Kip’s Comments - March 31, 2024

Nail-biting Action (not really)

Several days ago a buddy called to tell me that Segment C of Sweet Marsh - the pool across the road from the dam - had enough water to paddle for an hour or more. Such news made me cautiously excited since Marten’s Lake (Segment B), where I used to paddle on a near-daily basis, is drawn down. Today I checked out the Segment C report.

My buddy’s report was accurate. Yes, if I wanted to stay in the channel along the dike, I could paddle for a better part of the afternoon to go from the boat ramp to Highway 93. What I learned today, on the water, was the paddling opportunity may be there, but it was maybe not what I was looking for. Allow me to explain.

When I attempted to paddle more toward the center of Segment C I quickly floated into very shallow water or was stopped due to low water levels. Shallow water paddling with a muck bottom is not fun. More than once I had to pop my paddles in two so I could “ski pole” my way back to hardly deep enough water to paddle.

Because of the extra movement required to move in very shallow water, just about every living creature left before I could approach close enough for acceptable images. This picture of an American coot running on water to take flight was about as exciting as it got.

American Coot - Image 870449

For more excitement I found a Canada goose sitting on a nest of eggs. This goose never did lift its head, but I did not push it either. My shutter clicked a few times and I then backed away in the shallow swamp.

Canada Goose on Nest - Image 870458

I should mention the one detail that really put a damper on my paddling desire at Segment C. Since I am also looking for wildlife photos when I paddle, I was disappointed when part of the area I was paddling in was flooded standing corn. Yes, corn makes a food plot, but it does not make for good photos. So, I opted to return to my truck.

Canoeing at Sweet Marsh - Segment C - Image 870480

Tonight I did have some excitement. A concerned citizen reported an injured sandhill crane - likely a broken wing. Four of us searched for a couple/few hours looking for the bird. The search involved wading marsh water and cattail habitat that varied from very shallow to almost upper thigh deep. Sadly, we did not find the injured bird. We did try though.