East Marsh

We set out from near the sea with the last of a flood current and a tailwind to move us along. I decided to keep us in the lower marsh due to the wind. It would be a long grind back if we went up to the forest. But as it was, the lower marsh seemed the place to be. As we start we spot a few Terns, the first of the spring.

The Willets were laying low as we paddled up the East River. It was the Osprey that were stealing the show. They were very active, flying, hunting and calling out without break. A large oyster boat came up the main channel and started dredging. S hadn't seen them in here before, but I usually see that boat a couple times a year. There's plenty of room in this part of the river.

We took the long dead end channel off to the west. There is an Osprey platform near the end of it. I don't remember it being used for a year or two, but today it has a nesting pair.

We returned to the river and headed up to the top of the Sneak. The Willets are starting to show themselves. They must not have eggs yet as they are not acting defensive at all. They call out a mild warning and maybe move off a bit, but there isn't any of the aerial warning action that we'll see later.

From the Sneak, we took the Long Cut over towards the upper end of Bailey Creek. We saw a couple Hawks on the way but couldn't identify them. Up in Bailey Creek we came across several Marsh Wrens as well as several well built Wren Nests - random weave basketry balls mounted 3 or 4 ft up in the phragmites. After topping out were the creek disappears, we headed back out. I coached S on when and where to use different paddle strokes and how to let the wind do the work when it was in our favor, showing her how to position the canoe and let it drift to the next bend so that it would already be lined up when we needed to paddle. It's all about inertia and thinking just a bit ahead. With following current and an opposing headwind, it was a good lesson.

I spotted three Glossy Ibises through the reeds. We edged up along the shore so that S could watch them for awhile through the binoculars. Their dark red-brown feathers are quite beautiful. After that, it was just a good paddle down the creek, still with no break in the Osprey activity.