Sunday 29 January 2023 Dawn Paddle on Cuttagee

 The aim for today was to paddle to the beach and watch the sunrise.  Unfortunately we had not taken the weather into account. By far the warmest night and morning we've had this summer - 23oC - it was humid and overcast.

Not to be deterred we met at 5.00am and got ready to launch.

By 5.20am we were all on the water and though we couldn't feel it, a fine drizzle was falling, caught in the light of our headlamps as all around us fish were plopping and swirling away from our boats.

Halfway to the bridge there was enough light to dispense with the headlamps and we soon realised it was going to be a grey old day. S&V reached the bridge first and disembarked to check out the horizon and came back with the news that our idea of watching the sunrise was a bust. 

We turned our boats and headed up the lake. Quiet, grey and mizzly it was rather mystical, even the dawn chorus was muted. 

Paddler's heaven - glassy water

As we entered the creek, honking swans, flying overhead temporarily broke the silence.

Further up the creek we had a close encounter with a group of swans who took off toward us flying low overhead.

One was so low that to avoid crashing into me it had to bank so sharply its lower wing dug into the water and it crashed landed right beside the boat. Here is a blurry pic of it beating a panicked retreat away from me and back up the creek.

Now separated from its buddies, it honked forlornly as it swam up the creek ahead of us. After following it for about 300ms L suggested we turn around to give it some space. Still honking the swan followed us back down the creek and as we pulled in for a leg stretch it took flight behind us now free to join its flock.

View into back lagoon from the creek. The log made a very convenient seat for a reviving cuppa.

I think this is an Eastern Reef Egret

Emerging from the creek into the lake

Cuttagee Bridge in the distance - it's still grey out there!

At the turn into the straight we met three other paddlers not long on the water and stopped for a quick chat. Other than ourselves and two cars crossing the bridge at first light our encounter was the only other man made noise we had heard on the whole paddle. Bliss.

Having floated quietly across Little Cuttagee our outing ended at 9.00am.