It snowed last night, a couple of inches of dry fluff, and morning came in the low 20's with clear skies and brilliant sun that warmed the day quickly. I put in at the marsh dressed plenty warm, almost too warm as it doesn't seem right to not feel a bit of a chill when outdoors in winter.
I set out up river along the edge of the marsh poking into the narrow inlets that branch off into terra firma. I noticed a bald eagle perched in a tree behind someone's house and thought how cool it must be to have an eagle in the yard. But, it turned out to be a squirrel nest with a patch of last nights snow on top. The big marsh was still, no birds, no animals, and no people other than myself. It wasn't until I got into Beaver Creak, up in the corner of the marsh, that things came alive. It began with the startling of a hooded merganser that surfaced from its feeding dive just 10 feet from the boat. It startled me as well. Then, I began to flush black ducks...2 or so every 75 yards it seemed. Then a large flock of mallards, and a hawk, and a kingfisher. A great blue heron flew low along the distant bank. All the neighbors seem to be up here in the creek.
On my way out I headed out towards the main river and followed the Nell's channel seaward. Very quiet...at least the spartina is still standing tall and red gold. We've not had enough snow to knock it down. If it stands until spring it will provide some cover for the spring migration...I won't see as many birds, but I think I'd rather have the tall grass instead of a trampled mudflat.
One thing that kept me off the water is the setting up of my exhibition at Norwalk Community College. It's called "Third Level Landscapes". I have 51 canoe paddles suspended in the air with over one hundred found objects and drawings on the three walls. The exhibition is up into mid-March.
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| Norwalk Community College |
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| Specimen boxes - wood, copper, and found objects |
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| panorama - an great and unusual gallery space |
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