We got the boats in the mighty Mississippi River and left the boat ramp at 0800 this morning. Angie was our captain and Nate was in the other boat. We traveled for about 30 minutes before meeting the rest of the team. We saw thousands of White Pelicans as well as other waterfowl. We even saw a couple of Sandhill Cranes and a Bald Eagle on our ride.
While waiting for the rest of the team to unload their boats, we watched a snake eating his breakfast in the shallow water.
We emptied out our pockets, jumped in the water, and pretty much crawled around on our hands and knees digging around for mussels. The water was anywhere from 2-4 foot, the bottom was anywhere from mud to sand, and the water was anywhere from clear, a Lotus Jungle or Duck Weed. We did 10 minute digs in numerous spots over the next 6 hours. It was a hoot and a half!!
On a sad note, we got to see Avian Flu up close and personal. There were hundreds of dead birds on land and floating in the water. Angie and Nate surveyed one of the smaller islands and found 151 dead White Pelicans, 9 dead Canadian Geese, and 2 dead Double-breasted Cormorants, and this was only on about a forth of the rookery islands.
On a happy note, we got to watch this adorable baby White Pelican.
Our 10 hour day of playing in the Mississippi River was fantastic. We now have a claim to fame of polywogging. What a day!!
We wrapped up the evening with a Spotted Cow beer that we bought yesterday. It is locally brewed and sold only in Wisconsin.
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