Like most of the East, and it seems, most of the world, we have been enduring a long stretch of hot and humid conditions with sparse precipitation. While the river is low, paddling seemed like a nice option to get a little workout and perhaps see some birds.

As I was getting kayak ready, I noticed this Monarch working one of our flower bushes.

It has been a good year for Monarchs

Several young song sparrows chipped away at me as I got the gear together.

Our local Great Blue Heron was downstream fishing.

While upstream, this moma Mallard shepherded her three youngsters,

We have watched this brood go from about a dozen fluffballs to the three nearly-grown youngsters.

I saw a larger bird fly into some undergrowth and after some maneuvering and stealth, I spotted this neat Green Heron. It gave me an interesting challenge of balancing the boat, the paddle, and the camera as it played hard to get.

But the master of “catch me if you can” seems to be the Belted Kingfisher who is noisy, flashy, and usually just out of camera range. I followed this one for a quarter mile, shooting and missing, but finally …

Birding by boat is not just about trying for photos. I got really close to several Grey Catbirds, deep in the honeysuckle, and watched an Eastern Phoebe singing away high on a dead branch. It iwas a peaceful way to enjoy a humid Vermont mid-day.