First Canoe Trip of 2012

This morning when Argy and I walked it was obvious that spring had arrived. The air has lost the edge it has during the colder part of winter, the days are longer and filled with birds singing.  Brynna has been working in the office all winter keeping all of my projects moving forward quickly agreed when I suggested a canoe trip. We loaded the 20 foot Old Town Tripper and headed down to Ayer Park on Seven Tree Pond.

The ice is gone enough to allow a canoe to be launched at the far end of the beach, there was not a breath of wind and the air was warm, although you could feel the coolness coming off of the water. Keep in mind that most of the pond is still covered in ice. We paddled over to the eagle nest and yes there was an adult standing guard so we can safely assume there are eggs in the nest. There were a lot of geese and ducks all waiting for the ice to recede further north and allow them to head to their nesting grounds.

On the way up the river into Round Pond we watched a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers at a very close range and saw another eagle (this one an immature) along with many more ducks and geese. The usual weather pattern has the warmest part of the day in late morning and cooling off as the breeze starts off of the ocean in the afternoon and today was no different. We paddled back down to Seven Tree just as the air was starting to move.

A perfect start to the 2012 canoeing season, as soon as the ice melts a little more I plan to give the early season pike fishing a try in both ponds. Watch here for the details!