Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Low Tide on the Sudbury?

Launching into the Sudbury River from under Sherman's Bridge in Wayland yesterday afternoon, one couldn't mistake the feel of fall in the air.  In fact, a paddling jacket was worn for the first time in months.

Heading upriver I was struck by how low the water level has become and how the river could easily be mistaken for a tidal river at low tide.  At many bends the receding water left old cans and bottles exposed in the mud and muck.  The first bottle found was this old bottle of Scotch whisky...
According to the embossing on the bottom it had journeyed a long way from the Glenfyne Distillery in Scotland.  The distillery was located in the village of Ardrishaig which is west of Glasgow near the Kyles of Bute and the Firth of Clyde.  Whisky was made there between 1831 and 1937.  In the center of the bottle's bottom is embossed "Made in Great Britain" which reminded me of the upcoming vote when Scots will decide whether to stay part of Great Britain or go it alone.

An old beer can which, though brewed on this side of the "pond", conjured up images of olde England and Sir John Falstaff...
...haven't seen one of these cans in quite awhile.

Next was a bottle more typical for this side of the Atlantic...

I believe it dates to 1958 and, like a bottle found in the Nemasket River, the applied color label began fading as soon as it left the mud.  Almost all of the color was gone by the time I got home.

There were others probing the Sudbury's muck yesterday such as killdeer...

...and an egret...

There was also a marsh hawk and this smaller hawk, perhaps an immature Coopers hawk...

The afternoon steadily improved to where the paddling jacket was no longer necessary and the feel of summer returned...

Back at the boat launch my trash haul hit the beach...
There were 14 recyclable containers (10 redeemable) and 14 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, 2 Styrofoam bait tubs, and what looked to be a long abandoned musquash trap.
YTD = 4348

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