Love October Paddling (possibly the very most!)

There's not a month between March and December that I don't really, really enjoy kayaking (or doing anything at all, for that matter) on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. That said, I LOVE OCTOBER THE MOST!!! For one thing, there are monarch butterflies everywhere. The Shore, particularly the southern tip, is a major stop on their migration from Canada to Mexico. If you catch the day just right, the marsh is golden with butterfly wings! I haven't caught that day yet this year, but it's been over a week since I've seen less than five in a day...six yesterday between Cape Charles and Nassawadox Creek.


nice October day off Church Creek

Of course, the weather is fantastic for paddling. The water is still relatively warm, and the air is clear and crisp. The cordgrass is starting to yellow, the succulent glasswort is taking on a bright red, and the leaves on the deciduous trees of the maritime forest are beginning to turn among the needles of the loblollies. And the birds! This peninsula is a popular stopover for all kinds of species traveling along the Atlantic Flyway, one of the chief reasons The Nature Conservancy has taken such a keen interest in this area, known as the Virginia Coast Reserve. The loons and grebes will be arriving soon, the terns and ibis are still hanging out, and the curlews and gnatcatchers are stopping through. No wonder the Eastern Shore Birding & Wildlife Festival is held in Cape Charles every year in October!

loads of belted kingfishers back here!

I'd go on, but then I'd still be sitting in the shop at this computer instead of getting out and paddling the marsh again!

-Margaret
10/11/14