Once on the Wolf River, we were soon spotting birds and consulting our copy of Sibley's Field Guide when the little guys refused to sit still. Sibley's is good for flying birds, too.
Noon: A flock of common goldeneyes erupted from a little bay and flew over us. We caught sight of the white markings. Later we would see more sedentary goldeneyes which showed we were right.
12:20 pm. More kingfishers and this time they showed themselves.
By now we were singing Bill Staines' song "River". After all these years we know all the words:
River, take me along, in your sunshine, sing me your song.
Every moving, ever winding and free,
You rolling old river, you changing old river,
Let's you and me river run down to the sea.
Of course the Wolf doesn't exactly go directly to the sea, it goes into the Fox River which goes into Lake Michigan at Green Bay. Sooner or later, however, the water flows through the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic.
12:39 p.m. Eurkea, the highlight of the day, three otters playing on the bank, having a grand old time. We couldn't remember the last time we had seen otters, but it took me back to my grade school days and the books of Thornton Burgess who wrote "The Wishing Stone" and other books about animals and their lives. I loved Little Joe Otter who knew how to have fun. I was so excited I couldn't find my camera before they disappeared into the water but I found a photo on line.
12:49 p.m. We found some marsh wrens setting up shop in the dry grasses. I thought this was early but Gary said that we already have house wrens at Mathom House.
1:10 pm. Finally, Gary found a place to stop for lunch. Up until now, the banks were too wet and swampy. He settled the canoe on a dry spot, and helped me out.
It was a particularly good landing because there was an old road, last used by a tractor. This gave us a chance to hike up and down for a while to stretch our legs.
We ate a simple lunch and then we were on our way again. The thermometer Gary brought along told us it was now 70 degrees F. Gary noted that the problem with getting on the river this early in the year is that the sun sets too soon. Usually, we would take a nap before getting back in the canoe.
1:26 p.m. We saw a third year eagle, his "bald" head not full filled in yet. A few minutes later, our first wood ducks of the year, followed by yet another flock of goldeneyes.
1:52 p.m. Gary ran us aground in a shallow place so he could consult Sacajawea, his GPS system. After judicious calculations, he informed me that yes, we were still on the Wolf River. With all the tributaries still frozen, where else would we be? A white throated sparrow was singing on the bank, about the loveliest of bird songs.
2:18 p.m. Three eagles, two juveniles and an adult flew off then came back to soar above us. They stuck with us for twenty minutes.
2:40 p.m. The bridge at the River's Edge came into view and soon we were on shore, retrieving Gary's van, and stowing gear.
In the entire day, we had only seen one other person, a fellow coming out of his river cottage and getting into his pickup truck We had had six solitary hours with nature that couldn't be beat.
But that wasn't the end of our day.
More tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment