DO-OVER

If you recall our kayak paddle on the nearby Goodale State Park lake a couple weeks back was interrupted with a deluge...so we had to get outta there fast or be swamped with water in our crafts...so we got an opportunity to go back last weekend. 

                                                                  calm waters no rain

Wouldn't you know it was the same time Hurricane Dorian was hitting the Bahamas and predicted to come to our area so the State Park officials decided to lower the levels of the park lakes including ours!  So on That Friday the lake level had already been lowered by 2 and 1/2 feet! See the water level mark here on these Cyprus trees

But notice all the white dots in the trees!! Great Egrets, immature Little Blues, Wood Stork,  all dotting the trees as the lake grew smaller.  

white ibis 

A drained pond leaves MUD and lots of it, so we dragged our kayaks in this manner to the pond...this is not us but some other strong women who would not take mud for an answer...

immature little blue heron 

great egrets and wood storks 

imm. little blue herons 

anhinga 

Other wildlife was puzzled and on the move as the water level continued to drop...this American Alligator was seeking deeper water...

great egret 

This combo includes 2 Great Egret, one Wood Stork, and the tiny guy just barely in the shot lower left of center, a Spotted Sandpiper!

....and this Least Sandpiper hangs with a flock of Killdeer..

killdeer 

We continued to see the lake bottom, and so we made the decision to get out of the lake before the shoreline receded more...

SO it was a challenge getting our boats of the water and back on the boat racks, this is as Sis noted a self service place! They unlock it for you and that's it, you have to get it off the rack, launch it, bring it in put it back on the rack and lock it up...We would love to go again, hopefully under ideal paddling conditions! 3rd times a charm right?

Our Summer birding season is officially over, now the hope is to catch some migrating birds....I'm up to a count of 119 In my radius as of Aug 31, and added one more since then... our September challenge is "how many shorebirds can you find in your radius."  This mud helped me with that 3 so far!  AND I moved this park to a tie for #1 hotspot in my county!  

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Action!

This post contains a few short videos, hope you will enjoy them, and Im trying to keep the post length short I may add a mid-week post with other news of my week.

ON Sunday last we were finally able to line everything up just right to rent a kayak and paddle around at my hotspot on Goodale Lake, or better known as Adams Mill Pond.  We rented...the price is right! $7 for half a day basically you rent at 11 am and come back when you want because the office is only open from 11-12 noon.  When you come in you lock up your boat and leave your paddles and vest by the door. 

We've been talking about doing this all summer! My son did Nanny sitting duties so we (my sis and I) could both take off.  

We pushed off and headed for the paddling trail.  It's been several years since either of us paddled, but it's kind of like riding a bike?

sis leads the way...

We had planned to paddle the canoe trail, which is the lake channel...it is marked & located to the rear of the lake...  

this ARROW on the tree marks the entrance, the trail is one mile in length and it's a one way trail...so total of 2 miles. 

        the trail is lovely and quiet except for some distant thunder :(

So we did not paddle far and decided it's better to be close to the kayak landing area jic and that ended up being the best idea...we paddled around a couple turns in the channel and turned around...and back towards the lily pad area where we had seen Killdeer and the Little Blue Heron had flushed


...we found 2 (# 115 in my 5 mile radius) Least Sandpipers...the calls in the background of the video are the killdeer while the Least are not bothered by our presence...

The Anhinga dries... up in the flat top Cyprus that is a favorite spot of many of the birds...



 I got a new camera!!  I'm glad I decided to take the old one on this paddle, in case it got wet this is how the old camera can continue to earn it's place in my life...it can do the dirty work..lol so that's why this shot is blurred, is what I'm leading up to...the bird below makes #116 in my 5 mile radius...the White Ibis




             thanks sis for spotting this one...



Then we had to paddle to shore in double time cause the bottom fell out!!

We def got wet running for shelter! But what a fun time we had in spite of the weather and we are already planning another paddle...I do think I would enjoy having my own kayak...there's lots of places to paddle at the parks we have visited, and at the Sandhills NW Refuge.  

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.