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We’re back into the hot weather here. Tomorrow’s forecast shows 35C (around 95F). Don and I spent most of yesterday paddling up Kemptville Creek above Oxford Mills. There’s a put-in spot in the small park just above the dam (see above – click on all images for a larger view). As canoe trips go, this one is almost in our own backyard. For paddlers, this route is especially nice as there are no easy access points for motorized boats above the dam. A couple of landowners used to keep small boats, but we didn’t see any on this trip. Also, several sections of the creek pass over huge rocks at or just below the water surface, so the only craft that can pass is a canoe or kayak drawing almost no water. That makes for a quiet trip, and wildlife show very little fear of humans — and that’s a rare thing these days when motorized boats are so abundant.

We put the canoe in and saw our first Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) within moments. A little further upriver, Don thought he spotted a Muskrat swimming towards us, but it turned out to be the head of an enormous Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) that dived just as we came nose to nose. Sitting in the stern* seat, I got a great view of it drifting downwards, with the size distortion of the water making it look about the size of a manhole cover. Doubtless, it wasn’t quite that large, but I’d guess it was still a monster as snappers go.

Along the full length of our trip, we saw many Belted Kingfishers (Ceryle alcyon) diving in downwards arcs from trees on one side of the river to the other. Occasionally, we would see one rise, stall, and dive for a fish. With the high numbers of kingfishers seen, the food supply must be excellent.

Many sections of the creek are bordered with Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordata). We stopped while I photographed this colony and discovered a Mink frog (Rana septentrionalis) sitting quietly on a lilypad (see above photo). These wonderfully marked frogs are rarely so approachable, so I shot quite a few photos from different angles. A juvenile Bull frog was found nearby.

Just before paddling on, I happened to notice this Water Bug (probably a species of Abedus) floating among some aquatic vegetation. Using my paddle, I managed to scoop it out of the water and set it down in the bottom of the canoe. As you can see from the above photo, it has strange nodules all over its back. This is a male Water Bug carrying eggs which the female has deposited onto his elytra. The smaller reddish things would be larval Water mites that would be feeding on the bug.

We continued upstream, paddling for about 2 hours total – including time spent floating while I photographed frogs, plants, insects and turtles. This is a view of one of the wider sections of the creek — which is probably more like a river compared to most creeks. Usually, we have to turn around at this bridge due to large boulders scattered just upstream. However, yesterday, water levels were such that we were able to continue further upstream than on any of our past trips on this creek. At a place where the creek seemed to split into two, we finally came to a place where the water became almost too shallow for our canoe (ankle deep), over a section of smooth limestone covered with much aquatic vegetation. I got out and waded around a bit, turning a few stones to search for crayfish. I did see many of them scooting tail-first through the vegetation, but was unable to capture one to examine. This area was teeming with minnows and young fish — definitely critical fish habitat.

After photographing another Mink frog, we turned back downstream and paddled back to the put-in, just stopping a few times for photo ops such as this large, algae-covered Painted Turtle found basking on a dead-head log. Other creatures seen but not photographed along the way were Great Blue Herons (probably about 5), a Beaver that crossed in front of us and then dived and swam towards a bank lodge, many Kingfishers — far too many to count — and a swarm of Red-winged Blackbirds (adults and young) moving about through cattails about half a kilometer upstream of the bridge. Catbirds and Cicadas were frequently heard calling from the forests bordering the creek.

All in all, it was a pretty idyllic few hours spent on this wonderful section of Kemptville Creek.

[*edit: I typed a bit of misinformation this morning - guess I was snoozing on the job - I put down that I was sitting in the bow seat -- that should have read "stern" seat. Don always sits in the bow seat and gets to see the cool stuff first.]

Tags: Mink frog, Rana septentrionalis, Bull frog, Rana catesbeiana, Giant Water Bug, Abedus spp., Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta, Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, Pickerel Weed, Pontederia cordata, Oxford Mills, Kemptville Creek