Kayaking on the Connecticut River

The Kayak trip down the Connecticut River in Sunderland had a third boat with Harvey’s nephew, who was a welcome companion.  The water was high, so there was not much sandbar habitat or shorebirds.  We had an Olive-sided Flycatcher, a flock of nine Common Merganser, only 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Kingfishers, 4 Great Blue Herons, 2 Cormorants, 2 Ravens, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, 3 Bald Eagle, and a young Peregrine Falcon.  A flock of 150 swallows were on a high wire across the river, mostly Bank, but a few Tree and Barn.  Feeding Cedar Waxwings were everywhere, launching out from trees on banks. There was no wind and a strong current, so effort was fairly modest until the last half mile when the water slowed and the wind picked up.  We tallied 29 species, and also got a close, long study of a Greater Swallow-tailed Butterfly on the island where we stopped to eat and swim.