<Do your carp go into great orgies of rolling and thrashing in shallow water in every spawning season?>
Yes, I've seen that up on the Ottawa River north of here when I spent summers there as a kid. One of those "magical things" that you tend to remember years later.
The carp that I see here on the Rideau are always rather fascinating because they are huge, and have a soft brown appearance. They swim so slowly along with my canoe, probably hoping for bread crusts as I believe that boaters feed them at the nearby marina. I find the carp so prehistoric looking...perhaps because they are so much like the fossil remains of fish... or perhaps it is the way in which their bodies are clad in great scales that seem to suggest "dinosaur"...
Your description of the painted turtles made me laugh... yes...that is exactly how they are....sunning themselves in little groups...but then slipping off into the water when they see my canoe. Last summer I came upon a particularly sleepy little one sitting on a small piece of wood. I gently picked it up and put it in the bottom of my canoe to look at for a minute. Maggie was fascinated and continued to watch as I released the turtle to swim rapidly away, its small flippers frantically paddling as it dived, leaving only a little trail of bubbles in its wake.
The eagles sound great. As mentioned, we get osprey up here. Nice to see them making a comeback. Very exciting to watch them beating their wings as they hover high above the water only to rocket downwards into the river. I have a couple of favourite spots for watching them and am rarely disappointed.
BTW, my farm is a popular hunting ground for birds of prey. I regularly see Northern Harrier, Red-tailed, Rough-legged and other hawks, and plenty of kestrel and merlin. It is a poor day indeed, when I don't see at least 2 or 3 birds hunting over the fields here. And in summer, it's not unusual to see a few turkey vultures slowly wheeling up above the farm... just tiny specks...as they patrol the nearby highway. A couple of years ago, I had a very "up close" view of one as it flew slowly by me as I worked in my garden...almost oblivious of me, it was investigating a possible meal. The object of its interest was Maggie, who had been sleeping sprawled out on the lawn for an hour or more. Amazing to see such a huge bird drifting by with barely a wingbeat... one can only wonder at the aerodynamics of these great birds...
Congratulations on your time in the kayak race... Sounds pretty impressive to me regardless of the placing. I sometimes think that paddling is seriously overlooked as a sport which helps to maintain a high level of fitness and endurance. As the summer progresses, I often find myself gradually increasing my solo day-tripping from 2 or 3 hours, up to 4 or 5 (or more). Actually fairly demanding, and yet it never seems that way to me. When I'm out on a new creek or river, it is all that I can do to turn around and head home... there's always another bend in the river, or another little bay to explore...
Yes... I'm sure I'll be making that trip to the creek this week... ;-}
Croc |
