HRWC hosted our last paddle trip of the season this past Saturday from Flat Rock to Point Mouillee. We were a smaller group for this trip- a total of eight. It started out as a beautifully chilly and sunny day. Upon arrival at the put-in, we were a bit concerned about the possibility of low water levels and the need to portage through parts of the trip, but this fear faded away quickly once we took to the water. The water was surely shallow due to the extreme lack of rain we’ve had this summer. Some paddlers estimate that water levels were down over four feet.
It began to rain while we were taking our ‘half way’ break and the sky became overcast, but after a while the sun came back out. Above all, this was a very interesting stretch of the river to paddle. The riverbanks throughout the trip were wild with grapevines and towering old trees. We also saw many signs that the river is well-used, such as many chairs set up along the river. The estuary area where the Huron River flows out into Lake Erie was a great destination to end the trip. It was a delicate and rare place to see two ecosystems (the river and the lake) meet. Thank you to all participants who came on the trip! And to those who weren’t able to join us, I hope that you’ll join us for a paddle trip again next summer! Finally, Thank you to Ron Sell and Barry Lonik for serving as HRWC’s expert paddle guides this summer!
This list of birds that were seen on our trip was created by Dea Armstrong, City of Ann Arbor Ornithologist.
Canada Goose 15
Mute Swan 2
Mallard 15
Mallard (Domestic type) 30
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Double-crested Cormorant 12
Great Blue Heron 10
Great Egret 35 most at the mouth of the river
Green Heron 6 Most of these birds were quite streaky on the breast.
Turkey Vulture 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3
Cooper’s Hawk 2
Bald Eagle 5 various ages, 2 adults, 1 secoond year that Icould see.
Killdeer 2
Solitary Sandpiper 3
peep sp. 4
Ring-billed Gull 30
Herring Gull 14
Rock Pigeon 17
Mourning Dove 10
Belted Kingfisher 7
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 43
American Crow 3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow X
Tree Swallow X
swallow sp. 70
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
American Robin 10
Cedar Waxwing 35
Northern Cardinal 5
American Goldfinch 7
House Sparrow 4