The Savage Traveler: Winter Travels 2019--Part 10: Kayaking

Tuesday, our last full day at Patagonia, was also our last chance to take the kayak out on the lake. The day was partly cloudy and a little cooler, so we waited until afternoon. Unfortunately, a breeze seemed to blow up just as we got out on the lake and we worried a bit about maneuverability. Our inflatable Sea Eagle sits high in the water and is easily blown about. But it wasn’t too bad as long as we stuck close to the shore, which we did as we circled the entire east end of Lake Patagonia, which is all a No Wake zone. It was a lovely afternoon, with a bit more sun than the morning, and we were really happy to get out on the rock rimmed lake. There was lots of water fowl to enjoy, and on the far side, away from the campground, we saw a tree full of roosting cormorants. As we paddled closer to take a look at them, we realized that a tree next to them had 5 or 6 larger, bulkier birds roosting. They were blimp shaped, with light colored bellies, dark backs and wings, and there was no sign of a head on any of them. Marv got some good pictures and we continued our pleasant paddle, hoping to stop afterwards at the Visitors Center to try and ID them. But by the time we dried off and put away the kayak, the center was closed. Back at the trailer we read a little bit and Marv began putting away some items to save time tomorrow when we break camp. I got chilly as the clouds moved in again and had gone inside to finish a chapter before I started to make dinner. But Marv came in and suggested that the sunset might be nice because of the clouds so we should hike over to the high bridge across the cove with the Marina where we could get a good look. We climbed up and watched for a while, thinking that it wasn’t going to be much; the clouds were just too thick. A man came up the bridge from the other side and said he was hoping to see the Black Crowned Night Herons come out and start hunting because he had seen a few the night before about dusk. Because he seemed to know birds, we told him about the mysterious ones we had seen in the tree. He suggested they were Cormorants and we said, no, the ones in the tree next to them were and these were much stouter and taller. Then I told Marv to show him one of the pictures on the camera. With surprise he said, “Those are Black Crowned Night Herons!” and he wanted to know more about where we had seen them. As we talked, 5 of them flew in and perched on a tree near us overlooking the water. Our new friend was quite excited! As we watched them and took pictures, we realized that the sky was slowly exploding into color. Four other people came running up the bridge to take pictures of what turned out to be a really spectacular display.