Yesterday morning on the Assabet River in Stow, MA the most ice I encountered was in a slough near the launch site. The river itself was ice-free with a steady current.
In the area of the Assabet eagle nest was this mated pair of eagles perched shoulder-to-shoulder a couple of days before Valentine's Day...
A little further on I encountered my first-ever river fortune cookie...
I couldn't resist opening it to see what it said. Here are the words of wisdom the cookie contained...
...which certainly makes good sense to me.
This interesting tent-like structure may have been created by the recent rise and fall in the river's water level...
Trash gathered up included 24 nip bottles...
Speaking of good fortune, I read an article in last Friday's Boston Globe: "Rare Eagle returns to Maine for second winter" by Kate Armanini. The article explains the unlikely return of this very rare eagle from far-off lands. I recall first hearing of the Steller's sea eagle last spring from fellow paddler Maury. He went to Maine last winter and photographed the large eagle. Though Maury has since passed away, I'm sure he'd be glad to know that this rare bird has returned.