kayak | My Everyday Photos

Category Archives: kayak

Back in the Boat Again

April 30, 2013 – 7:26 pm
Posted in kayak
Tagged kayak, Osprey, Patterson Lake, Pearrygin Lake, photography, Red-necked Grebe, Winthrop, Wood Ducks, yellow-rumped warbler
Comments (3)

Last week there were several good weather days and twice I managed to get my kayak in the water. Last year I hardly used it due to persistent lower back pain from gardening. I am trying to really take care of my back this year with more yoga and being very aware of how I move when I am carrying heavy stuff and trying to get help when I can. So far, so good for the most part. Of course with kayaking there is the business of getting the boat on and off the car to take it to the lakes. That worried me. I was able to do it and paddle two days in a row and I am happy to report that I didn’t have any pain! What a relief. Here’s hoping it stays that way all summer. Here are some highlights from two lakes near Winthrop.

Patterson Lake is my favorite

Interesting rock formations

Non-native trees line one end next to hay fields

Last year’s cottonwood leaf

Folks keep adding to this lakeside sculpture

You can tell from the line on the rocks that the lake is not yet full

These trees died after the lake level was raised some years ago. Now the snags are good habitat for nesting swallows and other birds.

Red-necked Grebe

Pair of Wood Ducks

Patterson Mountain reflected in Patterson Lake

More reflections near the boat launch

At Pearrygin Lake State Park, it’s still cold for swimming

A pair of Mallards

The hen decided to go her own way

The drake had to fly to catch up with her

4 Bufflehead ducks

They didn’t like me or the motorboat approaching from the other side

Pearrygin is a pretty warm lake with different vegetation types.

The reeds make nice reflections

This float had broken away from its moorings

In addition to motorboats, I saw this stand up paddler and a rowing scull

Killdeer on a mud flat

The mouth of Pearrygin Creek. This creek ‘blew out’ two years ago, resulting in flooding in the state park and the loss of this boat launch. They say that the state will replace it.

There are LOTS of Yellow-rumped Warblers out and about these days.

And Osprey are commonly seen above any water that might have fish in it. There were lots of newly-planted trout for the next day’s fishing season opener.

Paddling into November

November 2, 2011 – 7:12 pm
Posted in kayak, Patterson lake, Uncategorized
Tagged autumn, bald eagle, kayak, Methow, Patterson Lake
Leave a Comment

Yesterday with my boat piled up high on the truck I drove to Patterson Lake. It might be the last paddle of the season. Snow is in tonight’s forecast and according to local predictions, we may be skiing before the end of the month. I sure hope to get my boat out again before winter sets in for good.

The weather was chilly with a light breeze and brilliant sunshine on the fading autumn foliage. It’s been too long since I’ve been in my boat and I felt clumsy to start but soon got into a rhythm. A Pileated Woodpecker crossed the lake in front of me. Hooded Mergansers acted as though I was a threat and flew before I could approach closely. The males are already showing off their big hoods while the females act disinterested. I heard but didn’t see, Mallards. No little birds were heard – no chickadees, nuthatches, finches.

At the south end of the lake, I observed these green round ‘things’ in the water. They were small, mostly less than a quarter inch in diameter but some a bit larger. Are they algae? Some sort of eggs? Seeds? In some places they were piled several layers deep; other places they covered the lake bottom in a single layer and in some places they were sparse. I’ve never seen them in the water before. With me on a boat and these underwater, they were hard to photograph. I got some in my hands their texture was spongy. I should have taken them back to shore to get a better look.

My boat matched the scenery.

I also saw a number of dead fish at the south end of the lake. Are these 8-10 inch fish planted kokanee? Are they spawned out? I also saw schools of similar fish swimming in the same area.

This not quite grown-up Bald Eagle flushed from a pine as I paddled by. Looking closely, you can see that it has one of those small fish in its bill.

A few seconds later it flew back in the other direction but now the fish is in its talons.

Life is full of excitement.

Moonrise over Pearrygin Lake

September 13, 2011 – 9:07 am
Posted in kayak, Pearrygin Lake
Tagged ducks, full moon, kayak, Methow, moonlight, owls, Pearrygin Lake
Comments (1)

A friend joined me for a full moon paddle on Pearrygin Lake last night. It was a perfect evening for it with glassy water, no power boats and warm weather. At 8:01, we could see the creeping light of the moon over the hills to east. As it came up and we watched with binoculars, we could see the fir trees silhouetted against the bright disk. It was truly an awesome sight. My photo does not do it justice.

Too high ISO, boat movement, lens not long enough but still, you get the idea!

We were also treated to a chorus of Poorwill’s from the back side of Studhorse Mountain; bats, some owls that were very light colored and lots of crickets. When we first got on the water we saw Mallards, mergansers, at least two kinds of grebes and probably a Wood Duck too. This time of year, the ducks are such a challenge. Lots of Red-winged Blackbirds. One Great Blue Heron was fairly cranky about being disturbed by our presence in the dark and made its opinion known as it flew across the lake.

One the way home I saw a Great-horned Owl, a raccoon and in Winthrop at the four way stop, a mule deer doe carefully walked across the street using the crosswalk as I patiently waited for her. She was the only one walking around town at 10:00. I guess that’s a sign that the summer tourist season is over.

Morning on Patterson Lake

July 7, 2011 – 6:15 pm
Posted in kayak, Patterson lake
Tagged common goldeneye, kayak, Methow, moth, Patterson Lake, scull
Comments (2)

This morning started out to be another ho,t still day, similar to yesterday. At Patterson Lake, birds were singing, insects buzzing and a few early risers were out fishing and stretching their muscles on the water. I paddled my kayak from one end to the other and back, listening to birds and buzzing insects from the trees. I saw an Osprey catch a fish; heard woodpeckers tapping on trees; saw turtles sunning themselves on logs. It was a good morning to be out on the water.