For Sarmila

This morning I started by reading Sarmila's blog. Sarmila is one my followers and she had sent me a comment that I forgot to reply to. Her blog turned out to be beautiful poetry and I got all inspired and went down to the lake early.
I hope she will post more poetry.

I start in the south lagoon. The nesting geese near that spot have goslings, which means that their nest has been there much longer than I thought. It is very peaceful and calm this morning. Rounding the first corner I catch a spicy fragrance from some plant that I do not know. I head across the bay to the north point. I have just built a plane table for making simple maps and I will draw several bearings from there.
Buffleheads are still around and common mergansers in groups of 20ish are in sight. After drawing my bearings, I get too close to shore and start picking up trash - compulsion, but a useful compulsion. I load up 30 gallons (the size of my basket) - FYI - 30 gallons is a half canoe load by my reckoning. Mother Nature rewards me by putting a big flatbacked turtle just ten feet away. It was 18 inches across the back and it dives when I reach for my camera. As I paddle on, two honking canada geese come from behind, just 3 feet off the water and they miss the bow of the canoe by that same amount. That was f'in cool.

Before dumping my plastic garbage, I lay it out for a photo. Tennis balls, bottles, combs, Bic lighters, bottle caps, lids, straws - lots of them, rope, a flip-flop and lots of unrecognizable bits. Again, the haul came from no more than 30 feet of shoreline.

That makes 130 gallons of small plastic and 7 canoe-loads of big stuff. It's the small stuff that really disturbs me. I fear that there is far far more of that then I imagine. What have we done?

Someplace Different

I put in today on the NE corner of Mercer Island. I paddle south and across the half mile wide channel towards the entrance of the Mercer Slough. I haven't been here in several years. There is a lack of birds that I am not used to. The lake is deep and almost all of the shoreline is developed with houses, lawns and shrubbery - you know, non-native stuff. I notice only a few ducks until I reach the mouth of the slough. There, I see a couple herons right off. I move up the slough, still there is a lack of bird life. The shoreline is brushy, often with invasive blackberries. In fact, it is so brushy that I can not see the actual edge of the water in most places. I do see herons, maybe one every 200-300 yards and after a 1/2 mile, I see beaver sign. It could be that there is a large marsh area on both sides of the slough - the slough not being the only habitat. It could also be that there is a thin oily sheen over the entire slough, probably runoff from busy roads in the area. I do see a couple kingfishers, a stellars jay, some geese, a couple hawks and six goslings (the first I've seen this spring) and it is an enjoyable and casual paddle. Returning to the put-in I cruise the Mercer shoreline wondering at a few monstrous yachts that, ridiculously large, must be greatly enjoyed by the neighbors, blotting out the sun as they do. If someone gave me one of those, I could buy 2000+ canoes like my own. A person could run one hell of an after-school canoe program with that kind of dough. I notice a nice bronze statue of three Native Americans sandwiched between a couple massive houses - perhaps it commemorates sustainable living.

Opportunity is Another Word for "Problem"

It is in the mid 50's and sunny with a 10mph wind out of the north. I have no chores today, or I should say, I have given myself no chores today. I start out paddling in all of the nooks and crannies of the marsh east of the burial island. I'll not be able to go here when the lake level drops during the summer. Redwing blackbirds and great blue herons are my companions in the marsh, but it is by my choice and not theirs. I sit for a spell and see if anything wanders in. It doesn't. I continue by paddling my 34 inch wide canoe into any long opening in which it will fit and work my way along until it becomes a 28 inch opening. Then I back out. I spot gorgeous auburn colored duck that I am not familiar with (it was a cinnamon teal, maybe in for the summer). An unbelievably beautiful duck. Opportunity knocks... I find and haul out two car tires along with 8 tennisballs. Now I have to paddle to the dump site across the bay. The wind isn't so bad. Scattered buffleheads, common mergansers still around in groups of 12 or 20. Then, Downwind back to the put-in.

Winnie the Pooh is Dead

Today, I found Winnie the Pooh floating face down amongst the cattails. Oh well...

Before leaving the East channel of the burial island I spot 2 hooded mergansers, 4 geese (1 nesting), 2 herons, Redwing blackbird, some swallows and I surprise a snipe while fetching some foam debris. A kingfisher strikes behind me while I'm preparing for a photo. The cattails look like Pronto Pups that have been rolled in feathers right after being removed from the deep fat fryer. I head North across the bay to the lunch counter. Scattered buffleheads and scaup in the bay, but the duck count is way lower than in midwinter. Some Common Mergansers are near the lunch counter. At the NE lagoon, kingfishers are working, several heron around, the #1 goose nest is well. Inside the lagoon I watch a heron hunting in the shadows, its head held out horizontally, walking very very slowly and steady so as not to disturb the water. Then I head to the north shore to pick plastic out of the cattails. I find an especially rich plastic soup spot and work it for 90 minutes.

Everytime it starts to look somewhat clean, a deeper scoop into the water brings more shit to the surface. I end up collecting 50+ gallons today. I get hungry and I paddle towards home. Oh yeah, it is another day where I see a great blue heron about every hundred yards of shoreline.

Invention is the Mother of Necessity

50F cloudy weather has returned and I once again have the bay to myself. Aside from coots, common mergansers seem to be the most plentiful ducks in the bay. I see them in near the N shore and along the W islands. There may be a couple hundred of them in the bay. Buffleheads are more scarce and I see a just a few scaup plus the ringneck duck that seems to have settled here. One eagle perches at the entrance to the NE lagoon. Today is a trash picking day. I finally got around to building my trash net, a piece of 1 inch chicken wire on a 15 inch diameter hoop mounted to a 6 foot long wood stick. Very high tech. I've already removed the big garbage - the foam and buoys, so I am working down the size chain. The net lets me scoop debris from edges of the marsh. The most recognizable junk that I get is the 30-40 tennis balls. Unfortunately, so much plastic isn't recognizable, it's just small chunks of colored junk, fist sized hunks of packing foam and yucky plastic bag pieces. I leave so much behind, I just can't reach it or sift it all out. I tell myself that it is something you just keep doing and someday you'll realize that it made a difference. I make two trips and fill a 40 gallon garbage can to the brim with shit (the best word in the english language for it).
Happy Earthday - 39 years old and ignored for only 30 of them.
Everyday is Earthday, Fuck George W. Bush and his friends.

Peeeple

About 70F and sunny. Probably a two drowning day for the Seattle area. Made the mistake of paddling in Union Bay in the afternoon. After 6 months of having the area almost to myself, this is no fun. Rental canoes weaving drunkenly about the bay with unlifejacketed college kids in 45 degree water. I even got run into once.

HOWEVER, I counted a 58 common mergansers in a flock at the mouth of the NE lagoon. I haven't seen that many in a tight group before. I'm also pretty sure that the widgeons, northern shovelers and teal are gone for the season (I knew something was missing). The buffleheads and mergansers should leave soon. Turtles are out sunning. Mid-afternoon is just not a ideal time for wildlife action when it is nice. Must try to be less lazy and get out earlier.

In a River

S joined me today. It was warm and mostly cloudy. We put in at the top of the lake and paddled over to the mouth of the Sammamish River. The current is light as it has not rained much lately. The river's current depends on rain runoff in Lake Sammamish, 13 miles upstream. The water is high and we can paddle easily where it is usually only a few inches deep. S comments that there is less bird life here than in Union Bay. The river banks up here have not been eco-restored, unlike the "natural" edges of the bay. While there is a lot of open space, massive blackberry patches have pushed out the native plants that would support diverse bird life. Still, it is pleasant to paddle in the river. The banks can also be good for finding animal tracks, but not today because the water is so high.