Canoe Trip Part II...some really cool birds.

Canoeing is something we have always done but mostly in the cool of spring and the cool of fall and not in the middle of summer.  Our 2020 spring canoeing was halted by our Governor who wanted everyone at home and away from state and county parks and public boat ramps.  Now that fall is here and parks and other natural areas are open again we can put the canoe into the water, masks at the ready if needed, and just paddle about.  (Put your feet up, I took a lot of photos.)

The weather was warm and only hot in the sun.  We managed to move in and out of shade as we canoed.  No bugs, except a biting fly at lunch, but I sprayed my angles and he departed.

This is the second part of our trip last week.  After lunch on the broken floating dock where I pulled off my life jacket and was too stiff to even put it down until time to put it back on, we reloaded the canoe and headed into that inlet.  I posted in the last how we had startled an osprey.  I saw many ospreys and that lifted my heart because the ospreys from our nest at home have already started their migration.  They were unable to have survivable young this year and it made me sad to see them sit on the nest and stare out over the water when the summer months are usually very busy times for parent osprey.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for next year.

There is a fine white line in this photo which I noticed only after I cropped and zoomed in.  It might be a fishing line!  Osprey can seem more common because we see so many but they are protected.  

We moved further into the inlet and I could hear the kingfishers making a racket just around the corner, but first the flora.

The native trumpet vine is in full bloom providing our transient hummingbirds with food for their long flight south.  It gives an aura of tropical jungle to the scenery.

Too early for fall color change so this might be a broken branch?  Then we got closer and I heard the Kingfishers making a racket and was able to get my first chance at photographing these speedy birds!!  Note the white dot is on the bill and is not the eye.

There were two and they seemed to be busy displaying or arguing or something of that nature.  I was thrilled to get a dozen or more action shots...from a canoe...using a telephoto...of a moving object!  

They did not seem to be intimidated by our canoe even though we were about 40 feet away.  They just wanted to make noise and fly about.  We stayed for some time but finally, we turned the canoe around to explore most of the rest of the coastline thinking this was our naturalist highlight for the day.

Our next bird was a ringed plover turning over stones for any moving food he might capture on a pebble beach area.  He came from somewhere in the far north and was heading to South America, perhaps.

Rocky revetment alternated with pocket beaches as we paddled, some with dog walkers, but most were empty.  We quietly turned another corner and saw this intimidated fellow--a green heron. (Don't ask me why it is called green!)

And soon he was off and running!  Later along the shoreline, we saw several bald eagles, in-flight and resting looking for schools of fish.  

Well, that must be enough feathered beauty for this post.   It is time to get out of the canoe and load it back onto the top of the car and since you didn't have to paddle, maybe you can help with that part.   I will save the great heron in flight for another time.