high in the trees. (The island is closed
to the public to protect the birds from
disturbance).
We navigated past fallen trees, their
branches sticking out of the water, into
an open marsh. A couple of large, long-
legged white birds—Great Egrets—
were visible among the tall grasses and
arrowhead. From here we could see a
motorboat whizzing by on the lake. It was
only about a half mile to the Canadian
border where it crosses Lake Champlain.
Because it was late afternoon, we decided
to turn around. It would take longer to
paddle the three miles upstream. Just as
we entered the tree-lined channel, there
was a loud commotion overhead. We
looked up and saw two adult Bald Eagles
fly into a tall tree on shore. What a thrill!
We got a good look at their classic mark-
ings even without binoculars. Bald Ea-
gles had disappeared from Vermont, but
began nesting here again about 10 years
ago due to a ban on the DDT insecticide,
a reintroduction program, and habitat
protection.
On the trip back, a young man and his
dog cruised past us in a small fishing
boat and two men fished from another
boat anchored near shore. Fishing is very
popular on the Missisquoi, with An-
glers catching Walleye, Northern Pike,
Large Mouth Bass, Bullhead, White and
Yellow Perch, and other fish.
The wetland complex provides habitat
for up to 20,000 migrating ducks in fall
and is the most important waterfowl
habitat in the Champlain Valley. Large
flocks of Ring-Necked Ducks, Green-
Winged Teal, Black Ducks, and Mal-
lards feed here. In the summer, Wood
Ducks, Common Goldeneye, and Hood-
ed Merganser breed in the nest boxes
provided to supplement natural cavities.
There are several hiking trails
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