We paddled the Connecticut on a morning and an evening, seeing ducks and beaver.
On the North Hartland Lake this morning, we saw our first great blue heron of the season, a juvenile,
as well as some song birds.
We went to Grafton Pond this morning to watch the loons. They are quite accustomed to people and if you don’t crowd them, they will sometimes emerge from a dive only a few feet from the kayaks.
We saw two families. One set of parents fed their chicks then stood guard while they tried foraging on their own. They often will stretch after diving. 
On the other side of the lake we came across a parent with one chick. It seemed like the chick was sleepy. It would tuck its head down, the wind would carry away for a couple of minutes, it would wake up and swim back to the adult.
Grafton Pond is a beautiful place that does not allow motors.
We didn’t see any geese. The yard that used to have a flock, now has geese deterrents near the waterfront.
This past week we have paddled on North Hartland Lake and the Connecticut. We saw more mammals than usual: Deer in North Hartland
and beaver in both North Hartland Lake and the Connecticut.
We also saw a variety of birds.
including some unusual ducks.
Yesterday, I kayaked the stretch of the Connecticut River from Bradford, VT to Orford, NH with Jane’s family. It was a trip down memory lane for me. My sister, Barb, (and sometimes others) paddled this stretch several times, camping near Piermont, painting several scenes each trip.
We had a relaxing paddle,
did some bird watching,
but were very glad to see the Orford bridge.
We ended the trip with a stop for ice-cream in Fairlee.
We paddled on the Connecticut, Mink Brook and North Hartland Lake during the past couple of weeks. The ducklings are getting older (and there are fewer of them).
We watched a ruffed grouse and her babies for a while.
and saw an immature eagle catch and eat a fish.
A beaver swam close to my kayak.
