| Paddle Log — 2022 |
|---|
| LAUNCH SITE |
DATE |
WHO |
DISTANCE |
COMMENTS |
| Vandenburgh-Dunsbach Ferry |
April 2 |
Both |
7 |
Wagers Pond & a late lunch at Town Park. Access to Erie Canal still blocked by fallen trees. Eagles, ducks, geese, gbh's, muskrats, turtles & a photogenic kingfisher. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
April 5 |
Both |
11 |
Sunny & calm at launch, eventual light following breeze on return. Two new eagle nests – one on Coxsackie Island, the other at Little Nutten Hook. |
| Vandenburgh-Dunsbach Ferry |
April 15 |
Both |
7 |
Wagers Pond & lunch at mucky Delphus Kill. Access to Vischer Ferry now blocked just past Clute's Dry Dock. Painted turtles galore, gbh's & a spirited chase of several ducks by an eagle. |
| Stockport Station |
April 18 |
Both |
9 |
Circumnavigation of MGF. Ospreys building a nest at HA, eagles nesting on north & south MGF, take out as wind began to gain strength. |
| Athens |
April 23 |
Both |
14 |
Ospreys nesting on HA, a goose nesting in a duck blind, cormorants gathered at 152. Lunch at SMG. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
April 24 |
Both |
13 |
Lively day full of surprises: 1) Trumpeter swan at Coxsackie Creek; 2) Multitude of ospreys above Shady Harbor Marina; 3) Mute swan on Hannacroix Creek; and 4) Garter snake whipped by wind while attempting to swim across the river, requiring a rescue operation. |
| Round Lake |
April 30 |
Both |
5 |
Very high water, Anthony Kill marsh area completely flooded. Usual suspects: geese, rwb's, gbh's, ospreys, turtles, grackles & tree swallows. |
| Ticonderoga State Boat Launch |
May 1 |
Both |
14 |
Exploration of flooded East Creek marshes (99 feet) to the source. Many skittish ducks, large turtles & gallinules heard but not seen. Much osprey activity. Splendid paddle on a splendid day. |
| Lock 7 |
May 7 |
Both |
9 |
Breezy, gray day. Both falcons were present, one constantly preening at the scrape. Lunch at Aqueduct. |
| Athens |
May 8 |
Both |
10 |
Circumnavigation of Rogers Island, stopping for lunch. Sparse wildlife activity, new eagle nest in cove below Athens. |
| South Bay State Boat Launch |
May 11 |
Both |
16 |
Marsh exploration on a very hot day to The Narrows of Dresden. Ospreys at 26, 28 & 30. Lunch at Chubbs Dock, followed by a photogenic gallinule & a water snake. Water level 98 feet. |
| Aqueduct Park |
May 14 |
J |
3 |
Pedal, paddle & run triathlon. Extended course. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
May 14 |
M |
14 |
Dead calm entire paddle. Surrounded by beavers at the big lodge & buzzed by bank swallows busy at Priming Hook, none at SMG. Very little river traffic. |
| Athens |
May 21 |
Both |
16 |
Early on/off to beat PM heat. Unusual encounters: 1) a green frog; 2) a stray domestic goose; 3) a duck decoy; 4) a turtle rolling a log; 5) a preening merganser; and 6) a snapping turtle. |
| North Germantown Landing |
May 25 |
Both |
10 |
Inbocht Bay loaded with eagles, nest above Greene Point is active, Roe Jan too quiet. Slight south wind picking up a bit on return. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
May 29 |
Both |
15 |
Q. Where are all the gbh's? A. Empire Brickyard Bay. Finally! Lunch at SMG. |
| Coxsackie |
June 2 |
Both |
10 |
First launch at redeveloped park site. New docks awkward for kayaks but beach option is still available. Sadly, no effort was made to clear nasty low tide debris. Lunch at Priming Hook. |
| Lock 7 |
June 5 |
Both |
8 |
Very early launch into a rich habitat — gbh's, falcons, swallows, mallards, grackles, deer, rwb's, eagles, an rt hawk & rowing shells. Breakfast at the grotto. |
| Stockport Station |
June 10 |
M |
7 |
Calm start, eventual gusty west wind. Two chicks confirmed at SMG nest, three kingbird photo ops. Lunch at tip of Gays Point. |
| Henry Hudson |
June 11 |
M |
7 |
Launch site in disrepair, north side of ramp closed. Mouth of Papscanee is filling in, sand spilling over wall, unnavigable at mid-tide. A generally ugly area where eagles thrive. |
| North Germantown Landing |
June 24 |
Both |
9 |
Two chicks at Inbocht Island, two more at the nest north of Greene Point (one out on a bough). Fixed marker IB stuffed with cormorants. Many kingbirds, no kingfishers. |
| Coxsackie |
June 25 |
Both |
12 |
Early launch on the ebb into brickyard bay. Various eagle & osprey encounters throughout day, foiled an attempted prey theft. Brunch at Priming Hook. |
| Coxsackie |
June 28 |
Both & Tony |
13 |
Quiet morning launch on the ebb into brickyard bay. Little activity until HA when things picked up. So did the wind. Brunch at Priming Hook. |
| Ticonderoga State Boat Launch |
June 30 |
Both |
14 |
Idyllic paddle commencing with a relatively quiet exploration of East Creek followed by a more active La Chute. Highlights were a watersnake, a caspian tern, swallows feeding their young & an eastern kingbird nest. Water level 96 feet. |
| Henry Hudson |
July 4 |
Both |
11 |
Both Papscanee chicks out of the nest & looking scared, several beavers showed their heads, Vlomankill as dull as ditchwater. |
| Stockport Station |
July 7 |
Both & Susan |
7 |
Tideride through Brickyard Bay to Little Nutten Hook, lunch at HRISP on return. Two of three SMG eagle chicks are out of the nest. One aggressively drove the other from its treetop perch. |
| Athens |
July 9 |
Both |
14 |
Stiff north breeze all day, impeded progress early head-to-wind, hastened return in conjunction with the ebb. Little change regarding eagle fledglings, no new fliers. |
| Stockport Station |
July 11 |
Both |
10 |
Dead calm early, breezy by late morning. Both fledglings out of the nest at MGF & all three now out at SMG. |
| Coxsackie |
July 13 |
Both |
13 |
A small, dead sturgeon floated at four mile point. An eagle chick fed on a fish at MGF, another fed on a large goldfish at SMG after the mother plunged into the river and hauled it to shore. Lunch at Priming Hook. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
July 15 |
M |
11 |
Dead calm entire paddle. An SMG chick put on an aerial show for me. A confrontation occurred between the LNH couple & another pair of eagles, transpiring on both sides of the river. |
| Coxsackie |
July 24 |
Both |
11 |
Quiet early, light south wind later, turning very hot. Many interesting eagle encounters, mostly after brunch at east flat. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
July 26 |
Both |
16 |
Very low water, eventually breezy. RI chicks still returning to the nest. First egret of the year near HA, possibly a snowy egret. Brunch at east flat. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
July 29 |
Both |
16 |
Repeat of preceding, warmer, water not as low. Much eagle activity. No egrets. Lunch at Priming Hook. |
| Lock 7 |
July 31 |
Both |
9 |
Many gbh's, mallards & swallows, some green herons, two eagles, an osprey, a juvenile rt hawk & a pileated woodpecker. No falcons. Snack at the grotto. |
| Ticonderoga State Boat Launch |
August 3 |
Both |
13 |
Many gbh's all day, two green herons at East Creek, a small watersnake at Gar Cove. Also eastern kingbirds, eastern phoebes & various others. Water level 95 feet. |
| Athens |
August 6 |
Both |
13 |
Calm beginning, stiff wind on return. Many eagles, gbh's & green herons. Still no egrets. Lunch at HRISP. |
| Coxsackie |
August 11 |
Both |
11 |
Pleasant morning full of eagles. Nautical highlights – man rowing a modified canoe & a float plane. Brunch at Priming Hook. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
August 14 |
Both |
15 |
Busy summer day on the river, many interesting vessels, including Francis Marion, a beached flotilla near Stockport Creek & a pair of airboats. Also eagles everywhere. Lunch at SMG. |
| West Lake |
August 15 |
Both |
11 |
West Lake, Lily Lake & Stewart's Landing. Various odes, a female black duck & a juvenile merlin. Not much else. Lunch at Stewart's Landing. |
| Athens |
August 19 |
M |
12 |
Idyllic morning paddle. Blue jays mobbed a juvenile merlin early & many immature ospreys repeatedly practiced diving. Lunch at HRISP. |
| Athens |
August 20 |
Both |
13 |
Repeat of preceding, much hotter. One HA osprey fledgling is now airborne. Lunch at HRISP. |
| Coxsackie |
August 25 |
Both |
11 |
Calm morning highlighted by two egrets at Priming Hook. Both HA osprey fledglings are now in flight, much diving activity. Brunch at Priming Hook. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
August 27 |
Both |
13 |
Easy morning turning into a breezy paddle back head-to-wind. Very low water. Lunch at SMG. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
August 28 |
Both & Cindy |
12 |
Repeat of preceding with a following wind on return. Few photo ops. Lunch at SMG. |
| Athens |
Sept 2 |
Both |
13 |
Dead calm, sunny day, again dominated by ospreys. A few eagles, but most seem to have left the area. Highlight – a kestrel & a merlin near the defunct riverside restaurant. |
| Six Mile Waterworks |
Sept 3 |
J & Cindy |
4 |
Highlight – Truman, a seaworthy boston terrier, cruising on board canoe & kayak. |
| Coxsackie |
Sept 10 |
Both |
13 |
Quiet day, foggy early, clearing & warming up. Several cooperative kingfishers. J finished with a 10:47 mile, including a pause to evaluate traffic! |
| Athens |
Oct 9 |
Both |
11 |
Afternoon paddle on a warmish day, a little breezy, turning cloudy. Many birds aloft. Unusual sights — a northern harrier near West Flat & a cormorant standing on the ramp at take out. |
| Athens |
Oct 16 |
Both |
13 |
Misty, chilly morning giving way to bright sunshine. Highlights were a merlin, two egrets & a very busy sandpiper at Brickyard Bay. Some duck hunting activity. |
| Athens |
Oct 22 |
Both |
12 |
Warm day, calm beginning, breezy return. An eagle in Brickyard Bay provided what little there was of animal activity. Not much else happened. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
Oct 29 |
Both |
13 |
Clear & calm, cottonwood foliage mostly down revealing an eagle nest on Gays Point above campsite #1. Also a pair of surf scoters swam nearby. Lunch at SMG. |