May 14, 2008

As many of you know, I love birds and all the beautiful sights of nature along the Connecticut River.

Here's a photo of an osprey landing on a range daymarker south of the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry last weekend. It was taken by Brooke on May 10 as she and her husband, Bill, sailed downriver from Portland Riverside Marina to Essex.

Each spring in late March, ospreys return to the Connecticut River from their winter homes in South and Central America. They then rebuild their nests in trees and on daymarkers and nesting platforms. Ospreys begin nesting in April, and their chicks hatch in mid-May. By July, the chicks will have grown into fledglings, and by August they'll be flying from the nests. The Connecticut Audubon Society and Connecticut River Expeditions sponsor bird-watching events and cruises.

You can see eagles on the river, too. As many as 100 eagles live in the Connecticut River Valley. Each February, the Connecticut Audubon Society holds the Eagle Festival to celebrate the seasonal return of the eagles to the river from Canada and their comeback from the brink of extinction. The tenth annual festival will be held in February 2009.

When you take pictures on your trips on the river this spring, summer and fall, I'd love to see them! The beauty of the Connecticut River is one of the great things about working at Portland Riverside Marina.
 

March 29, 2008

Spring is finally here, and the marina will be busy again soon. Stop in and say hi at the store, where we have lots of great products to help you prepare your boat for launch.

A friend sent these amazing photos of the aurora borealis below, with one last look at winter in Yellowknife, Canada. The temperature was 37 below when these were taken.

March 15, 2008

Well, we're getting a little closer to spring, and those boat covers are going to come off soon.

A friend sent me this e-mail this morning:

See you all soon!

-- Karen

March 12, 2008

Hi, everyone:

We hope to see you all soon at Portland Riverside, with the arrival of spring.

If you think we've had a long, cold winter, read this e-mail I received from a friend this week:

"An ice wave from the floor of Lake Huron near Mackinaw Island, Michigan, has had the coldest winter in decades. Water expands to freeze, and at Mackinaw City the water in Lake Huron below the surface ice was super-cooled. It expanded to break through the surface ice and froze into this incredible wave."

"I've seen pictures of this wave phenomena in Antarctica, but in Michigan? Yes, it's been quite a winter!"
 

(No, that's not the Connecticut River! -- Karen)
 

February 27, 2008

Hi, everyone: