Ruckus in the Oxbow

It had been unusually quiet on the Nashua River in Harvard, MA yesterday with not a peep heard from the Fort Devens gun ranges.  The late January day was yet another respite from what often is deep winter.  Dare I say it, but spring was in the air. 

The stone chapel perched on a small island looked idyllic...

...and the Worcester, Nashua, and Portland railroad bridge...

...sported Mel Gibson's (William Wallace) last blood-curdling words from the movie Braveheart...

While paddling in the vicinity of the long-gone Union Turnpike bridge I heard the blood-curdling screams of an animal not too far from my location.  It sounded like a creature undergoing the same torture as Wallace...perhaps the unfortunate victim of a fisher or possibly a bobcat.  Approaching closer my attention was drawn to the trees where two creatures were seemingly engaged in battle...

Two raccoons!!... and after some wild swinging (about) the one hanging on for dear life dropped about 15 feet or so to the ground with a thud...then popped up and began wailing to anyone who would listen...

 The victor watched silently from above...

I suppose it's possible that the whole dust-up may be related to mating behavior as I read that the mating season for raccoons occurs from early to mid-February.  Maybe the raccoons are telling us that spring's arrival may be a little ahead of schedule. 

Just the day before the moss on top of Egg Rock sure had a nice green tint...

  ...and the Old North Bridge was hosting visitors...

Most of all there was a very different light as seen on the lower Sudbury River...

Over the course of the past two days, portions of the Assabet, Concord, Nashua, and Sudbury rivers were enjoyed.   Some plastic trash was rounded up along the way...

Is this Old Man Winter taking a sip from a nip?...

 
While on the Assabet River a fellow paddler had the misfortune of his paddle breaking while ascending against an opposing current.   Seeing this served to remind me of the benefit of keeping a spare paddle onboard.