I went kayaking down the Scarborough River with my family in our tandem kayak. We parked at the Maine Audubon Center and used their ramp to launch the kayak.

Most of the water in the marsh was slow moving, if at all, on the branch that winds past the boat launch. Birds are remarkably tolerant of kayaks. We were able to get close to Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets with their yellow feet, and Willets. We drifted within 20 feet of one Willet, and it seemed completely disinterested in us. A few times we saw some aggressive little fish break the surface, but no signs of Stripers. The tide was close to low tide and the water was moving quicker once we got near the culvert under Black Point Road.

We paddled to the bridge over the gas pipeline and turned around. Because the river was getting faster, and it was getting harder to paddle against the current, we pulled out at the little dirt strip near the culvert. I walked back to the Audubon Nature Center to get the car. It’s a short walk down the road, maybe a half-mile.

What a nice way to spend the morning.

Read more about Scarborough Marsh.