Yesterday my sister and I kayaked and fished Mt. Landing Creek in
Essex County. We put the kayaks in just north of the Rt. 17 bridge on
the northbound side of the divided highway. We saw Ospreys and a Bald
Eagle. There were Great Blue Herons flying high over head. We heard
Yellow-billed Cuckoos frequently as well as Yellow Warblers. Marsh
Wrens were everywhere singing their lovely song and popping up on top
of a reed to see what we were about. But the most fun came when Susan
called to me and asked what this miniature heron was. I had had a 3
second glimpse of a Least Bittern flying over my head and settling
down into the marsh. I had fished ahead of Susan in a little gut off
the main creek and when she called to me paddled back toward her. The
Least Bittern seemed totally unconcerned with our talking and floating
fairly close to it. With its incredible feet it worked its way down a
reed and close to the water. The first strike for a minnow we saw was
a miss. When it got one it didn't eat it but took it back up and into
the reeds. Soon it was back. Of course I had left my digital camera in
the car but had Susan's cheap underwater camera out of its casing and
took some pictures.
We fished another half an hour up the gut until low tide left us with
low water. When we came back by the spot the Least Bittern was on
another mallow branch trying its luck there. Red-eyed Vireos and
Common Yellow-throats seemed to compete with Red-winged Blackbirds for
the honor of MOST CHATTY BIRD on the creek. In the reeds near the dock
for the Rappahannock River Valley NWR was a bird sound I couldn't
identify. At least I think it was a bird. It definitely sounded like
it was on, or near the ground and not far into the reeds. It went kuk,
kuk, kuk, kuk, kuk. It sounded closer to a cuckoo than a rail but
didn't seem to have the right rhythm for either. It wasn't a Wild
Turkey because we hear those a lot and know most of those sounds. For
those with finesse hearing it was a kuk instead of a perk or a kowp.
This morning on Little Totuskey Creek in Richmond County I heard the
same call. (Yesterday the fishing was great for yellow and white perch
and catfish.)
Lee Loudenslager Adams
Fredericksburg, VA
ladams42@xxxxxxx
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