The threat of a torrential downpour will often
alter outdoor plans, especially in a canoe. The morning was filled
with rain and there was no evidence to believe that it would let up.
In fact it was supposed to get worse.
I was meeting with Merlin Benner, the Wildlife Biologist for The Pennsylvania
Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources, who has been giving eco-tours
of the area for almost two years with Nature Quest. He was going to
show me Wade Island, the most well hidden treasure in all of Harrisburg,
and some of the other adjacent islands. The island sits right in the
middle of the Susquehanna just a few miles from the Governor's Mansion.
But it is not simply the island itself, which is special, but what
lives on the island. It is presently the only place in Pennsylvania
where one can find the Great Egret.
When I met up with Merlin, the weather had broken slightly
and we decided to make a break for the island before anything worse
came our way. At first sitting in the canoe a definite truth came
to my mind. I am not built for life in a canoe. These sorts of things
are important realizations to make, and it was one that was proven
further as our canoe dropped a few feet through a rapid and I ended
up on my back partially drenched, but not in the river. Merlin thought
this was pretty funny.
Once I collected myself I began to take notice of how distanced we
seemed from the city of Harrisburg. I could see the landscape of buildings
and the highways wrapping around the city, but their sounds became
softened and eventually faded, as we seemed to make our way into another
world. |
Wade Island emerged quietly before us and actually looked quite mystical
with the morning mist sitting around it. As we paddled closer the
sounds of the island began to erupt into a ceaseless chatter. Wade
Island was alive with the vibrant tunes of songbirds and the graceful
flights of egrets.
To insure the protection of the birds people are prohibited from actually
stepping foot on the island, so we sat along it's shoreline watching
everything take place. The glaring white egrets, while sitting in
their nests, popped out amongst the mesh of Silver Maple and River
Birch trees. As we started around the point to get a better view of
their nests, Merlin spotted a Bald Eagle as it perched atop the tallest
tree on the island watching the movement of the island with us. We
later saw this same Bald Eagle taking flight after a Cormorant that
was just fast enough to slide out of harms way.
While looking around the island we also saw three other Heron's—
a Great Blue Heron, a Green Back Heron, and a Black-Crown Night Heron.
The island was filled with the noises of splashing wood ducks and
honking geese accompanied by the constant sound of river water lapping
up against the island shore.
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