Paddled the same stretch of the Kalamazoo River again tonight -- another beautiful evening filled with wildlife sightings, including another bald eagle.
We did see something really amazing, though -- The Heron Tree. It's something that the guy who owns the D-avenue put-in had told us about. It's hidden on the far side of an island, which is why me missed it last time. It's this tall thin tree in which at least thirteen great blue herons have nested, with another dozen or so nests scattered in nearby trees. It's just amazing to see such huge birds way up in the treetops, holding their strange grunting conversation between themselves. The nests are these loose piles of sticks that don't seem capable of holding hatchlings up, let alone a five-foot bird with a six-foot wingspan.
We had fun investigating some close places, and the water was so high and fast that we all got hung up a couple times, but we eventually all got untangled and back to the take-out. Good times.
Posted by Janer