Wandering

Upon waking there was a thin hazy fog with what appeared to be clear sky above, atmospheric conditions with a great amount of atmosphere.

I put in under the highway bridge, again, not wanting to spend any time driving to another location.  the tide was very high and just about to peak and by the time I set the canoe in the water, it was mostly cloudy with a light west wind.

I cross the river and head up into the quad islands, taking the channel between Karting and Peacock Islands, crossing to and circling Long Island before returning to the west shore and paddling down around Peacock again.  The wandering figure eight with no particular goal felt like the best way to go.  The sun broke through occasionally, lighting the golden spartina to brilliance.  As for wildlife, a mouse swam the narrow Karting/Peacock channel and I flushed a Great Blue Heron.  

I recrossed the river and headed down to the marsh.  The tide was high enough that I could not duck under the long dock just above the marsh.  I spot a Tern, noting that it has been more than a month since I have seen one.  It is one of the medium sized Terns, although I cannot identify which one.  I headed up Beaver Brook, but wandered off again taking the high tide shortcut over to Cat Island. That route starts obvious, but then closes in about 75 yards from the island requiring a paddle through the flooded spartina.  

Cat Island ahead

I head to the Central Phragmites Patch.   Of course, there are no Black Crowned Night Herons at this time of year, but I flush about thirty Black Ducks.  I continue on through the narrow west passage, which has been blocked by a mat of floating reeds all summer.  Then, I search for one of the more difficult to find inner channels that heads upriver.  I spend some time bewildered and in what turns out to be a dead end.  That channel isn't hard to follow, if you can find the entrance.  The problem is that there are three or four identical openings to choose from, and only one works.

I spot four more Terns working the upper end of the marsh, and then head back up river.