To Hamburg Cove

Yesterday, a weather front pushed through, dumping some rain with some good booming thunder.  Today responded with a cooler and less humid day that is near perfect for summer paddling.

Young Osprey at Brockway Island

I put in at the North Cove in Essex.  This starting point became more popular with me once I found out about the history.  Much of the cove shoreline was shipyards about 200 years ago.  During the War of 1812, the British ran a successful raid here burning 27 ships and escaping with only two casualties. 

I head across and out into the main river through a narrow and shallow gap in a long marshy bar that divides the cove from the river.  Then, I follow the bank up, past the remnants of the Ely Ferry landing.  There are many Osprey.  In the cove, I spot seven flying with two fledglings on a nest.  At the point near Brockway Island, two more are perched with a few more flying in the area.  There are small schools of Menhaden along the shore, and tell-tale splashes of more menhaden farther out in the river show that the Osprey are eating well.  Menhaden is a herring type fish that is staging a strong comeback in this area due to sensible fishing laws.

I cross over to the downstream end of Brockway Island and then continue over to the mouth of Hamburg Cove.  One of the historic Ely houses is sporting a 6x8 foot electric sign showing that the owner is a complete political dickweasel...no more on that.

The cove is very quiet today with the only moving boats being a marina work boat and the floating menagerie from a shoreline summer camp.  Lots of Great Blue Herons, some Great Egrets and, of course, more Osprey.

Falls Brook

I head up Eight Mile River until running out of water, which is not much more than a half mile.  My thoughts on wading farther up are tossed aside as there isn't enough water to float an empty canoe over the shallows.

On the way back out, I side trip up Falls Brook.  It's just short of a half mile in until you run into a couple of beaver dams built onto two small road bridges.  I've been here before and judged the work required to get around the dams too difficult for the amount of water upstream, which might not be enough for a canoe.

Heading out, an Osprey overflies me and perches with a large and still alive menhaden in its talons. At the mouth of the cove on the west shore, 3 Great Blue Herons, 2 Great Egrets and 2 Osprey all perched in about a hundred yard space.

I recross the river at Brockway, and return just as I had come.