Winter Factors

The winter factors - wind, temperature, and ice.  Most of the new year has been less than good enough for canoeing.  Many days were almost good, with only one of the factors out of step - sunny days with 20mph wind, calmer days with temperatures in the teens, and the dreaded 35 degree rain days.  I prefer being outside on a nice 20 below zero day to being out in 35 degrees and rain.  

Finally, sun and light wind with reasonably warm air.  I put in under the big highway and headed down to the marsh.  I know the water will be open, unlike many of my other favorite spots which will still be iced up for a few more days.  The only shortcoming is that the tide is low and I won't be able to circle the big marsh.

We had a snowstorm about a week ago.  It only dumped a foot of snow here, but it came with 24 hours of 30mph wind.  The spartina grass in the marsh has finally been knocked down.

Red Shouldered Hawk...maybe

When I reach the top of the marsh I head up Beaver Creek hoping for half of the bird action that I saw on my last trip.  I almost miss it - paddling in and looking ahead, and there is a Red Shouldered Hawk sitting and watching me pass from a piling not fifteen feet away.  As I hit the meanders, I start spooking Black Ducks and Mallards, the usual mix that I expect in here.  Then, a couple Hooded Mergansers, then a Hawk swoops in and makes a try for the hen Merganser.  She dives and the Hawk immediately retreats to a tree perch a hundred yards off.  The hen plays it safe, swimming low - thinking small, and near the shore so that a second attack will have to come from a predictable direction.  But, the Hawk has given up for the moment.  I can't identify this second hawk even though I got a pretty good look at it.  It might be a dark morph of Broad Shouldered Hawk...but that level of birding is out of my range.

A couple more meanders and the low tide runs me out of water.  As I turn I spot a Sharp Shin Hawk streaking through the nearby trees.  I pass the Red Shouldered once again on the way out.  Unusually, it is just not perturbed by my presence.

I head up and just a bit past Cat Island where I run out of tide, as I expected.  A good enough trip I start back.  As I leave the marsh I find a mature Bald Eagle in a high tree perch and a Common Loon working the current near the lowest bridge.