Muddy Creek Paddle on Lake Arthur
/At the end of May, my brother and I paddled the eastern end of Lake Arthur up at Moraine State park. That part of the lake has three fingers that are essentially aligned to the south, east, and north. The northern finger is where the lake's main feeder stream, Muddy Creek, enters the body of water and is an especially enjoyable paddle since you start by paddling the lake, then work your way through heavy lily pads, until finally ending up in a swamp where the stream channel is just past the thickest of the lily pads.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) -
We saw a lot of Great Blue Herons that day and I was excited to snap this shot just as it was taking flight. The shallow finger we were paddling must be their preferred habitat and it's tough to get a good picture before they take off.
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) -
Osprey are also known as "fish eagles" and "fish hawks" because their diet consists mostly of fish and other aquatic creatures that call lakes and rivers home. Often times they can be seen "hovering" in the air with their wings pulled back in a "v" formation so they can ride the wind in one spot and scout for any fish unlucky enough to come to the surface.
Muddy Creek Swamp -
The paddle up the Muddy Creek finger of the lake ends in a swampy area where the lily pads and other aquatic vegetation makes passing impossible. We were able to get a little further up than where I took this picture, but no more than a 100 yards or so.
Lake Arthur -
It was an absolutely gorgeous day on the lake and the blue sky's reflection on the water's surface really made for some beautiful photographs.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) -
Another Heron that stuck around long enough for me to get at least one photo of it wading along the edge of the lily pads.
Swamp -
We followed the southern most finger of the lake as far as we could until we were stopped by dense vegetation. While it looked as though there was a very small stream channel was just ahead, there was no way for us to get to it.