Saturday March 6 my wife and I loaded up the canoe for the season's first
paddlling trip, to the pond and upstream at Tuckahoe SP.   From the
parking lot we didn't see much: some Canada geese, several very active
kingfishers, a few mallards and a couple of woodies, and a busy pair of
yellow rumps.

Our paddle upstream was a revelation.

Our progress stirred up the ducks, and I was amazed at the numbers held by
this swamp.  We scared up several hundred ducks; scoping from shore you'd
have no idea there were so many out there.  Most were mallards, about 90%,
and most of the remianing woodies.  We got a wonderful view of a pair of
ring-necked ducks in good light; the guidebooks just cannot do justice to
the vibrancy of color in these ducks.  The female, portrayed as rather
drab, has in good light a very rich chestnut flank that was just gorgeous.

Once we got out of the swampy part and more upstream into the river, there
were fewer ducks.  But with high water, we could paddle anywhere between
the two banks; usually it's just mud flats.  That allowed us to get
farther upstream than at any time in the past, as you could find a way
around the many strainer logs in the main current.  The drift back stirred
up way fewer waterfowl.

Altogether a pleasant trip!

Bryan MacKay
Catonsville, MD