Kayaking and Turtle Love…

On Sunday, I went out to Mill Neck LI, where I met my friend Stella who had invited me over to go kayaking. It was my first time kayaking, so Stella suggested the use of a two person kayak (I think that is what it is called). After discovering mice in the kayak seats and agonizing whether a ride on the water would stress them out, we decided to go for it. Thankfully, no mice were hurt and we did not have any situations where the mice decided to venture out. Kayaking was a lot of fun and Stella was an excellent guide. We also kept a lookout for birds and noted several. Including, Snowy Egrets, a Great Blue Heron, Great Egrets, Double Crested Cormorants, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpipers, a Killdeer and a Semipalmated Plover to name a few. Later in the afternoon, we headed over to Shu Swamp, and observed a fascinating tryst between two Snapping Turtles, as they copulated for well over 20 minutes. We could not tell if either of them smoked cigarettes after, but the consensus was it looked like they both enjoyed the encounter. Finally, the Wood Ducks showed up just before we lost all light and then we called it a day.