A Fresh Wind

The day might become to warm to put the effort into going to one of my more distant rivers. It seems that being off the water by noon is a good plan. At least the humidity is down from yesterday's gas chamber conditions.

I put in under the highway bridge. Two Yellow Crowned Night Herons are immediately downstream. I usually don't see them until I get to the marsh, but it is no big deal.

 

There is a stiff south wind, 10 to 15mph, coming straight up the river. I might complain if it was 60F, but it is not, and after yesterday, it feels great, even if it is a bit of work to paddle into. The tide is all the way out and the top of the spartina is well over my head, so my view will be somewhat enclosed. I head down Nell's Channel, one of the few choices that I have with the tide out. I spot four old bottles as I make my way. Unfortunately, all of them are out of the sediment layers and just laying on shoreline silt. I collect three of them just because they are interesting. One has a molded divider inside. It reminds me of a yogurt container where you mix your own fruit into the yogurt. It might be a baby food jar. The second might be a dairy container - half pint with an old milk bottle lip. It is embossed with lots of identifiable details. The third is a Singer Sewing Machine oil bottle with the cork pushed inside. It is cracked from freezing. There are bubbles in the glass, so it's probably over a hundred years old.

Short Billed Dowitchers

There are a couple flocks - maybe 20 birds each - of Short-Billed Dowitchers, which would already be migrating south. They're about the same size as a Yellow Legs, without the yellow legs, and with a much longer bill. There are also quite a few turtles. I get spy hopped continually while writing my notes.

It takes a full hour to get to the bottom of Nell's Channel - close to twice the time it normally takes. I head back the way I came.