Bantam Lake Sunrise Ride, August 28, 2010

A beautiful Saturday morning - launched from Litchfield Town Beach. Crew boats & fisherman were already out. Hundreds of birds were waking up by the camp and all swarming around that area - really cool! Saw the heron in these photos (or maybe they were different ones) a few times - by the camp, Point Folly, and just flying around the lake. It was a fairly short, but very peaceful morning on the lake.

A beautiful morning in May

On a warm, calm, sunny Wednesday (the 5th,) Denise, Pat, Beverly and Kris set out from the town beach about 8am. We were too late in the morning this day to see any beaver, but lots of turtles and birds. We went around the point of Lenox Hill Camp, and into the Bantam River between the camp and Point Folly, continuing all the way up the river until we hit the dam behind aerospace and had to turn around. Before getting back to the lake we turned into Butternut Brook and went a good distance up it until being forced to turn around when it got too shallow. The brook was pretty neat to kayak in - really interesting with lots of twists & turns, and narrow portions with trees hanging over the water. It seemed more quiet in the brook too, even though it's not that far from 202 it must be well insulated from the noise with the thickness of the trees & brush around. Not long before reaching the lake on the way back we had the most interesting find of the day - a green heron - pictured here at the top...none of us knew what it was, someone from White Memorial identified it for us after I sent the picture.

through the eyes of a 15 year old

Sightings: beaver, geese, mallard ducks, great blue heron, other birds (?)
Sunrise: 5:46 am
Temp: 58 F
Moon: waning gibbous, 3/4, setting in the west

Getting two teenagers out of bed @ 5:00 am on a Saturday morning wasn't easy, but we did it! Boats in the water around 5:30. Kris, me, Ryan, Jacob. Two moms and our two babies (sorry Ryan & Jacob - you will always be our babies!).

Getting over the first beaver dam is getting trickier these days as the water gets lower and the beaver build higher. As we make multiple attempts to navigate over the dam, numerous beaver are lazily cruising around on the far side of the dam, taking note of us, laughing at us I'm sure. Over we go, the beaver go under, on we continue. We've been out here enough to know that some of the beaver will quickly resurface behind us. I can visualize them looping and cartwheeling below me. I would love to join them.

Kris & I lag behind Jacob & Ryan as they kayak slowly up river, our Nikons at ready. We relinquish the reward of being the first in line to stir up the wildlife of dawn. Jacob is capturing the story with the Canon Powershot, Ryan his photographic consultant. see the short video ...

Out to Little Pond. One fisherman, one swan, one walker on the boardwalk. We scatter into three different directions - Ryan and Kris head up a small side stream, Jacob gets moored on a sandbar and takes advantage of the moment to capture what passes by him. I wander across the pond, chase the swan for a bit (at a distance - he's not to be messed with), and then lose myself among the water lilies.

The sun has just broken over the trees and the light is cutting into the water in such a way that you can see below the water surface. The lilies exist not just on the surface, but are a whole other piece of art below the surface too. I am privy to the World Below the Lilies. The colors are spectacular.




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Here is what Jacob captured...

Hot Spring Day

Went out on Wednesday (April 7th) with friends Denise Butwill and Pat Donovan - we launched from the Litchfield Town Beach about 10 am. There were quite a few people putting their kayaks in the water at that time. It was an incredibly warm day for early April. I think a temperature record was set before the end of the day - about 90 degrees! We went from the beach into the Bantam River. The beaver dam that's not too far from the mouth of the river was almost entirely under water because of all the recent rain. There have been times where we've had to get out of the kayaks and haul them over the dam - but on this day it was effortless to paddle right over. We saw lots of birds, a turtle hanging out on a log, and most interesting, a goose of some sort (maybe someone can identify once I get the picture up!) that was very content sitting in the sun on top of a beaver's lodge...and yes I looked up online what a beaver's house is called - it is a lodge!

We had a very pleasant paddle up the river, continuing under Chickadee Bridge and to the spot along Whites Woods Road where we often launch. At that point we debated turning around, but Pat said "let's at least get to Little Pond" and Kris said "the way back will be easier because we'll be going with the current." So, on up the river, under Sutton Bridge, into Little Pond - saw a great blue heron in the area of Little Pond, and the white swan that seems to always be there too. Very peaceful and hot at this point - a couple was fishing from Sutton Bridge and a few people were walking around the boardwalk. After relaxing a bit there, we started to head back, ready for our nice easy ride with the current carrying us. However - did not quite work out that way - as we began, the wind really picked up, and we had to work hard to paddle against the wind! We did have some breaks from that with certain turns in the river that got us out of the wind, but for the most part, it was quite an arm workout to paddle against the wind. The goose was still in the same spot on the lodge when we went back, and we also saw a beaver swimming around - which we thought was pretty unusual for that time of day - it was around noon, when they are usually sleeping. As we got back into the lake the wind was pretty strong and there were waves on the water to paddle against - got back to the beach around 1:00, tired but very happy with the ride and the weather, and wishing we had thought ahead to pack a picnic lunch to have at the beach - hopefully next time we'll remember to do that. Can't wait to go again!

First day out!

Sightings: beaver, geese, mallard ducks, great blue heron, cardinal, chickadee. Heard turkeys.
Sunrise: 6:30 am
Temp: 45 F
Moon: 3/4 moon, setting in the south.

We are both excited to get the kayaks out. When I leave the house at 5:40 am, the moon is still out, and I've only had a few hours sleep. I'm wondering if this was a good idea.
I meet Kris at our common meeting point - by the bridge just after Bissell Road. I'm late, Kris is on time. Normal! We put our kayaks in, both promising each other that if one of us flips our boat, we will not be declared a wuss and can go home. It's cold.

We head east, towards the sunrise. The water is really high after the flooding rains of last week which makes navigation easy for us. No weeds, dams or logs to maneuver around. Nice. We head up the Bantam River towards Little Pond, stirring up a few beaver, ducks, geese along the way. The world around us is a mix of orange, red and yellow, muted sweetly with fog coming off the water.


Under the Little Pond trail bridge, under the boardwalk bridge and into Little Pond. The sun is just coming up. One lonely photographer is on the boardwalk with his tripod, watching the changing light I'm sure.


Kris and I spot a swan and track him for maybe five minutes. His wings are posed in such a way that you can almost visualize sitting on his back like one of those swan boat rides you see in amusement parks. He is majestically white, looking mighty strong. We grant him plenty of personal space. This is our halfway point, so we turn back down the river.

Almost at our endpoint Kris spots a very small beaver working dilagently on a dam. He looks very young and is oblivious to our approach, like a young child engrossed in play. He finally notices us and quietly slips under the water, but without the trademark tail-slap of his elders.