Fog

After yesterday's rather stormy cool rain, today showed up warm, and with that came a heavy fog. And, fog is not to be messed with, for it makes the best canoeing.

Even before I set out in the canoe, there were suggestions of a good day coming. On my way over to the river, and just a half mile from the house, I spotted a somewhat soggy coyote. Then, just before the last turn to the river, a flock of Wild Turkeys crossed the road. I put in with an hour and some to go before high tide. I crossed the river and rode a bit of current up into the four islands, cutting between Peacock and Carting before following the west shore.

It is quite foggy. Visibility is less than a quarter mile. I flush a Great Blue Heron and watch as it flies across the river to the far bank, which is no more than a dark shadow in the fog. The Heron disappears well before making the entire crossing, less than 300 yards.

Great Blue Herons are the dominant bird sighting today. With the fog as it is, I miss a lot of what might be here, only spotting birds when I get to their scare distance. ...Kingfisher, a late to leave Osprey, a distant call from a Hawk, a few Great Egrets, three Mallards.  I paddle over a small school of small menhaden, perhaps the reason that there are so many Herons. Menhaden are often called, "bunker", but I do not like to use that term. It implies that it is a "good for nothing but bait" fish. It is true that menhaden was an important bait fish, but the reality is that it is eaten by so many fish, animals and birds that it is also referred to as the most important fish in these regions.

As I paddle, I decide that I should just cut to the chase and number the islands. I cannot remember all of the island names, mostly because the names are honorifics for some long dead person instead of being named for an obvious geographical feature. So, Nell's is #1, Pope's Flat, Long, Carting and Peacock Island's are 2-5, and I don't care which order they come in as they are all in one heap. #6 is Fowler Island, which I have to look up after the trip because I can't remember it's name. I have no idea what the name of #7 is, and #8 is Wooster. Four Mergansers at Island 7. Island 8 is my turn around point for the day, the top end being just over 6 miles. Half a dozen Wood Ducks and a few Great Blue Herons at Island 8.  There is a golf course at the top of a fifty foot embankment on river left. I can hear some golfers talking. Then, the ping of a driver against a ball followed by the shush-shush-shush of the ball ripping through trees.  Nice shot, Arnold, or Tiger...whatever.

The current was slack most of the way here, the high tide just backing up the normal river current and letting it fill like a long tub. But, when I get back to Island 7, I am already picking up a moderate current. This will make it an easy return with the current gradually increasing all of the way to my take out.

I continue to flush Great Blue Herons from the trees. It is, easily, a daily count of two dozen. The current shaves a quarter hour off of my paddle time.