Mattabesset

Yesterday's spells of thunderstorms have cleared out and left us a fine day to wake up to. It will be sunny with a light breeze, if any, temperatures in the upper 70's with little humidity.  I put in on the Mattabesset at the usual start, a few miles up from the Connecticut River.

The water is low - a combination of a dry summer and low tide, even though this spot is over 30 miles upriver from the ocean. The tide is generally good for about 2 feet. It is still and quiet peaceful, once I mentally filter out the noise of a nearby highway. For the first mile, the river is narrow and forested, a tunnel through the trees. The bottom land also has one of the best poison ivy crops that I have ever seen. I flush a few Great Blue Herons, and they are going to be a regular sighting, something I can expect every two of three hundred yards. The Herons seem to have all staked out their fishing territories.  In addition to the Herons, small flocks of Mallards are common sightings.

I spot a mature Bald Eagle as I come out into the first of the open marsh areas. It flies close and in the shadow of the trees about a quarter mile away. It was a lucky spot, I would not have seen it but for the white head and tail. Next stop is the tepee lodge (beaver). I almost miss it. The original lodge was 6 ft tall until an extended period of flood waters some two years ago. That lodge was abandoned in favor of a bank burrow, which was abandoned when the flood retreated leaving the entrances exposed. A replacement lodge was built about 20 feet from the original. Both of the conical lodges look like they might be in use. Although quite a bit lower than they once were, the mounds look as if some effort has been put into fortifying them. Lodges usually disappear in a year or two if not maintained, unlike dams which last for years or even decades.

When I get down to the Connecticut River, I take a turn around Wilcox Island, which is directly in front of the mouth of the Mattabesset. The island is about 3/4 mile long and pretty much nothing ever happened there. With the low water, I note that most of the shoreline is riprapped. There is a wing dam at the top of the island that extends several yards out into both channels. The rock surely came from the quarries on the east side of the river, but I do not know why the effort. It is possible that they wanted to channel the river flow to keep an open, deep, and predictable route, back when the river was still transporting goods.

As I round the bottom of the island, a raptor starts screaming bloody murder. It perches hidden in a tree top, still bellering. Then it takes a perch underneath the Arrigoni Bridge, which is directly overhead. I get a clear view and identify the Peregrine Falcon. As I back up to the Mattabesset I find a patch of feathers in the water that looks like kill remains. I might be the cause of the scolding, but as I get farther away, the Falcon has not let up, so there might be another bird in that area. It is the kind of bird sighting that makes me think, "now I can call it a day."