NB Aqualife: Friday 2 August 2024 Brou Lake

After our aborted attempt last week to paddle the Murrah on a 1.4m high tide, a early HT of only 1.2m on Friday put paid to any ideas of a tidal paddle. Instead we opted to revisit Brou Lake, an ICOL lake that is rarely open.

Having collected R we headed to Brou Lake and by 9.45am we taking to water.

Firstly we headed up the lake to explore the bay at the mouth of Whittakers Creek. Paddling into the bay R declared that today, unlike last week, we must leave a decent interval between morning tea and lunch.

Having completed the circumnavigation of the bay on the shady side we were feeling the chill and once back out in the lake sought the nearest sunny spot in which to stop for morning tea, landing at 10.45am.

It took awhile to warm up and then awhile more for R & L to decide to share their morning tea and discuss the merits of Pan au Raison (aka Snail in CKC lingo) vs Custardy thing with Prune. Then more time passed as L flew the drone and before we knew it an hour was up and it was time to return to the water.

We paddled straight across the lake to explore the shoreline on the northern side. The Wapengo paddle had featured fish. This one was turning into a bird paddle. Swans, cormorants, pelicans, Sea Eagles (making frequent appearances) and those annoyingly hard to identify little shore birds.

Hmm, methinks the water level has not risen this much!

The northern shoreline is quite different from the southern.

Chilly again from paddling the last 30 mins along the shady northern shore we were happy to break out into sunlit waters of the 1st of the north eastern lagoons. Spotting a sandy, sunlit bit of beach in the distance we paddled across the lagoon and landed at 12.45pm. Whilst lunching and some more drone flying we warmed up to an uncomfortable degree (yes, it is the middle of winter) and as soon as L packed up the drone we launched again seeking a cooling breeze.

After a little more exploring along the eastern shoreline we reached the closed entrance and at long last managed to drift close enough to get a couple of ok pics of those little brown birds.

Red Capped Plover

and again.

The one at the back - a visitor from New Zealand, Double Banded Plover (or Dotterel).

Having left the closed entrance behind we rounded the next bend and were busy watching some Pelicans and ducks cruise slowly by when R said look up to your left. There was another Sea Eagle and as we looked another flew in to join it.

Sea Eagle gazing done, we ventured on, back to the launch site, reaching there at 2.45. As we packed up a Pelican flew in to inspect us, hoping for a free feed I suspect.