Paradise

Here are pics from 2 afternoons of kayaking at the causeway behind my house. The causeway is the local name for the meadow created where the Newcastle Stream meets Grand Lake. This is such a diverse area with lots of flora and fauna, beautiful lush grasses and wild rice, and lots of wildlife. This is a bird watchers paradise as a family of osprey, two bald eagles, several kingfishers(my personal favourite), terns. red-winged blackbirds and many other birds call the meadow home in the summer. The main channel of the river flows lazily through the meadow and the many inlets and small lakes created by the grasses are great for exploring in the kayak. Another interesting spot to explore is to paddle up the river to the head of tide, that is the farthest point upstream where the river is affected by the tide. Here huge trees, with exposed roots, hang eerily over the water casting long shadows giving it a feeling of mystery and danger

Riverside Rescue

Wendy and I rescued this little guy off the road near the twin bridges on the through fare to the River Road in Mauggerville. He was standing in the middle of the road beside his sibling who had been hit. As I slowed down and pulled over he ran into the ditch and disappeared. I went to check on the one still on the road and as I picked up his lifeless little body I realised it was a beautiful baby loon. I felt so bad I didn't have the heart to take his picture. As I was removing him from the road, Wendy noticed the other one standing quite still near the ditch. As we approached him it became obvious the he had entangled himself in the short weeds and could not escape. As I reached to free him, he was calm and quiet. I cradled him in one hand and removed the short vines from around his neck.Once free, he remained calm and was grateful enough to pose for a quick pic before we guided him toward a small pond in hopes that his mother was nearby and that they would be reunited.