Plover Day

I headed down river from the usual spot for a quick paddle around the Wheeler Marsh.  It is in the upper 60's, the tide has been rising for about an hour and a half, there is no wind, and the sky is dramatic without being threatening.  It looks like it might rain some time later, or not, depending on which way the clouds move.

I head down Nell's Channel.  Near the lower mouth of that channel is a flock of 75 Brandts.  As I head towards Milford Point, I spot 6 Oyster Catchers that are staying together as a small flock, and another 75 Brandts.  Brandts are all around today and I figure I will see about 300 by the time I head out.

As I cross the mudflat area, with about 8 inches of water, I spot a Black Bellied Plover.  I get a photo of a second one, and photograph a distant handful of sandpiper type birds that turn out to be Semi-Palmated Plovers. This is the first time this spring that I've seen the Plovers. Both types are migrating through to farther north nesting grounds.

Black Bellied Plover

I head up the east side and back, riding the flood current. 

Semi Palmated Plover

A Rain Day

I put in at Indian Well.  Rain was predicted one hundred percent, but it was far less windy than the previous days.  There was also a chance of thunderstorms, which is one of the reasons I put in on this section of the Housatonic as it is in a forested valley and if need be, I can stand on shore and be very much not the tallest thing in the area.  In fact, I have sat out a thunderstorm here before.

It is overcast and rather dark.  Aside from some bass boat dudes that are fishing in the opposite direction, no one else is on the water.  I head upstream with a light tailwind.  I spot a pair of yellow Warblers, which stand out from the fifty Sparrows that, no doubt, I've passed without seeing more than one or two.  I did not see it until I was directly underneath, but a large immature Bald Eagle flushes and heads upriver.  Immatures are larger than young mature Eagles, having thicker and longer feathers.

The waterline on shore shows that the dam people are letting a good amount of water out.  The old waterline is about a foot higher than current. lI spot a good sized mature Bald Eagle. 

I get up to the easy whitewater below the dam.  I only get about halfway up before calling it.  It is so dark that I can't see submerged boulders unless they are creating a wave, and I know there are some that I'd rather not hit.  It starts to rain.  It is nice that the rain has held out until I am halfway through an out-n-back trip.    

It rains steady as I paddle against a light headwind all the way back to my put-in.  It's pretty wet, but it is not cold, and there has not been any thunder and lightning.  Not a bad day at all. 

Just a Clever Ruse

A moderate wind was predicted for the day, but I suspected a clever ruse and headed to smaller waters.  I put in on the Menunketusuck at the usual spot and headed down river.  The tide was all the way out and I picked my way through the narrow deeper channel for a hundred yards or so.  There is nothing like scrapping the canoe on oyster and mussel shells to encourage some thinking. After that, there is plenty of depth. It is sunny, in the upper 50's and yes, it is windier than predicted, clever ruse confirmed. (the wind is 15 to 18 mph and gusting to 25)

This river is Little Blue Heron and Glossy Ibis territory.  Of course, there are other birds, but this is one of the best places to come to spot those first two.  There is a rookery island in the sound not far away and this is a good feeding zone for them.

Willet

There are lots of Yellow Legs, pretty much can see at least one at most any time during the trip.  I spot a few widely scattered Willets.  There's always a few, but this is not a major nesting site like the East River.  Add a few Mallards and frequent sightings of tiny Least Sandpipers, and high overhead is a mature Bald Eagle soaring and circling over the forest that leads to Opera Singer Point.  I first imagine that it might be hunting as its soaring location gives it a good view of two fingers of this three-pronged marsh.  But, it drifts with the wind off to the east. It was just a clever ruse to get some free mileage. 

Least Sandpiper - about the size of a wren

I paddle down to the railroad bridge and then head back to go over into the west arm of the marsh.  I've been out a short hour and I spot my first Glossy Ibis flying past.  Then a second and a few more.  So, they are around.

Glossy Ibises

Over in the far end of the west arm, I pause to reset my camera, which has ended up with a bunch of weird settings... a result of fumbling with it while paddling.  There are a good many terrapins, often sunning in groups of 8 or 10 on the exposed mud bank.  They spot my arrival from a surprising distance and slide off into the water.  Then, a flock of fifteen Glossy Ibises fly in and settle about 75 yards away.  As I head out, another group of thirteen comes in.  I'm not sure why they are showing up all of a sudden.  Maybe it is the temperature, or the tide coming in, but here they are.

Glossy Ibises

I head up the east arm.  There are several Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets.  I have to look cloely at the Snowys as young Little Blue Herons are very similar.  The wind is increasing and I head back.

No Little Blue Herons today, but a good number of Glossy Ibises.   

Yellow Bird Day - Bantam

I intended to put in at the bottom of the lake and paddle up to and into the Bantam River.  But, the wind was not in agreement with the weather forecast being something double the predicted 8 mph, with gusts on top of that, and I did not fancy paddling up a rather ordinary lake, especially with the possibility of worse conditions on the return.  I diverted to a rough launch right on the river.

I headed downriver toward the lake.  Right away spooked some Wood Ducks and a Green Heron, but it was the yellow birds that were dominating.  These were all probably Warblers and while my yellow bird identification skills rarely get exercise, the first one that I photographed was obviously a Yellow Warbler, which is the most yellow of all the Warblers.

This is a 3 ft tall scent mound, It is not a lodge.

It still amazes me how many beaver lodges are on this river.  Half of them are large - 20 feet in diamter at the water level and 5 feet high.  It was also scent-mound-o-rama with dozens and dozens of the dirt mounds everywhere, and when you figure in the number of beaver drags, peel sticks and feed spots, if anyone ever wanted to learn about beaver, this would be a good place to begin.  I surprise a large beaver near one of the large lodges.  It dives before I can get a photo, and with the lodge just 20 feet away, I am sure it will not resurface.  

Butternut Brook

Water snake sunning on an abandoned beaver lodge

I cross a known and well-built beaver dam just before the lake.  Then, I follow the shoreline east, rounding a point and heading into the outflowing reach of the Bantam.  I take a run up Butternut Brook almost to the first road crossing, and then down the Bantam to the human-built dam.  This area is all new to me and I am very happy to spend the time here instead of crossing a rather ordinary lake.  I definitely want to go farther up Butternut Brook next time.

This is beaver poo.  About 2 inches across. Lots of roughage!

With that, I retrace my route. 

Marsh Coyote

I mow the lawn, and then put in for a high tide trip through the Wheeler.  It is cloudy with a quartering headwind coming up the river, and it is colder than I expected. 

A few Willets and a flock of 15 Yellow Legs greet me at the top of the marsh.  The water is very high and most of the marsh is flooded.  I head out into the middle of it following any open water channel that I desire.  At most water levels, even high tide, most of these channels are either too shallow to use, or they dead end.  

Yellow Legs

There is a large flock of Canada Geese in the lower marsh - I see them fly off from a fair distance.  I can hear that there are also a bunch of Brandts - they have a distinct and unmistak, mall flocks of Yellow Legs.  The one thing about being in the marsh at high tide is that the birds are "compressed".  With limited dry ground to stand on, one might see a lot more birds, birds that might actually be in the marsh at lower water levels, but widely dispersed - so a high tide count might be quite a bit more than a low tide count even though the actual number is equal.  

I stop at the Central Phragmites Patch and dig out my rarely used rain jacket to use as a wind breaker. 

I spot a Coyote as I head up the east side of the marsh.  It had to swim to get where it is, but it has been there long enough for its fur to dry.  We watch each other for fifteen minutes.  Eastern coyotes are a bit different than the western coyotes that I am more familiar with.  This one almost looks a little like a very large fox, but it behaves like a coyote, keeping an eye on me until I leave.

The wind has shifted and I have a quartering headwind as I head upriver.  This is nice on top of the 3mph ebb current.  I hug the shore taking advantage of slack water and eddies. 

The First Goslings - Lords Cove

I put in on Lord's Cove, a large marsh area off of the Connecticut River in the town of Lyme, you know, the town that the tick born disease is named after.  It is sunny and about 60F, the tide is high, and it is a lot windier than the weather forecast.  Last time I was here, there was still ice in the narrower channels.

I start at Pilgrim's Landing and head upriver into the cove.  The wind is from the NW at 15-20 mph, so I hug the shore, and while the wind is somewhat onshore, I get some benefit from the slight stagnation that happens when the wind hits the forested hillside.  But, I know that Goose Bay will be a half mile of fun with nowhere to hide and a spunky chop resulting from the shallow water.  

Four of the seven goslings are visible

The bay does not disappoint.  I spot my first Canada Goose goslings of the year.  The parents run herd on six or seven tiny fluffy yellow goslings.  They probably left the nest no more than a day or two before.

Once across the bay, the cove becomes a network of narrow channels and the wind is blocked by standing cattails and phragmites.  I work my way up as far north as possible, wanting to explore some of the dead end channels to see how close I can get to Elys Ferry Road.  I'm not going to do it today, but I have thought about making a circuit of the trip by using the road to portage and return down the main river.  I explore a few channels and find that I can get within about 30-50 yards of the road - just a short wade through the cattails.  

I find new nesting activity while I am in the upper part of the cove.   There was a huge Eagle nest in here, and the remains of it are still visible, although for some reason an Osprey is perched there.  On that same property is a new nest, which doesn't appear occupied, but I don't remember seeing it before.  And then, there is the Canada Goose nest built on an Osprey nest box.  Safe from predators, the first step for the goslings is going to be a big one, although they should bounce just fine when they hit the cattails.

The Osprey is in full view standing on the left side of the nest 

On the way out, I poke into the usual little bays just to see if anything is happening.  Then an even more fun crossing of Goose Bay with plenty of choppy non-rhythmic waves, and back to the landing.

 

Doing the Wash - Great Swamp

I put in on the Great Swamp from the Patterson launch.  It is partly sunny going to overcast with a temperature of 65F and a light wind coming up the river. The water is a little high, but still within the banks.

I head upstream.  Upstream from Patterson is always an iffy plan.  Few people head this way, so there is always a lot of dead wood in the river.  A year or two back, I made it all of the way to the beaver meadow at the "height of land".  The meadow has plenty water, but at the point it is in channels that are too small for a canoe.  The small pond just below the meadow is formed by a 2-3 ft high beaver dam.

Wood Turtle

Things go pretty much as expected for the first 2/3 of the upriver trip.  I end run or slide over all of the downed wood.  It is a slow paddle because I am constantly making tight turns either because of the channel or to avoid the logs. There are a lot of turtles out.  I am pretty sure that many of them are Wood Turtles -  a species of some concern. I flush Wood Duck pairs quite often.

Nearing the high point

About 45 minutes up, the river starts braiding into 2 or 3 smaller channels. The channels are more twisted and usually only one of them is clear of obstructions. Quickly enough, I can't continue without climbing over logs.  I get in three moderately awkward log hops before I get to a spot where I can walk a few yards up and look over the scene.  I can see more logs and an increasingly thinner channel. This isn't going to go today. This part of the river is in the "between" stage - beaver marsh moving towards becoming a beaver meadow.  I turn back.

I pass my start point and continue down river. I have not seen anyone since putting in.  It is peaceful and, as I've said before, one of the most beautiful places that I have paddled. The sky is bigger than in the upper section. The gray sticks stand farther back from the river.  I flush more Wood Ducks.  I don't count but it must be 50-60.  See a couple Great Blue Herons.  Pass a Canada Goose nest that has been built right at the river edge.   There are three very well maintained beaver lodges in this section, and some recent scent mounds.  I usually don't spot too many scent mounds in this area, unlike farther down in the forested section where scent mounds are everywhere.

I turn back when I am a bend or two up from the Rt 22 bridge.  I can hear the traffic and would just rather not look at it.   

I return to my start point thoroughly washed out.  

The Wheeler

I put in at noon.  The tide has been dropping for an hour and a half, it is 60F or thereabouts, there is a 5 mph wind out of the SE and a partially sunny sky is becoming a high and thin overcast.

The blocking drift log in the maze

I head into the top end of the maze, guessing that I have at least an hour to get through before the tide gets too low to pass.  A couple Willets are at the entrance, a few Yellow Legs as I continue, a couple of Yellow Crowned Night Herons, and a Canada Goose sitting on its nest.  I spot my first Marsh Wren, who gives away its position by singing. It is the only Marsh Wren that I see today. The water level is at the sweet spot where I can slip under the drift log that usually blocks the main, or most obvious route.

I exit at the bottom of the maze and head toward Milford Point.  Then, I paddle steady across the lower marsh, which will become mud flat in about an hour.  Quite a few Brandts in the marsh, usually see them closer to the point.  Pass an Oyster Catcher, and when I get to the east shore, either a Red-shouldered or Red-tail Hawk in a tree near the refuge launch. It looks like a young bird, and I'm not good enough to ID with the single view of it.

Brandts - a beautiful Goose

I cross the shallowest section with more than enough water, and head back up river. 

Oyster Catcher

In the Big Meanders

It is in the 60's and sunny with a light and pleasant wind coming down the river. The water is not particularly high and the current is perfectly do-able.  In fact, during high water the current in this section can be scary fast.

I head upstream.  This section of the river is three or four BIG meanders surrounded by flood plain farm land, which it has been for a few thousand years according to the archaeological record that has come out of those fields.

This stretch probably isn't big on most canoeists list, but it reminds me of the upper midwest rivers that I grew up near - the lower St. Croix and the Mississippi.  It can be a very peaceful place.

When I wrote, "BIG meanders", I meant turning slowly to the left for 50 minutes, then turning to the right for about the long, then back to the left.  

I spot a Wild Turkey not long after starting.  I chat with some fishermen - smart alec jokes back and forth.  Midwest humor translates completely here, one of the reasons I like this area.

I spot a pair of Bald Eagles as I near Glastonbury.  One is mature and the other is a first year and they are in a minor territorial spat.  When I cross the river over to the mouth of a big lagoon, I spot an Eagle nest at the far end of the lagoon, with a mature Eagle standing watch.  

There is a 1/4 mile stretch of willow saplings on the river-right bank just below Glastonbury.  I find a set of small beaver tracks as I approach.  The hind feet tracks and tail drag are fairly clear, but they come with the unmistakable scent of castoreum.  The willows are a popular feed zone and anything larger than a 1-inch diameter is rare with hundreds of beaver cut stumps and a lot of peeled sticks.  

New Beaver Buildings

Yesterday, I was blown out by unexpected wind in an area that didn't have any 2nd choices.  So today, I put in on the Mattebasset, which can be paddled in anything short of half a hurricane, if a tree doesn't fall on you, of course.  It is calm and overcast and about 50F, pretty much ideal canoe weather.  The water is a little high, but still well in the banks - there won't be any forest paddling, but I also won't be digging in the mud. 

I start upriver.  A pair of Wood Ducks, a few Mallards, two Great Blue Herons, and a few beaver peel sticks that probably drifted down as I don't see any obvious feed zones.  I get almost to the abandoned trestle.  The water is shallow and fast at this point and while I could get higher, the extra distance isn't worth the amount of work required to get there.  I turn back down.

I continue past my put in.  Another Great Blue Heron, an immature Bald Eagle, a few Mallards.  The Point Lodge has been refurbished.  The lodge has been flooded out a few times in the last year or so.  It was totally submerged on one of my trips.  Usually, beaver abandon a lodge that is flooded for any length of time, and the lodge begins to collapse.  The lodge looks like it has been rebuilt, a good sign.

The refurbished Point Lodge

There is a new lodge at the former Tepee Lodge site.  This is an all new construction put in since my last trip.  Tepee Lodge 3 stands just a few feet downriver from what little is left of the original.  The bank burrow on the opposite bank might also be in use, but I'll have to check back to be sure of that.

The brand new Tepee Lodge #3

I head up the Cognichaug getting almost to the power lines.  I forgot my saw or I would've been able to go higher.  Found another new beaver lodge near the high point.

On the way back I divert down to the meeting with the Connecticut River, just to see what is going on.  Then I begin my return. 

I find a gps watch that has been in the water for a few days at the put-in. 

Blow Out

I planned on a trip up to Lover's Leap.  It is sunny and in the 60's.  

I put in near the steel truss bridge that spans the river. It is windier than the weather forecast.  The wind is coming down the river and it looks dubious, but if I can find enough shelter along the shoreline it might go.

A half mile out, the river bends slightly.  The marginal shelter of the forested shoreline disappears altogether.  The wind is a steady 15-20 mph head on. My speed drops to something like a mile or a mile and a half per hour.  It will take a full half day to do the 6-1/2 miles to Lover's Leap.  If I had to get there, I could do it, but I don't have to get there.  

Time to call it a day. 

The Soak

I put in at Pond Brook to head up to the Shephaug cascades.

It is mostly sunny and mostly calm. Coming out of Pond Brook, it is positively still - a quiet that encourages me to clean up my paddling technique and move as silently as possible. The forest is beginning to bud, but it is still wide open for peering far up the hillside into the trees to ponder on the layout of the old stone walls. In some places, shadows of long fallen trees suggest the direction of the wind in some long ago storm.

I pass a round point - a low bench of maybe 2 acres with nearly identically sized trees - all 6 - 8 inches in diameter.  Something must have cleared the area at one time - perhaps a fire. There aren't any roads, so I doubt that it was cut. Continuing, I pass back into normal healthy forest with all size trees, from saplings to 30 inch diameter maples and sycamores.

After stopping to view the cascades, I pull into shore at the first bend below and sit for a while. It is just too special in all ways to not let everything soak in.  The sound of a small brook at my side and a woodpecker calling off in the trees.  

National Not Living Up to the Expectations of Others Day

I set out on a day I dedicated to "not living up to the expectations of others." But in case you were wondering, S thoroughly approved of this adventure.  

I put in at the old stage crossing.  The tide is coming in, but it hasn't reached this point of the river yet, so the water is shallow with a so-called natural downstream flow. I have to one-foot it a couple times to get past Foote Bridge (stepping with one foot onto a river boulder to un-weight the canoe, which then glides over other rocks). The air is calm, so far, with a temperature in the 40's and a mostly cloudy sky.

I float through the Gravel Flats, just enough water to do that.

Second Year Little Blue Heron

Just below Clapboard Hill Road, I start spotting a good number of Great and Snowy Egrets - an even distribution of maybe ten each before reaching the Big Bends.  The sighting of the day is in the Big Bends - a second year Little Blue Heron.  It is the same size as a Snowy Egret (and first year birds are white) but with piebald white and blue-gray feathers, and lacking the bright yellow feet of a Snowy.  There are also a number of Yellow-Legs, and a few Osprey.

Below the Big Bends I start spotting Willets.   

Willet

There is enough water to make it through the Sneak and so I route down Bailey Creek, then Neck River, and back into the East River.  Willets are fairly plentiful although I don't think they are all in, yet.  I'd guess maybe 3/4 of the full nesting population.  I would think that they started showing up about a week to ten days ago.

The wind comes up and I get some circular gusts (mini-tornadoes).  The weather has definitely got an attitude. It is in my face when I turn back up the East River. Fortunately, the flood current is with me and while I don't speed upriver, I still make good progress.

The wind has really picked up by the time I get back to the Big Bends.  It is 15-20 mph with gusts, and my hands are cold enough that I pause to put on gloves.  Then, it starts to sprinkle.  It is a light rain by the time I get to Clapboard Hill. And it is calm and sunny by the time I get to the Gravel Flats. It feels like I have been out all day, but it is only 3 hours, which is a typical round trip time for me on this river.  It was a good day, and I failed to live up to the expectations of a great many people.

Garbage Picking

I put in under the highway bridge, cutting directly across the river and turning upstream.  It is mostly sunny, near 70F with  light wind that comes from the SW until I get farther upriver where it comes out of the north - go figure.

I take the channel between Peacock and Carting Islands.  The tide is high and there is a lot of visible plastic trash in the reeds and grasses along the shore.  Today turns out to be a garbage collecting trip.

The clouds are spectacular - cumulus, sometimes puffs, sometimes mountain ranges. 

My first Snowy Egret sighting of the spring occurs when one overtakes me as I head up.  I also see a couple Great Egrets and an Osprey.

I cross the river at the wind tunnel, follow the east shore back down river until recrossing near Peck's Mill, just because I would rather paddle through the islands than along the post-industrial east shore.  I managae to collect another dozen yellow duckies that the United Way insists on dumping into the water somewhere up the Naugatuck River. I have over 50, have seen at least 50 more. I'd conservatively guess that there might be a thousand of them out there caught in the reeds, brush, rocks and spartina that make up this section of the river.

National Leaf Blower Day

The plan is to put in at Elys Ferry and head upriver to Selden.

It is mostly sunny and near 70F.  There will be a southwest wind developing later. 

I put in at Elys Ferry.  The water is a little high, most of the beach that is here below the surface. It is very calm, and very quiet.  I step into the canoe and make a wide gentle u-turn to head upstream.  No sooner than finishing the turn, a beaver swims across my bow.  It is a surprise and while it isn't far to beaver friendly locations, this is not one.  I suppose it is on the move, looking for a new territory to colonize. It is about that time of the year when 2 year-old beaver are kicked out of the parent's lodge.

An immature Bald Eagle crosses the river.

Nearing the entrance to Hamburg Cove, a Pileated Woodpecker arrives and begins working over some shoreline trees and deadfalls. It has been a pretty good half mile.

As I continue up from Hamburg Cove, I start hearing an annoying amount of machine noise from the opposite side of the river near the former Brockway Ferry landing.  Several versions of Mr. Moneybags live in that area and it seems that one o them is having a tree removed.  It is a mix of wood chipper, chainsaw and leaf blower and it sounds like hell when everything else is so peaceful. Continuing to Selden means a good chunk of an hour listening to that shit. 

I turn up Joshua Creek.  It has been a few years since I've paddled up this short tributary and besides the exploring, it will give me time to ponder on whether to continue to Selden. The creek meanders through a narrow marsh hemmed him by forested hills with a few well-space houses. Joshua Pond is at the end, which is held back by a 5 foot high dam.  The dam is mostly earthen with a concrete spillway and sluice gate at the south end. The actual sluice gate seems to be missing, but it has been replaced by what appears to be a beaver dam.

When I get back to the river, the wood chipper is silenced, but it seems that all of Brockway is celebrating national leaf blower day.  I'm heading back to Hamburg Cove.

The cove is quiet.  I follow the northern shoreline in. It is peaceful and no one else is about. There are several damaged docks - bent metal, tipped pilings, and missing raft sections.  The cove freezes even when there is no ice in the main river and with this winter's cold snap, one can imagine that there was some pretty thick ice that started to move around and smash stuff as the weather warmed.

I paddle up Eight Mile River to the usual high spot - about a half mile in.  The river above is shallow, fast and choked with downed wood.

I head back following the southern shore of he cove. The wind has come up, somewhat higher than predicted, and the south shore has some protection. Once at the river, I hug the shore again until reaching my start point.