Antique Litter

 

Drank in another dose of Sunday morning quiet on the Assabet, Concord, and Sudbury rivers yesterday.  (Above photo is the Concord River near Saw Mill Brook).

The Egg Rock inscription showed just how low water levels have become...

Wildlife were out and about at this early hour:

This white-tailed deer with its antlers in velvet was curious but not overly concerned with my presence...

This killdeer was also enjoying the morning...

The oddest find of the day was this DIY bait bottle (corn chowder for fish)...

The plastic bottle was filled with corn and several holes had been punched through the plastic.

The oldest find of the day was this J Gahm and Son, Boston Mass blob-topped beer bottle...

According to information found on the internet, J Gahm and Son of Boston Mass used bottles like this one in the 1880s and 1890s and filled them with Milwaukee lager beer.  The company's trademark was a beer stein and it was nicely embossed on the bottle.  

It was found close to where, according to Guide to the Reformatory Branch Trail by the Friends of Bedford Depot Park, the Reformatory Branch of the Boston and Lowell Railroad once crossed over the Sudbury River.  A bridge was built there in 1879 allowing the Middlesex Central Railroad to run another 2.5 miles in order to reach the Concord State Prison.  That timeline has the bridge and old beer bottle coinciding with each other.  The bottle cleaned up pretty good considering how long it's been exposed to the elements...

Later in the morning temperatures rose to 90 degrees F. and the thought of enjoying an ice-cold lager beer became irresistible.

Trash collected included the empty bag of corn...

Salty Rather Than Fresh for a Change

 

A thirst for some salty waters for a change and an ideal 9:15 am high tide brought me to Hingham, MA early yesterday morning.  A fellow kayaker, Wade, was already on the beach prepping his Hobie Mirage Outback for some striper fishing...

After launching into Hingham Harbor at about mid-tide I noted the rising sun trying to penetrate the clouds (opening photo).  Then I paddled out of the harbor towards Slate and Grape Islands...

On my way there I passed this handsome lobster boat seemingly a long way from home...

I'd later learn on the website of its builder that "The Sari Ann is a Peter Kass designed lobster boat built by John's Bay Boat Company in 2006."  It's a wooden boat.  John's Bay Boat Co. is located in South Bristol, ME which, interestingly enough, is less than 10 miles from where my Surge kayak was built on Westport Island, ME.

The Boston skyline could be seen in the distance...

Rounding the 2 islands afforded me encounters with this eye-catching American oystercatcher...

The oystercatcher never moved leaving to me to wonder if was real.  Had a band on one leg.

A white-tailed deer patrolled one of the island's shorelines...

Landed briefly on Grape Island where, according to the Boston Public Library's website, an early skirmish between the occupying British forces and Hingham militiamen took place May 21, 1775...

The island is located opposite the entrance to Weymouth's Back River.  I'd thought about paddling into Back River but found it fairly busy with large vessels entering and leaving:

Massachusetts Bay Lines' M/V Massachusetts...

 Semper Offshore's  150' supply vessel M/V Warren Jr...

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's catamaran ferry M/V Asteria...

Seeing all this traffic convinced me that I'd need to paddle to World's End to find serenity and a good place for a swim.  This "You are here" map on Grape Island shows the area I spent the morning paddling...

I approached World's End at a little past the top of the tide...

Entering the Weir River brought me to the east side of World's End where the water was calm, shallow, and lagoon-like...

 A great egret stood watch...

The sun finally prevailed and things rapidly got hot! (90 degrees F.)  Found a spot to land and take a dip...my first salty swim of the year...

Then it was back out of the Weir River...

...and back to Hingham Harbor.

Only trash encountered was just above the tideline where I briefly landed on Slate Island...

 

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...