Ahh, two of my favorite hobbies combined. Kayaking is a fantastic way to
see birds up close in their environment, in places they rarely expect to
see humans. I'm an officer in the largest sea kayaking club in the mid-
Atlantic, the Chesapeake Paddlers Association (www.cpakayaker.com), and
lead trips for friends and club members all over the Bay. A good number
of our members combine kayaking with nature-watching, and some trip
leaders - myself included - often take the time to call out interesting
birds seen on club trips. Although by no means an expert birder, I can ID
most of what I see, and even while respecting nesting areas the closeness
that can be gained when birding in a slow-moving, silent kayak is hard to
beat by my landlubbing birding bretheren. Ever drift through spatterdock
to within 20' of a juvenile Bald Eagle sitting on a log? Watch a mother
Belted Kingfisher training the kids to fish - while hidden in the reeds
less than a paddle-length away? See an Osprey pluck a fish from the water
so close alongside that you get splashed? Sneak up on a Sora or a Yellow-
crowned Night Heron hidden in the phragmities? Only by kayaking.
Barry
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Barry D. Marsh
Baltimore, MD |