Wednesday 17 July 2019 Cuttagee Lake

Although G&R are away and L is ailing, V,S and I decided we could wait no longer to paddle Cuttagee, the lake having being beckoning us lately.

Collecting V&S on the way through we drove down to the lake and were soon on the water

 Lots of birdlife today: Coots, Swans, Greater Egrets, Kingfishers, Pied Cormorants, big black Cormorants, Yellow Tailed Cockatoos were just some that come to mind, seen but not photographed.

Here, at the end of Little Cuttagee a group of Spoonbills and a lone Greater Egret,

taking to the air

 flying across the lake in front of us

Up the straight another group of Spoonbills

 We paddled down Cuttagee lake and into the creek where we espied this young eagle

The jury is out: I say a young Sea Eagle - V&S, a young Wedgie

Which way shall we go - up the creek or into Back Lagoon?

Up the creek it was and still the water was crystal clear, as it had been for the whole of the paddle

Once beyond the bend after the Brown's ford the water seethed with masses of mullet we disturbed as we paddle over them

We stopped for some morning tea on a little beach on the right hand side of the creek that had a tiny patch of sunlight at one end. After the break and some seat adjusting on my part we set off again, heading further up the creek

Hmm, don't think we will get much further in these precious boats much further

Sure enough we've reached the limit of where these boats will go. And boy, does the extra length make them difficult to turn in tight spaces

 Beautiful reflections on the way back down the creek

Just cruising down the wide straight stretch of the creek

We paddled back down Cuttagee with slight breeze just rippling the water but once we turned into Little Cuttagee the water was mirror like again.

Nearly home

It was one of those lovely, good for the soul paddles.

Without R, we have no times for the paddle.