| Paddle Log — 2024 |
|---|
| LAUNCH SITE |
DATE |
WHO |
DISTANCE |
COMMENTS |
| Athens |
April 17 |
Both |
10 |
Ospreys nesting on HA, a few eagles, a snapping turtle & 1000 cormorants flying north. Lunch at SMG. |
| Vandenburgh-Dunsbach Ferry |
April 20 |
Both |
7 |
Wagers Pond & Erie Canal. Clear passage. Many muskrats & GBHs. |
| Vandenburgh-Dunsbach Ferry |
April 23 |
Both |
7 |
Repeat of previous. Turtles everywhere (including snapping turtles), a water snake & a fugitive tiny gosling quickly coralled by worried parents. |
| Ticonderoga State Boat Launch |
April 26 |
Both |
12 |
Exploration of flooded East Creek marshes (98.3 feet), joined by 100s of milling cormorants. Also encountered what must be a record number of map turtles on the day. |
| North Germantown Landing |
May 4 |
Both |
5 |
Many eagles & snapping turtles in Inbocht Bay. Paddle shortened by increasing south wind. |
| North Germantown Landing |
May 7 |
Both |
10 |
Repeat of previous under idyllic conditions. Many eagles & several ravens, even a raccoon, but no snapping turtles in Inbocht Bay. Lunch near Roe Jan. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
May 11 |
Both |
13 |
Explored many eagle nests. Most are active. Surprised a pair of snapping turtles playing Jack & Jill. Lunch at SMG. Very little river traffic. |
| Lock 7 |
May 19 |
Both |
13 |
Falcon activity near Knolls & below Llenroc, otherwise not particularly lively, Alplaus still a dud. Lunch at the grotto. |
| Peru State Boat Launch |
May 25 |
Both |
12 |
Valcour, Garden & Crab Islands with a raven family on the first, a gbh nest on the second & common goldeneyes at the last. Too many mallards. |
| Henry Hudson |
May 26 |
Both |
5 |
Two large Papscanee chicks at the nest already flexing their wings. Pleasant morning. |
| Athens |
June 1 |
Both |
13 |
Eagle nests active at LNH & Gays Point, chicks well advanced. The SMG nest remains vacant. HA ospreys are nesting as usual. Extensive incipient chestnut mats. |
| Athens |
June 16 |
Both |
12 |
Major highlights: a black bear at the southern extremity of Gays Point & an extraodinary congregation of six eagles at the big beaver lodge. |
| Coxsackie |
July 2 |
M |
13 |
Early launch into serenity. Highlights were many GBH's, ospreys & insouciant deer. Relatively few eagles. Snack at SMG. |
| Coxsackie |
July 5 |
Both |
13 |
Early launch into misty haze & palpable humidity. Mud flat area is becoming unnavigable at low water. Many eagles late. Lunch at PH. |
| Athens |
July 12 |
Both |
12 |
Calm & cloudy. An egret & a yellow-billed cuckoo appeared at the southern tip of Gays Point early, followed later by a succession of eagles along the river side. Lunch at HRISP. |
| Lock 7 |
July 14 |
Both |
8 |
Surprised by a wild turkey near the sand banks & a leucistic mallard hen. Many baby ducks all paddle, mostly mallards, some woodies. Off early to beat the heat. |
| Coxsackie |
July 19 |
M |
10 |
Wildlife activity all paddle highlighted by a snowy egret & many baby eagles, conditions close to ideal. Stop at SMG, two mature eagles were perched near the vacant nest. |
| Coxsackie |
July 20 |
M |
8 |
Dense fog early, then eagle activity concentrated at Stockport Creek. Two great egrets & many GBHs later at LNH but no snowy egret. |
| Coxsackie |
July 22 |
Both |
9 |
Repeat of previous. The snowy egret returned to LNH, a little blue heron chased jumping fish at SMG, and a falcon flew by, all immature. Water very low. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
July 26 |
Both |
6 |
Breezy paddle mainly along the shore from Coxsackie Creek past Bronck Island replete with eagles & blue/green herons. Ospreys are nesting on #s 169 & 171. |
| Coxsackie |
July 27 |
Both |
12 |
Similar but more extensive than previous, again extraordinary presence of eagles & blue/green herons. Snack at RR village. |
| Coxsackie |
August 5 |
Both |
9 |
Wild turkeys, green herons, great egrets & eagles past counting. Sadly no sign of either the snowy egret or little blue heron. Few jumping fish. Brunch at HRISP. |
| Coxsackie |
August 22 |
Both |
9 |
Quiet & cool. Best photo op provided by a solitary great egret. Lunch at SMG. |
| Coxsackie |
August 24 |
Both |
11 |
Launch into misty serenity. Extensive bouquets of flowers in bloom, especially a profusion of great lobelias. Snack at RR village. |
| Athens |
August 25 |
Both |
10 |
Early launch again, this time into misty drizzle. Eventual clearing led to lively encounters with herons & egrets. Snack at SMG. |
| Henry Hudson |
August 26 |
Both |
7 |
Dull paddle on an unexpectedly hot day. |
| Ticonderoga State Boat Launch |
August 29 |
Both |
13 |
Confirmed presence of paddle trail signs at East Creek Bay and explored Catfish Bay followed by La Chute on a day of exquisite solitude. Lunch at Gar Point. |
| Coxsackie |
Sept 3 |
Both |
11 |
Pleasant day dominated by herons & egrets. Chestnut mats are starting to thin. Stop at SMG. |
| Dunham Reservoir |
Sept 10 |
Both |
3 |
Nice day, pleasant place, boring paddle. |
| 123rd Street |
Sept 11 |
Both |
7 |
Incessant photo ops involving herons & egrets, sometimes together. Stop at Snowman on the way home. |
| Blue Mountain Lake |
Sept 14 |
Both |
9 |
Tranquil morning crossing to Minnowbrook Conference Center, some wind heading into Eagle Lake, several loons providing wildlife. Many kayaks & canoes. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
Sept 22 |
M |
9 |
Delightful albeit quiet early paddle to New Baltimore. Snack at RR village on the way back. |
| North Germantown Landing |
Sept 28 |
Both |
8 |
Pleasant day navigating thinning chestnut mats in pursuit of skittish birds. A croaking raven bellowed at the Roe Jan 9G bridge. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
Oct 5 |
Both |
12 |
Light following wind south to Brickyard Bay teeming with low tide wildlife. Return trip head-to-wind. Lunch at #1 HRISP. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
Oct 19 |
Both |
13 |
Serene conditions — one peregrine falcon, two beavers, two herons, a few eagles, many cormorants & rbg's, but no egrets. Lunch at SMG. |
| Schodack Island State Park |
Oct 20 |
Both |
12 |
Breezy to start, then calm, more tugs than big birds, rescued by the surprising appearance of a mute swan at the Port of Coeymans amid the moored scows. |
| Stuyvesant Landing |
Oct 22 |
Both |
14 |
Hot & slightly hazy. Several eagles actually took flight while the peregrine falcon remained motionless. Two ravens croaked at Stockport Creek Bridge & a gbh stubbed his toe. Lunch at HRISP. |