I checked out the first pool again and spent some time shooting the Snowy
Egrets who were sparring for feeding position alongside the Little Blues
and shorebirds. I finally left the area after checking out some potential
campsites around the area and then began my trip back. As I pulled into the
parallel streams north of the old cedar I spotted one of the Red Tails light
in a tree on one of the islands that lie west of there. He flew off as I
approached and began circling the waterway to the north. Osprey with morning meal
As I began to cross the channel toward the cedar an Osprey flew across with
a fish and landed there where a Snowy Egret was perched. As I paddled across
and tried to position myself to get some shots a pair of Dolphins surface in
front of the tree. I floated into the tree and got some decent shots of the
Osprey and then took a break to eat my breakfast under the same tree.
The rest of the trip was fairly easy in spite of the outgoing current.
See the pictures from this trip
11/23/06
Clapper Rail on Clapboard Creek
It has been a recent Thanksgiving tradition of ours to spend the holiday in
Cedar Key. A schedule conflict prevented us from doing so this year but I
wanted to at least continue another tradition - paddling on Thanksgiving Day
itself.
So I headed across the creek to the Palms Boat ramp and set out from the
kayak launch right about sunrise. I was surprised to find that plenty of
water was present in the pool in front of the put-in. I'm not sure if they
have done anything to fix the situation there or not but in the past there
has no water in the pool until just before high tide and this morning there
was plenty at mid-tide.
That may have been due to the fact that there was a stiff breeze coming from
the NW that may have blown water over the sandbar that lies in front of the
pool but at any rate it made for an easy put-in. The tide carried me in
toward Pelotes Island and I crossed over so that I could be shielded from
the wind by the land. Once I reached the island I explored the stream that
runs deep into the SE corner of the island where the partial rock wall
exists partway across the entrance. Not far in I spotted a Clapper Rail out
for his morning grooming period and stopped to watch and shoot him before he
disappeared into the grass.
The low water didn't allow me to go too far into the creek so I returned to
Clapboard and continued up the shoreline of Pelotes. There was a boat full
of fishermen casting toward the shoreline and as I passed one of them
hollered "Where's your pole at?". I shrugged and replied that I didn't have
it and he said "Well you oughta - you'd be catchin' 'em!" I nodded and
continued on wondering once again why I get that question asked of me nearly
every time I go out.
I made my way around Pinders Island and entered the large cove on the north
side of Pelotes. I explored around in it for about an hour not seeing too
much so since I had bird smoking duties waiting for me at home I headed back
home.
I was heading down the shoreline once again when I heard a crash behind me
and turned to see a large dark shape near the water bound into the woods.
There's little doubt that it was a wild pig but he never returned and I
never heard another sound. There were some different fishermen in the same
spot and believe it or not as I passed by I heard "Where's your pole at?" I
chuckled and shrugged my shoulders and continued on. I am going to have to
come up with a smart ass reply since I have to answer it so many times.
I was able to explore the stream I had explored earlier a little further in
but still didn't see too much so I turned around and headed back to the ramp
and home to start smoking that bird.
See the pictures from this trip
11/26/06
Clapper Rail on Pumpkin Hill
I headed to Pumpkin Hill this morning and got into the water about 15
minutes before sunrise. The forecast called for a strong NE breeze but at
low tide there was not breath of wind as I set out toward the point.
I was surprised at how little birdlife was out and about. With the tide out
and calm conditions I expected to see everyone out feeding but that was not
the case. As I turned the corner near the trails about a dozen White Pelicans
came flying up the creek and passed over my head and appeared to land in the
branch I had just traversed. White Pelicans at dawn
I continued on and was on the run headed toward the point when I spotted a
Clapper Rail grooming himself at the water's edge. With the blinding morning
sun at my back I was able to position myself close to him and take some
great shots. He became aware of me and for the next several minutes we
played a game of hide and seek as he popped in and out of the grass up and
down the bank as I followed him.
I finally left him but a few yards down the stream I spotted a pair of Rails
chasing each other through the grass. The one being chased flew across the
small stream in front of him and he was quickly followed by his pursuer.
Immediately after the second bird arrived on the other side of the creek I
heard a loud Clapper Rail argument ensue as the two birds settled their
territorial dispute. A second later the pursuing bird emerged from the grass
and swam back across the stream where he disappeared into the grass. I had
never seen a Rail swim before but, then again, its rare to see these birds
fly and when you do you realize why they don't since its more of a
controlled crash. Swimming was understandably the better option for this
guy. Hide and seek
At any rate - I continued on and really saw very little the rest of the day.
The point was empty as was the cove on the east side of Edwards Flats. I
skirted the shoreline and as soon as I reached the northern end I was hit by
a blast of wind coming from the NE. I could feel the bite of the cool ocean
breeze coming around the end of Black Hammock Island.
I set back for home with the tide now coming in but the breeze was now
making the water pretty rough. As I approached the point I spotted a very
immature Bald Eagle circling over the water. He flew over the point and
headed up Edwards Creek and I turned to follow but by the time I got into
Edwards he was flying up from the pine trees just beyond the point and
continuing up Edwards Creek.
The rest of the trip was uneventful but as I arrived at the put-in a Red
Tailed Hawk was circling above the trees.
See the pictures from this trip
11/27/06
Yummy!
We began my last day of vacation by taking Sister the Dog on a hike on Ft.
George Island. Hope and I decided against paddling today since a weak
Nor'Easter was blowing rain bands inland and in fact we delayed our walk
with Sis until just before noon due to some heavy rain that blew past. The
hike to Point Isabella was uneventful but the drive down the island became
an unexpected treat when the family of Turkeys that have been raised there
this year came walking down the middle of the road. "Hey Lady! Move over - this is a
carjacking!"
Hope has watched them grow from chicks this summer to fully grown adults and
they seem to know each other. She stopped her car and rolled her window down
to talk to them and they responded by coming right up to her window and
peering in as if to say - "move over - this is a carjacking lady!" They were
gobbling away as they surrounded the car and began pecking at it. One of
them leaped up on the hood briefly before jumping off and coming around to
my side of the car. Sister of course was very excited to see them and I got
some great shots and a video before they waddled on down the road in search
of food. I guess they are feeling quite proud of themselves to have survived
Turkey Day and are now running about the island as if they own the place.
After we got home Hopey decided to do some shopping, Sister was exhausted
after her big day and crashed outside so I decided to take advantage of the
incoming tide and get in a quick paddle on Browns Creek. Great Blue on Browns Creek
I didn't expect to see much with the tide nearly high and a fairly stiff
breeze coming from the NE but as I approached the first island to the west I
spotted a Great Blue hiding in the branches. I got some good shots of him
and another Heron nearby before making my way to the runoff pond. I stayed
at the entrance to the pool and scanned the trees and since I haven't seen
much the last couple of trips I decided to head on up along the shoreline
that skirts the creek.
I was hoping to see a Red Tailed Hawk and I wasn't disappointed although he
was not perching as I had hoped for but circling directly overhead. I still
managed some decent shots before he disappeared. A small flock of White
Pelicans rose up from somewhere on the creek and as soon as they got some
altitude took off toward the north.
Red Tailed Hawk above Browns Creek
I didn't see much else until I reached the small island in the far NW corner
of the marsh where birds often like to perch. It's branches were full and
the tall dead tree at the west end contained an Osprey with a fish but he
flew off well before I got in range as did the majority of the herons. A few
Tri-Coloreds didn't get the memo and I was able to get some nice close ups
of them as I nearly bumped into them. Tri-Colored on Browns Creek
I turned to leave the island to complete my circuit when I glanced back and
noticed that the Osprey (or another one) was back in the dead tree munching
away at his catch so I decided to at least try to get a few shots. I
expected him to chirp and fly but I was able to position myself behind a
tree and slowly pull myself clear using the cord grass. For the next 30
minutes or so I sat almost directly beneath him as he ripped into his meal
dropping chunks of meat into the water as he did. He saw me and chirped once
but he was so into what he was doing that he clearly didn't care. After
filling up one card and recording a pair of videos I carefully turned myself
around and exited the pool so that he could finish his meal in peace. As I
paddled back around the last of the big islands I could look to the east and
see a bank of sea fog hovering on the coast and it made me think about
taking one more day of vacation.
I had hoped to see the young Eagle but was disappointed in that regard. That
was about the only disappointment however. It was an unexpectedly productive
day.
See the pictures from this trip
11/29/06
OK - I admit that this trip was kind of pointless and the real reason was to
record my record equaling 110th trip of the year with a month still to go.
Three weeks away from the Winter Solstice there is so little light in the
marsh by the time I get in the water and a heavy overcast to the west not
only quickened the darkness but ruined one of the only reason to go paddling
after work - the guarantee of a spectacular winter sunset a few minutes
after setting out.
Oh - well! A Harrier flew up close by and I might have gotten some good
shots had the light been good. I headed directly to the Kingfish park hoping
that the banks opposite the old marina would be full. They weren't - not
that it mattered since instead of a western horizon glowing orange it was dark
gray so I paddled north on the ICW and cut back in at the Manatee zone
Osprey nest. I had a hard paddle against the mid-tide outgoing current so I
got some great exercise. I reached the old oyster bed when it was pretty
dark - had there been some waning light I might have had some good Dowitcher
and Willet shots but again - no light so I headed home.
No pics - no problem. My after work paddles will probably be few until
February unless I know the skies will be clear.
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