Maybe this float trip will be the last river adventure of 2016. It was a mild day for November, a fantastic fall day to be in a kayak, paddling on the North Raccoon River.
Steve Sohn and I launched our boat at the P58 Bridge and traveled to the boat ramp at Minburn. We traveled at a leisurely pace. It took us about 2.5 hours.
Most of the leaves have fallen off the trees but the ridges, high on the river bank, had lots of oak trees that were still showing beautiful colors of bronze, gold and some red.
We saw a few neo-tropical birds that have not yet flown south, a kingfisher and a great blue heron. These fish-eating birds are usually gone by early November but can stay around until ice begins to form on the river.
The real surprise was seeing a double crested cormorant at this time of the year. The cormorant was probably a juvenile because of the light brown color on the neck and breast. They are usually seen in small flocks. Perhaps it got lost from its family during migration.
There were several red-tailed hawks flying in the river valley, and we saw four eagles downstream from the P58 bridge. The eagles must have been a family. There were two immature birds and two adult birds with the white heads and tails. All four were in the same area.
One of the adult eagles was being harassed by a flock of crows. The eagle landed in a large cottonwood tree and worked its way into the dense branches to avoid the smaller birds. When our kayak passed by, the crows flew away, but the eagle stayed and seemed like it posed so I could take photos.
All of the birds reminded me how important the river and the surrounding riparian area is for wildlife. It serves as a corridor for migrating birds and a nesting area for the ones that are here year round.
And when deep winter comes, the woods will provide food and shelter for many forms of wildlife.
The quality of the water is good at this time of the year. It was fairly clear. There has been no rain, so there is no runoff of topsoil, and the nutrient levels are also low. The nitrate level was at nine milligrams per liter Sunday afternoon, Nov. 13.
It is too bad the river is not this clean during the rest of the year.
