Tag: great blue heron

Posted on

From my kayak 9/4-10/4/2025

Green heron, Connecticut River 9/10/25
Great blue heron flying. Connecticut River 9/4/25
Angry green heron. Connecticut River 9/4/25
Young Green heron. Connecticut River 9/4/25
Mallard stretch. Connecticut River 9/4/25
Spotted sandpiper. Connecticut River 9/4/25
Painted turtle with stuff. Connecticut River 9/4/25
Bumble bee with jewel weed. Connecticut River 9/10/25
Mallards flying. Ompompanoosuc River 9/11/25
Common merganser. Ompompanoosuc River 9/11/25
Common mergansers. Ompompanoosuc River 9/11/25
Wood turtle. Ompompanoosuc River 9/11/25
Monarch with goldenrod. Ompompanoosuc River 9/11/25
Cormorant. Connecticut River 9/16/25
Mallards in the fog. Connecticut River 9/16/25
Ducks. Mink Brook 9/16/25
Female wood duck. Connecticut River 9/16/25
Cormorant flying.
Connecticut River 9/17/25
Cormorant stretch. Connecticut River 9/17/25
Cormorant, Connecticut River 9/17/25
Maple leaf reflected. Connecticut River 9/17/25
Loon baby and parent. Indian Pond 10/4/25
Loon preening. Indian Pond 10/4/25
Loon stretch with splash. Indian Pond 10/4/25
Some color. Indian Pond 10/4/25
Susie. Indian Pond 10/4/25

Jane has had her hip replacement, and is healing well. The kayaks have been put away for the winter.

Posted on

From my kayak 8/17 – 8/24

We paddled several lakes and rivers in mid August. Goose Pond had low water, still not completely full after a dam repair and a dry summer.

Low water. Goose Pond 8/17/25
Goose eating. Goose Pond 8/17/25
Canada goose. Goose Pond 8/17/25
Common loon. Goose Pond 8/17/25
Sandpiper.Goose Pond 8/17/25
Canada geese. Goose Pond 8/17/25
Bald eagle. Lake Tarleton 8/19/25
Baby loon. Lake Tarleton 8/19/25
Adult loon with fish. Lake Tarleton 8/19/25
Green heron. Connecticut River 8/21/25
Loon. Connecticut River 8/21/25
Ducks sleeping on a log. Connecticut River 8/21/25
Immature bald eagle. North Hartland Lake 8/23/25
Bald eagle. North Hartland Lake 8/23/25
Great blue heron flying. North Hartland Lake 8/23/25
Great blue heron taking off. North Hartland Lake 8/23/25
Painted turtles. North Hartland Lake 8/23/25
Great blue heron “the morning after” Ompompanoosuc River 8/24/25
“Geese over the Pompy” Ompompanoosuc River 8/24/25
Thistle seeds. Ompompanoosuc River 8/24/25
Posted on

From my kayak 8/7 – 8/16/2025

Green heron. Connecticut River 8/7/25
Wood duck and painted turtle. Connecticut River 8/7/25
Mallard with web. Connecticut River 8/7/25
Immature bald eagle. North Hartland Lake 8/9/25
Great blue heron, North Hartland Lake 8/9/25
Belted kingfisher, North Hartland Lake 8/9/25
Kingfisher. North Hartland Lake 8/9/25
Snapping turtle. North Hartland Lake 8/9/25
Green heron and mallards on a log. Mink Brook 8/10/25
Broad-winged hawk. Connecticut River 8/13/25
Broad-winged hawk. Connecticut River 8/13/25
Merganser. Connecticut River 8/13/25
Great blue heron. North Hartland Lake 8/14/25
Green heron. Ompompanoosuc River 8/13/25
Belted kingfisher. North Hartland Lake 8/16/25
Painted turtle. North Hartland Lake 8/16/25
Song sparrow. North Hartland Lake 8/16/25
Immature eagle. North Hartland Lake 816/25
Posted on

Spring kayaking, 6/4 – 7/11/2025

After a very wet and cool May, we finally got on the water on June 4 at Upper Baker Pond. It was a nice day, Jane’s sister Suzy was with us.

Swallowtail butterflies. Upper Baker Pond, 6/4/2025
Jane and Suzy. Upper Baker Pond 6/4/25
Lady slipper. Upper Baker Pond 6/4/25
Blueberry flowers. Upper Baker Pond 6/4/25

Our next trip was to the North Hartland Lake. Because of government cutbacks, the boat launch is only open on weekends and holidays from 9-6. We miss not being able to go on weekdays, early when it is still foggy and the animals are more apt to be around. That being said, we still see flowers, eagles, herons, flycatchers, kildeers and turtles there.

Adult bald eagles. North Hartland Lake, 6/29/25
Adult bald eagle. North Hartland Lake. 6/8/25.
Immature bald eagle. North Hartland Lake. 6/8/25.
Immature bald eagle. North Hartland Lake, 6/29/25
Red tailed hawk. North Hartland Lake. 6/8/25.
Lupin. North Hartland Lake. 6/8/25.
Flycatcher. North Hartland Lake, 6/29/25
Kildeer. North Hartland Lake, 6/29/25
Painted turtle. North Hartland Lake, 6/29/25
Great blue heron caught a fish. North Hartland Lake 7/4/2025
He orients the fish for swallowing.
North Hartland Lake 7/4/2025
All swallowed! North Hartland Lake 7/4/2025
F-35 flyby for July 4th. North Hartland Lake 7/4/2025

One of our favorite spots is the “Pompy” we often see a variety of ducks, as well as a lot of flowers and small birds.

Gadwall (?) Ompompanousuc River 7/7/2025
Barn swallow on bridge. Ompompanousuc River 6/12/25
Green Heron. Ompompanousuc River 7/7/2025
Kingbird. Ompompanousuc River 6/12/25
Dragonfly. Ompompanousuc River 7/7/2025
forget-me-not. Ompompanousuc River 6/12/25
Water lily Ompompanousuc River 7/7/2025

The place we return to most is the Connecticut River out of Wilder, and Mink Brook. We find the most variety: from eagles, to herons, to a variety of ducks and small birds as well as mammals, insects and plants. We never know what we will find.

Mallard with ducklings. Connecticut River 6/17/25
Mallard ducklings eating water bugs. Connecticut River 6/17/25
Mallard “bachelor” group on a log. Connecticut River 6/19/2025
Dragonfly Connecticut River 6/19/2025
Great blue heron. Connecticut River 6/19/2025
Great blue heron. Connecticut River 6/21/2025
Kingbird. Connecticut River 6/21/2025
Mama mallards with many ducklings. Connecticut River 6/21/2025
Muskrat. Connecticut River 7/8/25
Squirrel swimming. Connecticut River 6/21/2025
Mama merganser acting as decoy
Connecticut River 6/21/2025
Baby merganser hiding. Connecticut River 6/21/2025
Mallard with older ducklings. Connecticut River 6/25/2025
Wood duck with ducklings. Connecticut River 6/25/2025
Wood duck with ducklings. Connecticut River 7/2/2025
Mallard testing the water. Connecticut River 6/25/2025
Osprey landing. Connecticut River 7/2/2025
Spotted sandpiper Connecticut River 7/8/25
Black locust. Connecticut River 6/17/25
Columbine. Connecticut River. 6/11/25
20 mallards on a log. Connecticut River 7/8/25
Posted on

From my kayak, August 2024

Jane on Mink Brook. 8/15/25

We haven’t be out much this month what with appointments, bad weather and being down with a respiratory infection, but when we did go out, we enjoyed what we saw. We went to North Hartland Lake several times, seeing eagles, herons, turtles as well as some other birds, animals and plants. Unfortunately, the recreation area is now closed for the season.

Cormorant. North Hartland Lake 8/3/24
Humming bird, North Hartland Lake 8/3/24
Common merganser. North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Mergansers watching for eagles(?) North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Egret, North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Painted turtle. North Hartland Lake 8/3/24
Painted turtles. North Hartland Lake 8/1 3/24
Great blue heron. North Hartland Lake 8/3/24
Great blue heron landing near the dam. North Hartland Lake 8/13/24
Great blue heron landing in a tree. North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Great blue heron. North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Great blue heron by the dam. North Hartland Lake, 8/29/24
Yellow flowers,North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Red leaves. North Hartland Lake 8/13/24
Immature eagle stretching. North Hartland Lake, 8/29/24
Eagle changing directions. North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Immature eagle flying over me. North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Immature eagle flying. North Hartland Lake, 8/31/24
Immature eagles. North Hartland Lake 8/13/24
Adult eagle. North Hartland Lake, 8/29/24

We also paddled out of Wilder a few times and the Pompy.

Mallards at the boat launch. Connecticut River 8/25/24
Turtlehead. Connecticut River 8/28/24
Osprey diving. Connecticut River 8/23/24
Foggy morning in Wilder. Connecticut River 8/23/24
Kingfisher, Mink Brook 8/15/24
Bittern. Ompompanoosuc River, 8/22/24
Mallards. Ompompanoosuc River 8/22/24
Green heron. Ompompanoosuc River 8/22/24
Butterfly on Jeruselam artichoke. Ompompanoosuc River 8/22/24
Hawkweed (?) going to seed. Ompompanoosuc River 8/22/24
Joe Pye weed. Ompompanoosuc River 8/22/24