Today is the third time out in the family kayak, a Nucanoe F10, trying to get some water bird pictures.

The fisherman near the shore of Thompson Lake was probably wondering why I was putting a HUGE cooler in the F10. I'd eventually like to be comfortable enough to take the good camera and lens out with me, so today was a dry run with the cooler (all 27x18x18" of it) with the backup camera in a dry bag inside. The deck lashing for the cooler was not lacking, with four tie down straps running to mount points on the kayak equipment tracks. Several trips between the car and kayak in the water later, including a return from about 100 yards out after a false start without a water bottle, and I was underway, exploring the northwest side of Thompson Lake at Emiquon preserve.   This is a marshy area hard to access by foot.

Sudden thump, thump, thumps, on the bottom of the boat gave me a start a few times.  No Loch Ness monster or alligator were making the quick escape in a cloud of muddy water.  Most of the fish whose tails were thrashing against the bottom of the hull were probably "Illinois River salmon" (aka, spawning carp), but some could have been gars. carpIMG_84870001

Turtles, most of them slid off of logs as I approach about fifty feet away. For those that stayed, I stopped, and deployed the camera from the cooler. The wind was light and the yak moved quickly in the breeze making pictures sort of hit or miss.  Tying off to a snag then letting out paracord until the right distance away did the trick.  Sunning the rear feet seemed to be a popular Painted Turtle pastime.

Painted TurtlesIMG_84380001 Painted TurtlesIMG_84560001

A pair of Eastern Kingbirds were actively defending their nest from a persistent Common Grackle.

Eastern KingbirdIMG_84650001 Common GrackleIMG_84740001

A beaver dam and lodge greeted me at the northernmost end of the bay. 

beaver lodgeIMG_84920001

On the way home, I stopped again for a Painted Turtle. This time it was go get it off of the road.  I was rewarded with turtle pee on my leg.  I stop for turtles, but the turtles decided to go.  Such is life, I'll stop anyway.

Lessons learned:

• The packing/preparation checklist was helpful. 
• Tie a paracord to the rear handle to secure the transport trolley
• The transport trolley is not that useful for going over obstacles more than a couple of inches tall.
• Tying the bow or stern line to a snag and letting it out to position for photo then cleating down worked well.
• I should leave the roof crossbars on all summer.
• Turning around to come back for the water was a good idea.