A morning on Long Island Sound

(See below for another long-tailed duck photo)

A December paddle on Long Island Sound around the Norwalk Islands? Normally I’d shy away from such a venture, but not today. The temperature was downright balmy for December, no rain in the forecast, a (relatively) calm water surface, little boat traffic this time of year. Plus, the winter ducks and loons are back and I wanted to see what else was out there.

Realizing the threat of hypothermia should I take a dunk and knowing that it’s hunting season, I carefully shoved off at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk as the a bright red sun was starting to break the horizon. The sky was all shades of red, orange and yellow. A gorgeous start to the venture and I was 30 seconds into it. The sunrise, to be honest, was probably the highlight of the trip. Not that the rest of the trip was uneventful, but that sunrise was unbelievable.

Usually when I venture out birdwatching on Long Island Sound I’m with my buddy Larry Flynn on his boat. All I have to do is look for birds _ tough job. (Larry, by the way, has a blog at long-tails.blogspot.com) On a boat the distance between islands closes fast. In a canoe _ a Radisson canoe, at that (flat bottom, three keels, built for stability not speed) _ getting from point A to point B takes exponentially longer. That’s fine because the open water is just as exciting this time of year with all the long-tailed ducks, red-breasted mergansers, loons and other winter fowl on the water. The islands were pretty much void of birds, from what I saw anyway. (Except for the hundreds of brant.) I found but one shorebird on all the islands and not a single snowy owl (what’s up with that? Didn’t they know I was coming?)

Not that I’m complaining. As always, the waters and islands off the coast of Norwalk proved to be full of character and a great place to spend the morning. Other than the sunrise, the highlight was a common loon singing that wonderful loon song over and over. I felt as if I were camping in New Hampshire. Gotta love New England.

As always, thanks for supporting Bird Calls Radio. The show will return next Sunday (Dec. 11) at WGCH AM 1490 (or click “listen live” at www.birdcallsradio.com). Thanks for your patience while Bird Calls found a new home.