Nips and Nests

 

Started this past week with an early Monday morning visit to the Assabet River eagles' nest where both eaglets were found staying close to the nest...

That's the fledged one above the nest while the unfledged eaglet is out of view behind the nest.

Later the fledged eaglet returned to his own tree where wings were extended to seemingly catch the breeze...

Nearby and within sight of the nest several river otters were hanging out.  Fumbling with my camera resulted in only one image being captured...

Water levels have dropped considerably with the Fort Meadow Brook box-culvert almost passable...

At Gleasondale the Route 62 bridge project continues...

On Wednesday I paddled the Sudbury River between Little Farms Rd and Saxonville where another nest neighborhood exists in a cut-off section of the river.  The nests appear to have ospreys and great blue herons in close proximity...

...like the old expression two's company...three's a crowd.

Paddled up to the downriver end of the Saxonville Mills where the river was shallow and moving at a good clip...

Saw my first Cardinal flower of the season...

...reminding me that summer is beginning to wane...even though I'd prefer it wouldn't.

Finished the week with a Friday morning paddle in the Nashua River's Oxbow NWR northern end.  Launched from the Bill Ashe Boat Launch in Devens, across the river from Catacoonamug Brook.  Paddled about 2.5 miles upriver...

...to where the light at the end of a tunnel drew me in...

...to where an unnamed brook falls into the river...

Trash was light on one Monday...

 ...and a bit heavier on Wednesday with sheets of plastic found draped on tree limbs...

...with Friday's haul including 70 nip bottles (from that 2.5 mile stretch of river)...

One of the more effective trash traps on the Nashua...

The oddest find of the week was this elaborate piece of glassware...

Perhaps Cheech and Chong were canoeing in the vicinity.

Enjoying High and Wide Waters

 

The Egg Rock inscription being fully submerged this past Wednesday translated into high and wide conditions on each of the three rivers emanating from this spot.

Unusual to see the Assabet River sporting so much green vegetation and high water levels in mid-summer...

 

Ideal conditions for this fast growing mushroom...

...which dwarfed an old engine manifold.

Spent a little time around the Concord River's Old North Bridge...

...and Old Calf Pasture...

The higher water levels had trash on the move.  These downriver drifters settled in for a rest at this spot...

...which 6 days earlier had no trash.

One odd find was a 1942 Hood milk bottle floating upside down.  It cleaned-up well...

Left me wondering where it had been hiding all these years.

The week's trash...

While out on the river I also enjoyed listening to the most recent addition to my shuffle's trashpaddling playlist.  It's the song "I Have Been Around" by Marty Stuart from the Johnny Cash tribute album "Forever Words".  Great tune to listen to while paddling against the current...the video's pretty good too.

All Terrain Eaglet

 

Checked in on the Assabet Eaglets this morning when it was only drizzling as opposed to our steadier daily rains of late.  The eaglet pictured above is the one that fledged about 9 days ago.  

When the adult eagle entered the nest-area airspace with a food delivery for the nest, the fledged eaglet took flight and seemed to be racing the parent to the nest.  Later when the adult left the nest with its signature swoop down to near ground level, the eaglet seemed to imitate the adult and did its own swoop which included a two-point landing and walkabout...

Because the Canada geese that usually occupy the meadow where he landed have either left the area (or been eaten), the eaglet came up empty.  However, this eaglet's world keeps expanding as it is now proficient at both landing and taking off from the ground...

The eaglet's former nest-mate remains close to the nest, apparently still yet to fledge...

The siblings stay a socially distanced four trees from each other...

A Full Flowing Assabet

 

This past Tuesday the Assabet River was full to the point where paddling beneath the Cox Street Bridge in Hudson was out of the question.  Fortunately, I was planning on a down and back to the dam at Gleasondale.  The gauge in Maynard showed the river at 4.7 feet which is unusual for mid July.  Also unusual was the river staying above 4.5 feet for a good three days.

The 1.5 mile paddle down to Gleasondale was a swift glide with almost all the usual obstacles completely submerged.  Where the river swerves to the northwest around Orchard Hill in Stow a mature bald eagle watched my passage...

Approaching the dam paddlers need to be alert for there's nothing to warn them of the impending drop-off over the dam...

By Friday the Assabet had dropped about a foot and I launched from the landing in West Concord...

...where paddling commenced on the footpath above the river bank.  

The stretch through Westvale...

  

Nashoba Brook was in a very generous mood allowing easy upstream travel...

...toward the fragrant Nashoba Brook Bakery, and under Commonwealth Ave to the outlet of Warner's Pond...

 

Trash from the week's two paddles...

First to Fledge

 

First of the Assabet eaglets to fledge (above) seen this morning, 4 trees distant from the nest.

The other eaglet and former nestmate yet to fledge but getting close...

They now have this distance between them (fledged at far left, unfledged upper right)...

...and seemed to be communicating with each other.

Adult eagle made food delivery to the nest...

...which is too small for 2 eaglets and an adult.

Fledged eaglet took his food portion and using his new skill-set lifted off...

...and flew back to his new digs where he could dine in peace...

It was way back in December of 2019 that I first saw the pair of adult eagles eyeing what I believed had been a red-tailed hawk's nest...

...and seeing them together at the nest had me speculating that their using it was a possibility.  With wishful thinking I mentioned this in my Year End Closeout post for 2019.  I still can't believe it all came to pass. Congrats to them.

   

A more recent photo of the proud parents-to-be taken in December of 2020...

It was this past May 14th when I first saw an eaglet in the nest...

Guessing it was already 2 weeks old at that time would make it 10 weeks old now.  The Audubon web site states that eagles fledge between 10 and 12 weeks...so this guy is right on time.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Elsa were trailing away to the northeast...

The more than 3 inches of additional rain left the Fort Meadow Brook culvert full...

The first button bush flower I've seen this season...

This purple flower was also in bloom...

An eastern kingbird...

Family of mute swans that needs to be extra vigilant...

Not much trash...