Great Swamp Below Patterson

It is a little cool with a thin sprinkle coming down as I set out from Green Chimneys. The water is high - just a little out of the banks, and there is more current than normal, something less than a 2:1 flow.  2:1 is my own paddling ratio, which makes sense as I almost always do out and back trips, and it means that if I go against the current for 2 hours, it will take 1 hour to return.

The overcast makes this a less than ideal day for photography. 

The two lodges in the first pond look to be in use.  I find a newer and larger lodge at the top of the pond. This new lodge looks large enough to be in use by a breeding pair. 

 

The water is high enough to clear all of the beaver dams without having to step out. I spot a male Bufflehead. That species winters near Long Island Sound and this is the first time that I have seen one in the Great Swamp and I assume that it might be migrating north. I've never been in here during early April, so if my migration guess is accurate, that would explain not seeing them.

I do spot two Great Blue Herons, which were notably absent from my trip here a few days back. I also spot an Osprey.  Osprey are occasional sightings for me in this stretch of river. Otherwise, some Black Ducks, Mallards, and Wood ducks, although not as many Woodies as I saw on April 2. I spot Canada Geese several times.

With the water up, I clear a good many deadfalls that would be much more of a bother. The big deadfall at the top of the forest section is still there. It requires a short portage, which is more fun than in the past because the beaver have been eating saplings and left lots of punji sticks on the muddy path. A chubby beaver slips off the bank. I pull up waiting for it to come up and eyeball me, but it is gone. I also spot a some type of weasel and one muskrat.

I contemplate my turn-around point as after two straight hours of paddling against the current it is starting to feel like work - at least it is good work. I thought I might turn at Pine Island, but continue the rest of the way up to Patterson, just because the conditions are so good.  

Coming back I pass close to a Mute Swan.  The mate is about a 100 yards away, off in the marsh. The lack of aggression suggests that the hormones aren't flowing, yet.

The return is faster for sure, in places. It is a 13 mile round trip taking 4-1/2 hours. The return, with the current, is only a 1/2 hour quicker. I do not see a single person the entire time.