Bird Watching

We started later than usual, timing the trip for a low tide to catch the waders hunting from the exposed silty edges of the marsh.  I expected our start to be near slack tide, but there was still a fast downriver current, which I imagine had to do some with the amount of water coming through the Shelton dam, as we noticed on yesterday's trip.  We arrive at the marsh as fast as I ever have. I figure we were moving at about 6mph. More than the speed, we're surprised that there aren't any other boats in the area.  We joke about Admiral Mimosa and his wayward Mai Tai Navy.

Right away we are spotting Great and Snowy Egrets, Great Blue Herons and Osprey.  The Osprey chicks are standing up in the nests and will be flying soon.  They are close enough to full size that we can only tell the difference by watching their behavior.  

We head up the inside channel of Nell's Island.  It's low tide and a trip around the marsh isn't possible as the innermost channels drain out.  While we're poling through a short stretch of shallows, we retrieve about 200 ft of high strength fishing line that some nice fisherman has abandoned.  We spot a few Night Herons - not as many as the Egrets and GBH's.  The Night Herons might be juveniles but I can't be sure because I haven't been in here recently.  Anyway, they lack some of the vibrant colors that are typical.

We head up to the point and circle around adding a couple dozen more birds to the count, which we're not actually counting.  There are several Terns hunting for fish.

The poling section already has 3 more inches of water and as we head back the current gradually picks up, in our favor.

Wheeler Marsh