Beaver Creek

We put in on the big river on the other side of town. It was a surprise to find the water pretty much to ourselves being that it is a Labor Day Friday with perfect weather other than some wind. 

The tide is still dropping but I figure that the current will fall off some by the time we head back from the marsh. The wind is out of the east, so we will have some protection as long as we don't venture out into the middle of the marsh.

"Night Heron, straight ahead in the branches"

We spot a couple Night Herons as we reach the top of the marsh. I steer us into Beaver Creek. I haven't been in here for a couple months, which is a sideways excuse as it is well sheltered from the wind. We flushed a Green Heron on the way up, and then where the creek bends north, we start flushing Night Herons. It is young birds and mature Yellow Crowned Night Herons, although the young ones are probably Yellow Crowns (you have to look close to differentiate young Yellow Crowns and young Black Crowns. There are also a couple Osprey in here.  We turn back when the water gets thin. We've seen about 15 Night Herons.

We head out of the creek and take a quick look up one of my inner secret channels, going until we run out of water. I'd like to go see if we can sot some Clapper Rails, but it's just too windy to go up Nell's Channel, where I've been spotting them on the last couple trips.

We head back up river jumping eddies by hanging near the shoreline.