Harwich, MA
We had a few moments in Harwich this morning, so we pulled over into a parking lot right on the Herring River. I know this river from when I first moved to Cape Cod...
One of my best friends, and former business partner, Lisa was visiting for the day. We decided to go kayaking to enjoy the watery environment that I was now surrounded by...my new location to call home. The guy we rented the kayaks from seemed quite happy to rent to us because he said, "We call this a 'Money Tide'." Lisa and I just laughed it off... whatever buddy, we were thinking, and yes of course we understood tides. We did not, however, consider EXACTLY what he meant. We were headed north on the river, with high tide not happening for several hours. Our paddle north was a breeze! We were smiling and just enjoying being outside, on the water, on kayaks, spending time together, spotting wildlife and enjoying the calm & quiet around us. We paddled literally as far as we could go, which took a little more than an hour, and it was time to turn back.
The Herring River is an estuary, so it is affected by the tides. High tide was not for another two hours or so and when we turned around to paddle back...IT WAS A BATTLE!!! A PADDLE BATTLE!!! What a workout, fighting against the water and against our constant laughing fits because we could NOT keep up with the forces of the river pushing against us in the kayaks. It was HILARIOUS, and we had gone a'paddlin' for more than three hours! Money Tide. Now it all made sense. The good news is that yes of course we made it back safe & sound, with an unexpected upper body workout that would last basically a week and much less $ in our wallets. It was worth it and we have this hysterical memory to share! It is one of my favorite stories of when I first moved to Cape Cod.
So I have very fond feelings for this river and was extremely DELIGHTED to catch a glimpse of this Common Goldeneye male, diving and feeding not too far off the river's shore. We watched him dive and feed and when I decided I wanted to get a better look & maybe a photo - he decided not to cooperate. I can't blame him and I did feel badly that we interrupted his breakfast. I used to see Common Goldeneyes all the time when I'd go birdwatching near water for years. I haven't seen one in SO long, so it really was a treat. Here he is...taking off, on the waters of the Herring River.
Common Goldeneye - male
not the greatest photo... but I was using my phone...
Happy Birding!
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