The kayaks are put away for the winter, but we had several trips out in late October, a couple with Jane’s family.
The water fowl are skittish, and harder to find.
but there are other birds to be found.
From my kayak: End of the season. 10/18-24
From my kayak 9/24-10/12
We have had a lovely fall. Plenty of sun, reasonable temperatures, not much wind. We saw some of the standbys: cormorants, loons, mergansers, eagles, ospreys and mallards.
This time of year, we see some more unusual birds, many passing through.
The foliage has been lovely.
From my kayak 7/13-21
The young birds are all around. Some are still in the nest.
Some have just left the nest and are watched over by a parent.
Others are off on their own.
And there are a few adults, too.
Dragonflies and butterflies put in their appearances too.
McDaniels Marsh 5/25
We had a good day at McDaniels. A little chilly and windy, but the wildlife viewing was excellent. The highlight of the day was seeing an American bittern, a lifer for me.
The blackbirds were plentiful,
as were the Canadian geese.
We even saw a loon pair.
The frogs were singing mating calls,
and the osprey was watching it all.
Paddles 5/20-23
We have had some warmer weather and the water temperatures are now above 50, so we’ve taken to the water. The quarantine rules have relaxed some, so I am traveling a bit farther afield. I drove to Squam Lake, spent the day with my niece and her husband, washed a few windows and took a short paddle.
The next day, Jane and I met her brother, sister, and brother-in-law for a delightful kayak on Upper Baker Pond in Orford. We saw a pair of loons, some white flowering bushes,
and one mallard drake. Is the hen sitting on a nest?
We kayaked on the Connecticut River out of Wilder on Saturday. We came across a family of geese.
It was finally warm enough that we heard the frogs singing.
