07/23/2011 - Mobile River & Three Mile Creek

Header Image is a photo merge of Spanish River just before sunrise.

1) A slight hint of dawn is seen in the sky after launching at Shirleys in the dark.

2) Sunrise in the Bay Grass area was jaw dropping. 

3) A perspective of how I get a photo of the sunrise.

4) An osprey eagle nest on Spanish River had two occupants.

5) Over a dozen white ibis were hanging out on a tree along Mobile River.

6) The CSX railroad track is close to Mobile River.

7) A roll cloud passed by overhead near the entrance to Chickasaw Creek. It briefly generated some wind which sure felt good on a hot humid windless morning.

8) A juvenile heron.

9) I kayaked to the shoreline several times to take photos in Three Mile Creek. As the kayak bumped into vegetation, it rained ants all over me and the kayak. The underside of this coco yam leaf shows why - it is covered with ants feeding off aphid nectar. Coco yam is an invasive foreign species from Africa called Elephant's Ear or wild taro (Colocasia esculenta). Pigweed was another species of plant that the ants took over.

10) The invasive Apple Snail eggs can still be seen in Three Mile Creek.

11) The flower shown here is one I've never seen before. Anyone know what it is? (Update: The wildflower is a Turks Cap or Wax Mallow (Malvaviscus drummondii (some classify it as a sub-species: Malvaviscus arboreus var drummondii).)

12) A green heron looking for food.

13) Symptom of our disposable society and Mobile's tolerance of roadside trash.

14) There are some big ships in Mobile River.

15) Despite boats being in the vicinity, no one came to help these boaters whose engine had broke. The painfully slow trek back to their boat launch using a trolling motor was aided by wind power. One guy said they even got on the radio and asked for help. So, you think if you have a problem while kayaking that people will instantly come to your rescue if you holler for help? You might want to rethink your rescue strategies so you have a backup plan "B". What if you break an arm or injure your shoulder and you can't paddle? Based on what these guys did, investing in a WindPaddle might be a good idea.