Observations

I start out from the put-in off of Route 3, the paving job that was being done in the lot having been completed, finally. The water is the lowest that I have ever seen, even considering that the tide is out. It has been a long time since we've had a good rainy spell, and all of the rivers show it, but especially the smaller ones like the Mattabesset.  

I suppose that most people might avoid this spot with the low water. But, I know that I will get to observe riverbanks that are seldom exposed as well as getting a good look at the bottom of the river in places that are usually too deep for a view.

I wanted to make another check on the beaver colonies in this river. Last years three floods encouraged some of the colonies to move out. The first lodge, coming downriver, is before the bend above the goat farm. At first look, it doesn't look used, but then I spot a fresh stripped branch in the pile that covers the entry tunnel. Below the bend, I spot a couple scent mounds and a couple of recently gnawed trees. 

As I continue, I note several old entrance tunnels in the bank, the lodges long gone. 

The Point Lodge is occupied. While the lodge doesn't show a lot of recent work, there is a fresh brush pile over the entrance tunnel and a couple of recently gnawed trees nearby.

Across from the Tepee Lodge site, the exposed bottom is covered with quite a few bricks. I've never seen the water low enough to expose the bricks. Bricks often have dates or a manufacturer's name, so I pick one up. It is not a clay brick, but a shaped stone cobble. While there is an old quarry a couple miles away, I have no idea as to why these were be deposited here, or how they got here.

The bank burrow below the former Tepee Lodge is more obvious. With the low water, the beaver have built brush piles that cover the exposed entry tunnel. In this case, the pile extends 8 or 10 feet out from the normal bank. There is a good deal of fresh green branches on the pile, which shows that the lodge is in use. 

I head up into the Cognichaug. The Big Lodge looks abandoned and as if it is slowly collapsing. The last flood topped this lodge by at least 5 feet, and the lodge itself was about 6 feet tall. There is no sign of activity, no peels, no gnaws or new cuts anywhere nearby.

I have some wind to work against on the way back, but that is one of the reasons I came here today. This river is well sheltered from the wind in most places.