A week on the water: August 22-28

What we saw this week: night hawks,

Nighthawks migrating --Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16
Nighthawks migrating –Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16

great blue herons,
Great blue heron -- Ompomanoosuc River 8/27
Great blue heron — Ompomanoosuc River 8/27

Great blue heron flying low -- North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28/16
Great blue heron flying low — North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28/16
Great blue heron fishing -- North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28/16
Great blue heron fishing — North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28/16
Great Blue Heron in tree --North Hartland Lake, VT 8/25/16
Great Blue Heron in tree –North Hartland Lake, VT 8/25/16

green heron,

Green heron --Ompompanoosuc River, VT 8/27/16
Green heron –Ompompanoosuc River, VT 8/27/16

cormorants,

Double crested cormorant --North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28 /16
Double crested cormorant –North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28
/16
Cormorants  -- North Hartland Lake, VT 8/25/16
Cormorants — North Hartland Lake, VT 8/25/16

Double crested cormorants --North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28/16
Double crested cormorants –North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28/16

ducks,

Wood duck -- Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16
Wood duck — Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16
Mallards flying --Ompompanoosuc River, 8/27
Mallards flying –Ompompanoosuc River, 8/27/16

Mallard taking off --Ompompanoosus River, 8/27
Mallard taking off –Ompompanoosuc River, 8/27/16

Mallards framed --Ompompanoosus River, 8/27
Mallards framed –Ompompanoosuc River, 8/27/16

sandpipers,

Spotted Sandpiper -- North Hartland Lake, VT 8/25/16
Spotted Sandpiper — North Hartland Lake, VT 8/25/16

Solitary sandpiper -- North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28/16
Solitary sandpiper — North Hartland Lake, VT 8/28/16

loons,

Loon feeding baby --Grafton Pond, NH 8/23/16
Loon feeding baby –Grafton Pond, NH 8/23/16

beaver,

Beaver --Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16
Beaver –Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16

Beaver slapping his tail -- Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16
Beaver slapping his tail — Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16

chipmunks,

Chipmunk --Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16
Chipmunk –Connecticut River, Wilder,VT 8/24/16
and some songbirds.
Gold finch --North Hartland Lake, VT 8/25/16
Gold finch –North Hartland Lake, VT 8/25/16

Kingbird in an alder --Ompompanoosus River, 8/27
Kingbird in an alder –Ompompanoosus River, 8/27

On the Connecticut

We spent a couple of evenings this week on the Connecticut River between Wilder and Hanover and have finally seen the duckings we hadn’t seen when we paddled earlier in the day.

Wood ducklings with mama
Wood ducklings with mama

Mama mallard on guard
Mama mallard on guard

We saw ducklings of varying ages, some families are new born, others are several weeks old.

Young mallard duckings with mom
Young mallard duckings with mom
Mallard adolescents playing.
Mallard adolescents playing.

The geese flew by.

Canada geese
Canada geese

This mallard male had a funny expression.

Mallard
Mallard

Wright Reservoir

One of our favorite places to walk is Hurricane Hill in Hartford. This fall, we were notified that the dam on Wright Reservoir was unsafe and that they would have to drain it.

Sign at entrance to the park.
Sign at entrance to the park.

When we walked there yesterday, the water was already down about 3 feet and you could see where they had repaired the spillway.

Pump house
Pump house

Repaired spillway
Repaired spillway

It was a cold, foggy day. foggy shore-0284

The weather prediction was for sunny in the 50’s, but the fog did not lift until 2:30 and the temperature didn’t hit 40. It was cold enough that ice stuck on branches didn’t melt.

Ice butterfly
Ice butterfly

Frosty pine
Frosty pine

But the mallards didn’t appear to mind.

Mallards in front of the muddy shore
Mallards in front of the muddy shore

Mallards blowing bubbles(?)
Mallards blowing bubbles(?)

Pompy 9/19

A foggy morning on the Ompompanoosuc River this morning.

Web
Web

We saw at least 2 great blue herons,

Great blue heron, reflected.
Great blue heron, reflected.

"They went that way"
“They went that way”

ducks,

Heron and ducks
Heron and ducks

Mallards flying
Mallards flying

tree full of flickers,

Yellow-shafted flickers
Yellow-shafted flickers

and some flowers.
Jerusalem artichoke
Jerusalem artichoke

First paddle of the season

My neighbor, Alice, and I paddled on the Connecticut this morning.

Alice
Alice

We saw some wildlife: some mallards,

Mallard pair
Mallard pair

some mergansers, a spotted sandpiper

female (common?) mergansers
female (common?) mergansers
Spotted sandpiper
Spotted sandpiper

and a large family of mallard ducklings

Momma mallard and many ducklings
Momma mallard and many ducklings