Friday, April 30, 2010

Assabet River - White Pond Rd. to Lake Boon Outlet and Return

This afternoon the Assabet River was trash patrolled between the Maynard/Stow line at White Pond Road to a point upstream where the outlet from Lake Boon enters the river.  Conditions were pleasant though still a bit on the breezy side.
Most of the trash encountered today looked old as though it had been outdoors for quite a long spell.
After passing the small private airport, I came upon a beaver worksite. Here a busy beaver, and perhaps his associates had been recently enjoying some tasty white birch...



On the upstream side of the Sudbury Road bridge I was surprised to see a piece of household plumbing.  I'll bet there's an interesting story as to how this came to rest at the water's edge...
This item was left where it lies.  It could be accessed from the road easily by someone who's not too sensitive to poison ivy.
Wildlife seen today consisted of the usual gang: mallards, wood ducks, Canada geese, a lone mute swan, red-winged blackbirds, numerous turtles, and a flying snake.  It's true!  I looked up to see a snake crossing the river about 25 feet above my head.  The unlucky snake happened to be dangling from the talons of a red-tailed hawk.  The hawk took up a perch on a large dead tree near where Elizabeth Brook enters the Assabet.  Before I could get a photo, it flew to another tree further from the brook.
Favorite piece of music heard while on the water today was Richie Haven's rendition of Pete Seeger's song Of Time and Rivers Flowing.
The trash haul for the day was 72 pieces and they posed in the mid-afternoon sunshine...
 
The breakdown: 37 recyclable containers (4 redeemable) and 35 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, a balloon, nip bottles (8), and styrofoam containers.  My YTD total stands at 1966.

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