I finally managed to get the canoe out this weekend. It is always nice to get on the water. The weather wasn’t as spring-like as earlier in the week but acceptable. The trip, which usually takes well over three hours during normal summer conditions, took only about two and a half due to the increased flow rate from the recent rain and snow melt.

One of the highlights of the float was a great-horned owl I encountered. I would have paddled right past it if not for a group of raucous crows (or murder of crows, if you prefer) that were scolding it. The owl didn’t like the fact that it had been noticed so it became nervous and left the nest (which can be seen to the left of the owl in the photo) to perch on an adjacent branch. That caused the crows to get even more excited than they were before as they subsequently increased the intensity of their vocalizing. I wanted to stay longer to get a better picture but I felt bad about disturbing the owl and keeping it from tending to the nest, so I left after taking just a few more photos. I couldn’t tell if the owl was still incubating eggs or possibly brooding young so it will be fun to return in a month to see how the downy little owlets develop. I’ll have to be sure to bring my binoculars next time.

Aside from what wildlife one would normally expect to see on a trip like this (e.x.; geese, ducks, etc.) I also caught a glimpse of a red fox as it scurried away from the river’s edge after seeing my boat approach. Unfortunately, the fox was long gone before I could even get my camera turned on.

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Related posts:

1. Paddling the Oak Orchard