02/23/2011 - Mobile River Loop

Launch: Causeway Boat Ramp (just west of Oysterella's restaurant)
Launch Cost: Free
Destination: Mobile River Loop
Distance: Approx 21 miles (round trip)
Paddle time: Leisurely 7 hours
Weather: 60-70 degrees, partly cloudy to sunny in afternoon. Incoming tide, winds calm to light. Minimal currents. Just about perfect!

Are you getting tired of hearing bad news about what is happening somewhere else in the world? If you like to get a little exercise and enjoy nature, Kayaking can instantly cure the world's troubles - at least until you get back home and turn on the television... Interested in Kayaking but have never done it? Do an internet search for a kayaking club near you. Many kayaking clubs have public meetings, including the one in the Mobile Bay area. Go to a meeting! For the local club, click here: Mobile Bay Canoe and Kayak Club

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1) I started paddling about an hour before sunrise with some illumination by the moon.

2) Sunrise across Delvan Bay was stunning. I mostly sat still for over an hour enjoying the changing colors on the reflective waters and took about a hundred photos - way too many to put on blogger.

3) Hmmm, one Osprey eagle was bouncing up and down on top of another Osprey.

4) Wow, look at the claws on Osprey eagles. Ya gotta feel sorry for the Osprey on the bottom.

5) Saw many long beaked birds all along the shoreline. Think this is a Snipe or a Dowitcher - never can tell them apart.

6) Young White Ibis. Even saw a juvenile bald eagle today.

7) Yes, this alligator was alive. Even though I was close, it just did not want to get back into that dirty cold water when the sun was making it feel so good. 

8) Right now is a good time of year to see alligators up close.

9) Mobile River has big ship traffic like this Strait of Dover cargo ship.

10) If you paddle around big ships, stay at least 100 feet away from them. Why? Water could start pumping out of the hull at any time knocking you over if you are too close.

11) The small little island southeast of the USS Alabama, called Goat Island, is a hangout for local and migratory birds.

12) You can see the normal growth on the beak of these male pelicans. For more photos and info about white pelicans, Click Here.