One Hundred Mallards in Fifteen Minutes

Green Heron

I head straight across the river and then up under the bridges aiming for the lowest entrance to the channels behind the four islands. Near that opening, a Great Egret and a Mallard, and an Osprey. A minute later, a Great Blue Heron, then two more Great Blue Herons and another Great Egret. Then, a dozen Ducks come in from over the shoreline trees. A few seconds go by and two dozen more come in. Then a steady scattered flock of fifty. They circle and then continue on to who knows where. I flush another thirty as I paddle up the narrow channel between Peacock and Carting Island. The Ducks are all Mallards - a hundred Mallards in the first fifteen minutes, not a bad start. Before getting to the top of the islands, I add a Green Heron and a Kingfisher.

Between Carting and Peacock Islands

I cross back over the river to get some shade and to paddle up the shallower channel on the east side of Fowler Island; there's never any boat traffic on that side. I flush a large mature Bald Eagle from the trees and watch it meander over Fowler Island to the far side of the river, not quite half a mile away. Even at that distance, I can follow the white spot of its tail on the background of dark trees. Then, a smaller bird, pops up. It's an Osprey and it makes a territorial dive at the Eagle. The Osprey disappears, the Eagle lands low, my view blocked by the island. A minute later, the Eagle flies up and perches in a tree. I make up a story that it forced the Osprey to abandon a fish. As I get above the island, the Eagle takes off and gathers altitude in wide circles over the river, and then flies off upriver.

I turn at the wind tunnel, crossing the river and picking up a gradually increasing current coming downriver as the the tide begins to drop. It's been a quiet day. I only saw two other boats and that was just 20 minutes from the end.