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...

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.