Black Ducks Along the Long Cut

We set out from the old ford.  The tide is high and still rising, so there is an upstream current to paddle against as we head down.  The sky is partly cloudy with dark bottomed cumulus.  S asks what the clouds mean to me, and I tell her that it will not rain, the clouds are just heavy with moisture.  The temperature is about 60F and with a light wind, it is cool in the shade and warm in the sun.

The scenery is particularly good at this time of year.  The leaves are just starting to change. Most of the trees still have a green tint with a few others already changed to a red or yellow.  The low sun casts sharp shadows while brilliantly shining the highlights.

Below the railroad bridge, we head into the Sneak, following it through to Bailey Creek.  I tell S that Black Ducks often collect up in this corner of the marsh.  We turn off the Creek and into a route that I call the Long Cut. We paddle quietly and sure enough, start flushing Black Ducks from the shallow pannes that form in this high salt marsh.  We make the hidden turn, and paddle a tight 100 yards to open water, spotting a total of about 60 Black Ducks as we go.  And, all of the Ducks we flushed were Blacks.  

With that, we head back to the Sneak and back upriver. 

Coginchaug Look See

I returned to the Mattebasset in order to finish my quick survey of beaver activity.  There is a light SW wind, maybe 8-10 mph at most, it is sunny with a scattering of cumulus clouds, and the tide is coming in, the water about a foot higher than on my trip last week.  In fact, the clouds are quite beautiful, almost cartoon clouds that were they in a painting, everyone would assume a good deal of artistic license.

I head down river right away.  Last time, I went upstream as far as I could and ran short of time to visit the Coginchaug, which is the intention for today.  

I find no new beaver sign other than the Tepee 3 colony is continuing to add mud to their new lodge.  

Tepee 3 Lodge

Heading up the Coginchaug, I find a couple of scent mounds that aren't new, but they aren't old either.  I don't read them as territorial markers but, perhaps, calling cards of a traveling beaver.  The river framed in autumn colors is beautiful today.  I find a couple peel sticks (beaver peel and eat the bark off of sticks) in the first log jam, which is near the powerline right of way.  But, peel sticks can travel a good distance on the current, and without any other sign, it just shows that there are beaver somewhere upstream.  At the second logjam, which solidly spans the river, I turn back and head out.

Resolution

I've been out of the canoe for a few days with either the weather too windy, or in the case of the last two days, prepping for the dreaded every few years butt-o-scope.  Morning rain gives way to a sky that is clear except for a few distant and racing cumulus clouds. Of course, with the racing clouds comes some wind. 

I put in at the old stage ford that is some 4-1/2 miles from the sea.  It is an hour and a half before high tide and there is more than enough water to clear the boulders that lay on the bottom of the first 300 yards.  In fact, the depth at this tide is enough that I don't have to worry about striking a rock with the canoe paddle. The wind at this point is more pleasant than bothersome with the nearby trees buffering the strength or swirling the wind so that it comes from unexpected directions in minor gusts.

I flush 2 Hawks and 2 Great Blue Herons while still above the Clapboard Hill bridge.  Just below the bridge, while I am focusing on controlling the canoe in a prolonged gust, a mature Bald Eagle takes flight from an overhead tree branch.  I did not notice the Eagle until it was airborne.  It skirts the left edge of the marsh down to the lower corner, about a 1/2 mile away.  Then, it begins to circle, climbing without flapping its wings.  It has found a thermal, and as it climbs it moves away, the thermal not being vertical, but leaning with the wind.  I watch, wondering what its flight plan might be - perhaps to use the altitude to glide down onto unsuspecting prey, or maybe to take a long, easy downwind flight to the Hammonasset.  After a minute it blinks out, my human eyes no longer able to resolve the distant bird.  But, I know that if it was interested in me, its bird eyes would still be able to see me.

Below the railroad bridge the wind is relentless.  With the tide high, there is no hiding from the wind, and the marsh, being a mile across and open to the sea is a tough paddle.  I get through the Sneak and into Bailey Creek, but the normal 20 minute trip down to the confluence with the East River is going to take at least an hour today.  So, I cut this part of the trip short and take an old mosquito trench over to the river and head back. (Later I checked and the wind was 25mph gusting to 32)

At the Post Road bridge, I talk with a woman.  She asks if I have seen any oyster boats today.  I haven't, adding that I am only familiar with the large oyster boat that is in there from time to time.  Anyway, the big boat is hers and she is looking for poachers who are illegally working her allotment.  

I continue past my start point, knowing that the water is high enough to push up into the jungle section of the river.  I get a couple hundred yards past the next bridge (Sullivan Drive) before running up against a big logjam and water that is too shallow for a canoe. Then, it is time to head out. 

Housatonic 2

I set out for a short trip, starting from the Eagle Scout put-in on Housatonic-2, the second reach of the river from Long Island Sound.  I've added a number to each of the sections, counting from the sea as I live near the coast.  Housatonic 1, 2 and 4 make for good paddling.  Housatonic-3 aka Lake Zoar, is somewhat gross, often being a soup of toxic algae surrounded by all too many shoreline houses that look from the water to have all the design sense of a low grade trailer park.

It is a beautiful, but windy day.  The north wind is somewhere around 15 mph, and paddling out in any of the open marshes that I frequent would be a good amount of work. This section of the river is down in a forested valley. The put-in is on a tiny, almost dry creek about 50 yards from the river.  While it is windy when I first emerge from the creek, I hug the shore where the wind is much reduced by the nearby trees.

The water is a little lower than average, but not by much. The current over the shelf, a shallows that runs across the river about halfway up, is easy to beat.  In high water, the shelf current can be powerful enough to stop further progress. 

As I am watching the boulders in the river, as I am supposed to, a mature Bald Eagle drops off of an overhead perch and moves up river a short spell. It makes a small flock of Common Mergansers a bit nervous, but soon enough, they go back to fishing in the fast current. 

I get up to the little rapids about a quarter mile below the dam.  I have been able to eddy hop my way up past this rapid many times, but it depends on the river level.  Too high and, if I can get past the shelf, this will be a long series of canoe swamping standing waves.  Too low and the only deep channels run too fast to beat.  I have not gotten past the rapids since last year's flash flood, which deposited a large bar of gravel and boulders from a dry ravine that I never really noticed, until the flood.  In fact, it blew out the bridge that spanned the dry ravine.  My guess is that the new deposits altered just enough of the rapids so that I can't find a way up through it.  I give it a go, and then turn back about halfway up.

I flush a couple of Great Blue Herons on my way out. 

 

New Lodge in the Mattebasset

There is wind in the weather prediction although the worst of it will come after sundown.  I put in on the Mattebasset, one of my favorites for windy days as much of the river is down in a forested valley and a good enough trip can be done without getting out in the open marsh areas.  The sky is a colorful overcast and the temperature is in the mid 60's. About half of the trees are changing color.

I head upstream.  It is the time of year when lots of leaves are floating in the water.  There is a current, but my usual measure of speed - the shoreline passing by, is replaced with my progress against the leaves.  The land based measurement, which is more useful when one is going to some place, is replaced by a water measurement - speed on a moving surface.  I flush 2 Wood Ducks and 2 Mallards and spot 2 chubby medium sized Hawks (probably Broad Wings) during my hour of upstream paddling. I turn back at the first gravel bar requiring a wade.  It is not much further to a short portage at the railroad trestle, which doesn't seem necessary today.  

I pass my start and continue on to the lower end.  The wild rice, still standing, has dropped its grain.  I keep my eyes peeled for beaver sign, but there is nothing as far as the ruins of the Point Lodge, which has been abandoned for several months.  About a quarter mile on, I spot a freshly maintained scent mound.  The beaver have stomped the ground all around it.  I'm not sure where the lodge might be, but there is no sign of feeding or gnawing on any of the trees.  

the new Tepee Lodge 3

I find a new lodge next to the remains of the Tepee Lodge.  This will be Tepee Lodge 3 (#2 was a short lived lodge on the other side of the original),  It is small, but new since my last trip, and it shows a lot of recent work.  

Continuing down, I hear a soft rustling noise, probably a swamp plant hung up on the bow of the canoe.  I run over some swamp veg to drag it loose, but the sound continues.  Then, I realize that the sound is up ahead in the trees near the confluence with the Coginchaug.  The noise turns out to be the calling of hundreds of Red Wing Blackbirds collecting in the trees. 

Red Wing Blackbirds

 

 

Dam It

I head into the Great Swamp.  I avoid the area during summer when excess nutrients in the water turn it into a weed mat, but in spring and fall it is a spectacular spot to paddle.  Today, I start at Green Chimneys and head upriver against zero current.  It is a sunny day, cool to start but should rise to 80F.  There is no wind.

The water is low and I dodge and limbo several deadfalls right upstream from the start.  Some of these would be floated over with ease at normal water levels. In fact, many of them have been submerged for years and I have never seen them.  The first beaver dam, a new one, comes early at the bottom of the first pond.  The deadfalls and this first dam are great filters for the rental kayakers.  I know that I won't see any of them today. When the water level drops for whatever reason, beaver start building dams. At a deadfall, something large swims under the canoe.  The beavertail is pretty clear as it powers off submerged.

First dam

The dam adds a foot of water to the river and things look much more like I am used to.  The second dam comes just around the bend above the top of the second pond.  This is a new dam, the old one being about 75 yards downstream and submerged.  It is well built, as is the lodge of the colony that constructed it. the lodge shows signs of new material being added for the winter.

Second Dam

The third dam has been in place for several years.  Today, it is level with the water surface  I can power the canoe over without stepping out.

Number 3

I have to readjust my landmarks. The key points that I remember are tied to a 3 mph paddling speed and it takes me a moment to figure that I am managing about half that speed with all of the getting in and out of the canoe.  

The fourth dam is new.  It is made of a lot of large branches and looks substantial, although it is holding back not much more than a foot of water.

Number 4

The fifth dam is another old one, located at the broad marsh area below the forest.  I've been crossing this one for a few years.  Today, it holds back almost 2 feet of water.

The fifth

With that, I head into the forest section.  I've been flushing Wood Ducks since I started, usually in flocks of 10 to 15.  There are a lot more Woodies in the forest.  One year, I quit counting at 600.  I'm not near that, but I am sure that I spot something just short of 300.  The forest delivers as expected and I limbo a few deadfalls, lumberjack a few limbs with my saw, and step over four large deadfalls.  It is slow going and more tiring than one might think.  I flush a Red Tail Hawk.  It gives me some space, but the bird is clearly not too perturbed by my presence.

It takes about 2 hours to get to the huge blocking deadfall just below the highway 22 bridge.  I don't need to do the short portage as I am pretty sure what lies ahead.  Last time I was in here at low water I came down from Patterson at the other end and crossed 12 beaver dams to reach the bridge.   Time to head back out.

Just below the wide marsh section, I hear the grasses rustle, and a large beaver slips into the water. I waited to see if curiosity might bring it back to the surface, but we were close enough that it knew what I was on the first glance, and it swims off submerged to somewhere.

Another look at the second dam

 

 

 

Reconnect

My canoe ancestors, the voyageurs, the 18th and 19th century explorers of North America, the fur traders - their canoes were tools of the trade. They transported goods or the supplies necessary to extend a trip into what they did not know.  The necessity of a canoe for such things ended some 50 or 60 years ago, perhaps, as the fur trade more or less disappeared.  My canoe trips are minor explorations of things that can't be seen on maps and more importantly, explorations of what is inside me.  Sure, I come here to observe natural goings on, but the real value of the effort is that it always is an emotional trip.

I needed to wash away a recent art exhibition.  The art was created using AI as a tool.  Art is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, but I often tell younger artists that the viewers can sense when the artist is lying.  To say it another way, good art comes from the heart of the artist.  In the case of this exhibition, it was impossible to see where the art was AI and where the art was "artist".  It was uninteresting and flat from my perspective, no matter how cool the computational methods were.  

There is a link between that last paragraph and canoeing and outdoor activities.   I read a few online news pages about climbing and canoeing, just because every once in awhile something worth reading pops up.  This morning, it was some climbing accident data.  Aside from the usual stuff, there were several cases of people just plain getting lost.  The writer of the report recommended getting a navigation app.  Really?  If a person's goal is to have a connection to the natural - whether climbing, hiking or canoeing, how does an app on your f-ing smart phone lead you to that goal.  I have a GPS unit, it is 19 years old and sits in the back of my car most of the time.  I bought it to pinpoint locations when I was helping an archaeologist.  It's a pretty good use for GPS.  But, I found it a distraction when hiking or canoeing - focusing on the little gadget is a sure way to be lost when the gadget stops working.  One should be looking at and remembering landmarks and landscape views, and one should be carrying a compass.  A compass, a map and natural landmarks is the route to a connection with the earth.  Pay attention to what you are doing!

Harrier

I put in at the old stage ford.  The tide is dropping, the wind is moderate and out of the south.  It is sunny and in the 60's.   The cattails are bursting, not just a few but almost all of them.  Some years they stay solid well into winter, or longer.  I'm not sure why they are all bursting, but it feels like something hopeful to me.  I find a Harrier working the marsh below the Clapboard Hill bridge.  It's been several months since I've seen a Harrier.  They don't seem to be around when the Willets and Osprey are.

Short-billed Dowitcher

I spot a Short-billed Dowitcher near a few Yellow-Legs while in the middle of the Big Bends. 

In the main marsh below the railroad, I just barely made it through the Sneak, dragging bottom in the mud for about 75 yards.  It's a pain to walk out of that channel, and it was a relief to get past the high point.  

Corduroy road protruding from the bank

The corduroy road in Bailey Creek was right at the water level.  I hadn't been in here at a low enough tide to see that for some time.  A second Harrier is working this part of the marsh.  

I turn back up the East River, with the tidal current against me, but with the wind more than making up for it.  The Dowitcher is where I last saw it and it poses quite nicely for me.

The camera makes the river look bigger than it actually is

I don't have to wade until I am about a hundred yards from my start point.  I need more practice stumbling on submerged boulders.

The Freedom of the Migratory Geese

When I stepped outside this morning, I heard the distant honking of Canada Geese, and I scanned the tops of the surrounding trees trying to spot them. Seeing nothing, I waited for them to fly into view.  Then, I turned my head skyward and saw a lopsided V of thirty-some Geese somewhere between 500 and a 1000 feet overhead, the sun sparkling off of their feathers.  These are the Geese that have held onto their freedom, traveling thousands of miles each year in their migrations, travels that must be more interesting than the endless nibbling of parks and golf courses that their non-migratory cousins engage in.  The park Geese have developed shorter necks, and hunters tell me that they do not respond to decoys.  Giving up the migrations, the park Geese have lost some of their social abilities - they no longer join the feeding Ducks and Geese out in the marsh.  They might as well be staring at their smart phones.  I'll take the freedom of the migrating Canada Goose, thank you very much.

I put in at the Rocky Hill Ferry crossing and head down river.  There is a light wind out of the north, a coll wind on a day that will not top 65F.  The river is low and there is little current.   The sky is clear.

I follow the shady east shore for just short of an hour before crossing back.  I spot a small inlet that I have always passed on previous trips.  This time I enter. I weave around a few deadfalls before seeing to a three-footer that blocks for sure.  I hear running water and move up to the last downed tree, and find a 4-foot high beaver dam about ten feet farther in.  I stand up to get a better view and a better photograph.  A flock of migrating Canada Geese pass overhead.

The beaver dam is in the shade

I decide to explore on a later trip, and head back to the river.  When I get to my starting point, I continue up.  I find a couple of ripe patches of  wild rice on the west bank.  

Wild rice

I know it was ripe because I tested it with an easy rap of the paddle and a couple dozen grains landed in the canoe.  I continued a bit farther and then, feeling satisfied, crossed the river again and returned.

Wild rice grains