Tuesday May 19, 2015 Jenner CA.
Paddling Jenner
I could see the biologists were here in force as I pulled into the parking lot at Jenner this morning. Their rigs with boat trailers were parked in the lot. I didn’t see any biologists around so they must be up the river in their boats.
The wind was down to a breeze which is always nice. I put my boat in the water and decided to head down river to check out the mouth area as I haven’t been down that way in awhile.
River’s open mouth
High tide was forcing ocean water into the open river’s mouth as I approached. And there was a great big layer of foam on the water down there too which is an interesting thing that happens when conditions are right as they are now.
Here’s the view of the river’s mouth area as I approached. See the foam on the right, the open mouth is on the left and ocean water is pouring into the river.
Floating foam
Here’s the floating foam just inside the open river’s mouth.
I paddled into the foam and was joined by this harbor seal for a bit. I’m looking at the end of the jetty which is open near where you can see the white ocean waves breaking. Some people were enjoying the day on the jetty watching the waves crash.
The ocean water dives under the river water here
I like to pull right into the foam as the water is mostly still in this spot, that’s why the foam builds up and collects. The foam is coming off the ocean water that is rushing into the open river’s mouth. As the colder, denser ocean water hits the warmer, less dense river water, the ocean water dives under the river water and that is what you see happening right before me in this picture. That rough water out in front of me is ocean water rushing into the river and diving down under the river water right at the foams edge. Foam can’t sink, so floats and builds up as all the ocean water dives under the fresh river water. Fresh river water behind me and salty ocean water in front of me. It’s an interesting thing that has a lot to do how this estuary functions. When this happens, salt ocean water doesn’t just flow into the river, but flows up the river under the river water which makes the estuary a layer of salty ocean conditions under a layer of fresh river water on top. This action happens at least up to Markham’s hole, about three miles up the river.
I hung around the mouth area for a bit, then headed over to the slot by the lower end of the back channel of Penny Island and sat in this spot for a bit before continuing on. Looking across the island at the town of Jenner.
A new hat
Just past that spot I spotted something on the bank and went over to investigate.
It turned out to be a nice hat someone had lost. Into the washing machine and I’ll have a new favorite hat. :O) Some people buy nice hats and some people find nice hats. :O)
Great blue heron
I picked up the hat and paddled across the channel to see how this great blue heron was doing fishing. As I watched, this crow had to come by and see what’s up. I didn’t see the heron catch anything and I continued on up the river.
Scenic river
I paddled up the back channel and this was my view headed up the river.
I could see the highway one bridge up ahead and something was going on under it. A cormorant takes off as I’m looking under the bridge up ahead.
Biologists are netting fish
Turned out to be the biologists netting up under the bridge. I watched them from down river for awhile.
I then headed back down the river going along here.
Can you see?
I stopped and sat in my boat at this spot. Can you see all the critters in this picture?
I can see two cows in the brush near the shoreline, one has a calf laying down by it. Two geese on the left by the water and two more on the right, with three merganser ducks laying by the water’s edge. And a bunch more geese on the other side of the gravel beach and a number of cows, some with calves up on the grassy hillside.
Here’s a closer view of some of the geese and a cow with a calve laying behind her.
And more geese with the three merganser male ducks resting on the gravel.
I continued on down the river and headed on in for the day and went on home.
Yard work
I had some yard work to do. I moved some dirt and filled some holes and did some watering and looked for some cherries.
The birds ate all the cherries
I spoke too soon about the birds leaving my cherries alone. They came back and ate them all up. Darn.
That was it for another nice day.