Lower Housatonic

I put in from the feral cat park near low tide with a light upriver wind.  I head across the river to pass behind Pope's Flat and Long Island, not to be confused with the Long Island, this one being a few hundred yards of high spartina marsh.  The tide is too low to get behind the other two islands, Carting and Peacock.  An immature Bald Eagle flies up the river as I make my way across.

It is sunny and I ride a natural downriver flow against the wind which creates a light chop and a few small waves. 

I cross back over the river while passing under the bridges and then continue following the east bank.

There have been few birds. Aside from some Gulls, I flushed about 40 Canada Geese, spotted a dozen Buffleheads and a half dozen Common Mergansers. 

On the return I take the passage behind Peacock and Carting Islands.  It is still shallow but a swift upstream current shows the tide coming in.  A few times I ground out in the silty bottom and patiently wait a few minutes until the canoe starts drifting with the rising water.  I only portage a bedrock dike that I've never noticed before...a 6 ft portage at most.

Back at my put-in, I spot a Common Loon.  It dives and is not seen again.