Cue the Eaglets

 

With America's 250th birthday fast approaching I decided to see how our local eagle nests were doing.  I consider myself fortunate to have 3 eagle nests within a 20-mile radius of my home.  Fifty years ago when our country celebrated its bicentennial there were no eagle nests, or bald eagles for that matter, around these parts.  The American eagle that is depicted on the Great Seal of the United States since 1782...

...seemed destined for extinction in 1976.  Since then eagles have made a comeback and were declared our national bird in 2024.

After confirming there was an eaglet in the Assabet River nest on June 2nd and another (possibly a pair) in the Sudbury River nest on June 7th, I decided to see how the Nashua River nest had done.  So early (6am) yesterday morning I headed out from Petapawag in Groton, MA to check the third nest.  It was a stellar morning to be out on the water.

On my way to the nest I saw my first Baltimore oriole of the season...

Arrived at the Nashua's eagle nest to find no sign of eagle activity...

However, a few hours later one adult eagle was in the nest with its eaglet...

The sighting of this eaglet confirmed that all 3 nests had been successful, with these new eaglets arriving just in time to be on hand for our nation's 250th.

Other wildlife included a newly expanded mute swan family...

Encountered another early morning paddler out on the river...Tom of Tewksbury was paddling his Hurricane Santee 116...

At another point on the river I came upon this odd little structure...

While I'm a big fan of "A" frames I can't figure out what purpose this one serves.

Trash wasn't too bad...

Serene Sunday Morning on the Sudbury

 

Got out on the Sudbury River at 6 am this morning launching from the Lincoln (MA) canoe launch.  By the time I reached Lee's Bridge (photo above) I'd already had several encounters with wildlife out and about to greet the new day: 

A blue heron...

Wood ducks...

White-tailed deer...

An eaglet exploring the outer confines of its nest...

...possibly a second eaglet can be seen just to the pictured eaglet's right...

...and a sleeping beaver...

At Weir Hill I found the plaque explaining the location's significance to be unreadable due to a layer of dirt...

A few minutes work with a wet rag brought it to the point where it could, once again, be viewed and read...

Portrayed on the plaque is a Native American spearing fish within the weir the site is named for.

The trail from the boat landing to the Great Meadows parking area is partially blocked by fallen trees...

Sunday mornings are usually quiet but this Sunday overperformed in that regard...

Didn't encounter any trash while out on the river but did find this bit at the edge of the parking lot...

A Still and Not So Still Still River

 

Arrived at the foot of Still River Depot Road in Harvard, MA at 6 am yesterday morning to find a CSX freight train parked on the mainline...

The train is designated as M427 and runs from Portland, ME to Selkirk Yard near Albany, NY.  Apparently, after passing through Hill Yard in Ayer, MA, its crew ran out of time and the train was awaiting the arrival of a fresh crew.  Other than the low rumbling of the idling diesel engines Still River was still.  Still River Depot long ago served the village of Still River.  The Harvard Reconnaissance Report prepared by the Massachusetts Heritage Landscape Inventory Program describes the village: "Still River was an agricultural village formed as a linear settlement along the ridge overlooking the Nashua River".  

I launched just a short distance from the train at the Oxbow N.W.R. and paddled the short distance to the railroad trestle over the Nashua River...

...in hopes of seeing the train get underway, cross over the river, and continue its journey to Selkirk Yard near Albany, NY.    Because this train was occupying the single-track mainline and, by so doing, would block the Norfolk Southern's double-stacked container train from reaching its final destination at the Hill Yard, I figured M427 would get underway sooner rather than later.  However, it didn't and remained parked there for several more hours while I paddled downriver.  I'd later hear it get underway around 9:30 am.   

Did see this train of ducks passing by...

Nearly every fallen tree limb in this section of the Nashua had become a trash trap of sorts...

This particular stretch of the Nashua River is kind of like the Bermuda Triangle for the pesky little liquor bottles known as "nips".

My trash haul ended up including 257 of these "nip" bottles...

...which thanks to our outdated Bottle Bill have no monetary value.

Upon leaving the boat launch I discovered this elderly snapping turtle who'd sought some shade under my car...

Would like to have asked the turtle some questions but heard the train horn of the approaching double-stacked container train and watched it approaching the crossing at Still River Depot Road...

...hauling a good number of containers the last few miles to the Intermodal facility at Hill Yard...

...leaving the Still River Depot site still again. 

Assabet's Eaglet and Dame's Rockets

 

Got in another early morning paddle yesterday, this time, on the Assabet River launching from Sudbury Road in Stow, MA.  Conditions were ideal with bright blue skies and calm winds. 

One of my main objectives was to see if there were eaglets in the riverside nest.  No sign of activity on my first pass, but a few hours later there was this, now, good-sized eaglet...

Speaking of bird nests there was this well-built one that an eastern kingbird flew from...

Clusters of white, pink, and purple flowers were seen in several areas...

...which on close inspection were seen to have 4-petals...

Seeing this photo Mrs. Trashpaddler thought they might be phlox, but we would later learn that because of those 4 petals (rather than 5 petals as phlox have) these are Dame's Rocket.  According to Mass Audubon Dame's Rocket plants were brought from Europe by colonists.  These days they're considered an invasive plant.

Warmth from the sun was being enjoyed by this piggy-backed gang of turtles...

Trash was very light...

...and included an empty bag of "Scandinavian Swimmers" (a super sour gummy candy).

On that sour note, while on my way home I stopped near the Powder Mill Dam in Acton and found that access to the Assabet River upstream of the dam is no longer available.  An 8 foot high fence with barbed wire has been erected between Old High Street and the mill pond...

Portaging around the dam will now be even more of a challenge.  Folks have long fished from the shore here but it looks as though that will no longer be possible.

 

Sudbury River After the Blow

 

It was hard to believe the Sudbury River could be this calm less than 24 hours after the previous day's high winds, rain, and cold temperatures (40s F.).  I launched early on Sunday morning from Route 20 in Wayland, MA and paddled upriver towards Framingham.   Noted several herons had taken to the trees...

 

Also aloft and in the trees was this once airborne balloon or perhaps some sort of parachute...

White-tailed deer were out and about possibly to dry out...which reminded me of long ago being told by locals in Newfoundland that if I wanted to see a caribou I should venture out early in the morning after a rainstorm.  Guess the same applies to deer.  This one was soaking up some sunlight...

The deer's dark-colored winter coat has now lightened quite a bit.   

Around the next bend was this immature eagle...

...watching me like a hawk...er I mean like an eagle...

Went upriver about a half mile beyond the power lines.

The yellow flag are now blooming...

Trash of a mostly plastic nature included a truck-tire inner tube and 16 "nip" bottles...

Felt like a trapper returning with hides strapped to my boat's deck...