Boggy kayaking

Yesterday (the 25th) was another warm sunny day in the high 70s, since our kayaks were still mounted to my car I headed to Robin’s apartment. We walked down the to dock and spotted little 8″ fish waiting for dinner to land on the water; one was close to the surface so I reach down quickly and grabbed the fish in my hand but whimpishly dropped it due to its sharp fins. We played with the fish for awhile before heading down the road to Field’s pond for another kayak trip; this pond is a part of Brewer Lake and is at the opposite end where we first kayaked this year. There were two reasons why I wanted to kayak here, it was well lit by the setting sun and was abundant in aquatic plants (lily pads, peat moss, algae, water grass, etc). I grew up playing in and around frog ponds, catching turtles and frogs so this setting is brings back memories and enjoyment.

We mostly heard croaking from male frogs boast their vocal cords from lily pads and hidden areas with the occasional cry from Red-Winged blackbirds (a much different setting from two months ago). We spotted two Great blue Herons as well as the two Ospreys in the distance. We found a secluded area teeming with algae and peat moss, a perfect setting for turtles. We paddled around open and tight areas looking for turtles; after awhile Robin spotted a little head poking up from the water, she thought it was a small frog but a seasoned veteran like myself could tell it was a turtle from the way its eyes were positioned and the way it blinked. I paddled quietly next to the turtle and caught it; it was a 3-4 year old Painted turtle, my favorite species.