Duck Island
For several months a friend, Paul and I have been trying to find a mutually convenient date with good weather to paddle to some islands about 4 kilometres off shore. On Sat 22nd August we had our chance and one of Paul old paddling friends joined us,
We left Blue Rocks at 1030 and an hour of steady paddling saw us at Cross Island. The weather was excellent , very light wind and swell of 30 to 50 cm. 2 dozen seals greeted us at Cross Island, in the natural harbour the 2 legged residents called hello and we stopped for an early lunch. On a previous visit to here I had spotted an out house on it's side in a tree! I did not have a camera with me on that occasion, my story was however spoilt by one of the locals who told me it was a deer hunting hide and the tree had fallen.
After lunch an hour paddling saw us in a cosy "kayak harbour" at Big Duck island. This harbour has 2 entrances, one is 100 feet long and only 5 to 6 feet wide for about 1/3rd of its length, the entrance to the other is about 100 feet and 2/3 rds of that is guarded by a rock reef. In calm weather getting in and out is easy but rough weather would be a different matter.
Little Duck island has changed since I was there 10 years ago, then it was a stinky place full of cormerant nests and ringed by wild roses 4ft high and lots of dead trees, now the cormerants and associated stench of guano have gone and the roses are no longer flourishing . All bar a handfull of the trees have fallen. Except for the decline in the roses it is a pleasanter place for humans now.
From here it is was familiar terrain back to our cars at Blue Rocks.
Pictures are here https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ym98nW1pBhSsjxFw8
good window to go
sounds like waiting for a good window of weather to set off across the ocean paid off grandly Rob!!
Where the stinky gannets had been was there any sign of any other birds moving in? Maybe once the trees/grass/undergrowth recovers another colony of somethings might take up residence. I wonder how long it will be left to fallow?
Yes waiting for good weather…
Yes waiting for good weather did pay off, waves higher than a couple of feet would have made getting into the little kayak harbour tricky and rough weather would have made landing on either duck island tricky.
On Little Duck there was no sign of any other birds moving in, I have landed on one other cormerant colony and there was a lot of bare earth , on Little Duck there was little bare earth and the grass was quite high. The roses were not doing so well as on my last visit to this island , which was about 10 years ago.