Leisurely Paddles

I put in on the Otter and headed upstream on Sunday morning.  It was a soft morning.  It threatened rain.  The top of Buck Mountain was covered in mist.

I saw several green herons about.  It had rained in the early morning and the birds were subdued.

Great herons were also about.  They are so much less wary than green herons!

The kingfishers were about.  Though they are numerous, it is hard to get a god photo of them as they are very skittish.

Cattle were grazing by the river.  I loved the reflections in the water.

As I was snapping the photo of the cattle, I glanced up and there was a kingfisher silhouetted in a tree.

I really liked the tree roots by the water.  The juxtaposition of the intertwined roots and soft greenery was almost mystical.

At this time of year, the Otter is calm.  There were great reflections in the water.

More great blue herons . . .

. . . and green herons!

I saw a small critter scampering by the river.  He climbed into a bush.  Do you see him?

He was a chipmunk.  What kind of berries is he eating?

Yesterday the wife and I went for a paddle in the early evening.

I like the roots of these three trees.

The wife had a good time paddling in the afternoon sunlight!

The wife spotted this painted turtle.

We came across a willow with 'beards' hanging from it.  They were roots that had grown back when the river was much higher!

We saw more kingfishers.

We returned as the sun was setting. The falls were still running strong, though the river has dropped a lot since the floods of the spring.  Enjoy!