Early Trip into the Great Swamp

I'm where I wanted to be yesterday, when the weather was far less cooperative. 

I put in on the Great Swamp, from the Patterson access. It is sunny and already near 50F with a light wind blowing down river. The water is high enough to flood the marsh, but not so high that one can cut any of the meanders. The river is, more or less, an extra canoe length in width. This is also the earliest that I've been in here by more than a month. I'd expect this to be still thawing during a typical winter.

I've been in here many times by now, and that first time awe of a full-on beaver swamp has been replaced with more measured observations. Every trip involves an amount of noting things that have changed - new beaver lodges and dams, old lodges that have collapsed, landmark trees that have shed distinctive limbs, and familiar blocking logs that have wandered off to who knows where. Just a quarter mile in is a downed tree that will be a problem when the water level drops, but today I can end run it.

New beaver dam

The upper section is tight doubling back meanders in a channel that is one and a half canoe lengths across. Right away I begin flushing small flocks of Teal and Wood Ducks. There are some Mallards, but it is mostly Teal and Woodies. And Red Wing Blackbirds.  Until I am past Pine Island, there is not one second when there isn't a few Red Wing Blackbirds chipping or trilling or flying past.

There is more current than usual. It will slow the return some, but it isn't too bad. I think about this some. Th river seems to be right at the point where all of the extra water fits into the river channel. I've been here when the water is higher and the current is slower. I suppose that has something to do with the current being spread out over a much larger area.

The hill is Pine Island from down river.

I get down below the halfway bridge, to last year's new addition, a huge tree that fell and blocked the river. Instead of doing the short portage, it's a good place to turn back as I have a bit of current and a head wind to work against.

Widgeon

I spot a pair of beaver when I get back up to Pine Island. Besides the Ducks and Blackbirds, three Pileated Woodpeckers, a Downy Woodpecker that was pecking cattail stalks, a couple Widgeons, a couple Great Blue Herons, some early Swallows and a Kingfisher.