Monday, August 10, 2015

Dudes. Duuuuuudes.


On Saturday, I headed up to the reservoir to get some more paddling in.  It was a beautiful day.  The water was nice and calm.


I paddled over to the little islands to see what was there:


The carp were active, which ... yuck.  I am not a fan.  They're so BIG, for one thing, and they have those great big mouths and those great big scales ... erg.  Oh, they're harmless and all, but they just look so ... prehistoric.  I paddled over to another mini island:


Mama ducks were out with their broods:






I was paddling along the shoreline when I rounded a point and saw:





Holy F*CK!,  I said under my breath.  I grabbed the camera and guided the kayak closer.





I grew up in the sixties, when bald eagles had been all but eradicated from New York State thanks to the use of DDT.  I remember when eagles were first re-introduced to the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge back in the seventies, and how exciting it was when they started to reproduce.  Eagles are kind of a big deal, around here.





That dude was just hanging out.  Watching the water, waiting for fish.  I hung out nearby for quite a while, and finally paddled on, to leave him to his peace and quiet.


Yeah, I won't be forgetting THAT anytime soon.


2 comments:

profbridgett said...

That is such a thrill. I've only seen one in the wild once...it buzzed over me as it was flying up a creek bed in the ADK.

rockygrace said...

Very cool, profbridgett. Next on my wish list is osprey; I haven't seen one in years.