Menunketesuck and Chapman's Mill Pond

S wanted to go canoeing today, so I loaded up the two seater and we headed out.  She hadn't been out in a long while, so it was pretty much my choice and I opted for a place that I hadn't been to before.

We put in on Chapman's Mill Pond.  The pond is part of the Menunketesuck River, and we've paddled the salt marsh portion before.  The pond is immediately upstream of that area and unfortunately separated by a eight foot tall dam with no portage.  If it was a long canoe trip, you'd actually bust a portage through the trees and brush, but for a day trip, it's not worth it as well as not raising the ire of the state conservation department. 

Chapman's Mill Pond

Right away, I comment on how beautiful the pond is.  Although narrow and less than a mile long, it is surrounded by forest and set down in a shallow valley.  Plus, we are the only ones out.  We spot a couple Osprey and a few Egrets, lots of Swallows and some Redwing Blackbirds and a brood of Wood Ducks. We explore a couple of nooks and when we get to the upper end, try to push up the river.  However, the entering river is barely enough for the canoe without the overhanging tree branches and brush.  So, back we go. With such a short trip, we opted for the 1/3 mile motor portage down to the salt marsh section. In fact, without doing both sections, the pond isn't big enough to be worth the drive.

The state is in the process of rebuilding the  Menunketesuck launch (which will have a new name that has nothing to do with where it is, of course).  There used to be room for 2-3 cars, now there are 10 parking spots, garbage cans and pads for picnic tables or some such things.  We head out on a falling tide.

This would be a favorite spot to visit, if it was a bit larger.  But, it is good for a couple hours.  The area is a high spartina marsh, running narrow through a forest and widening out to a half mile at the bottom.  There are several Opsrey near the start, and several more near the lower end.  We spot a mature Bald Eagle half way down and all along a good number of Great and Snowy Egrets.  This has been a good spot to find Little Blue Herons, but none today.

On the way out, just in the last bend or two, we spot a  Glossy Ibis wheeling around and then flying overhead past us, first of the year for either of us.