Fly like an Eagle or Where's Waldo?

 

Eagles of Waldo Pond

Day 11 (9/15/25) 

We decided our goal for fall was try to get out kayaking at least once a week. This morning we got up and were going to head up to Gerber Lake, one of our favorite spots. One thing led to another and suddenly it was later than we had planned so we decided to go to Waldo which is about half the distance. Waldo Pond is an interesting place. The boat landing is very mucky and a little smelly but once you are on the water it is not bad. Depending on the season it can have a lot of muck floating on the surface.  Another thing about Waldo is that no matter how little wind there is elsewhere it is usually windy on the pond and blowing in your face on your way back. That being said, it also has many reasons to paddle it. Although every year it seems to get a little more developed, it is still fairly private and scenic especially up river. But the best part of Waldo is the Eagles. In the past we have usually seen one or two that would follow us around in case we might scare up a fish. They would literally fly from tree to tree in front of us, waiting for us to pass, and then flying ahead of us again. At first we joked that they just liked having their picture taken until we realized they were probably waiting for us to scare up fish. When we first started out today a mature eagle flew across the lake in front of us and disappeared. We were left wondering if we would see anymore. At first we didn’t but as we got closer to the river we scared up a few immature ones. They were very shy and hard to get any pictures of. The further we went the more young ones we saw. Finally at one point there were around a dozen immature eagles flying around. Our favorites were two young males, I think, practicing their in air combat. They would fly together almost touch talons and then pull away. We were never really able to get very close like other times with the adults but were impressed with the sheer number. Once we got to the river there were trees down across it so we were not able to go as far up as we used to. As I mentioned before, the trip back was of course against the wind. We did see a few immatures but with the wind it was hard to stop and photograph them. When we finally got back to the park we noticed a heron that was posing down river. It was a great way to end another day on Waldo Pond.   

Start of Fall Color

Our Favorite Tree

First Eagle

A few of the Immatures.

Young One

Up River

Poser

The Dam

Day 10 (9/2/25) It is not how far you go but what you see.

Floating on Clouds

Just about every time we kayak up the Milwaukee River at Mauthe Lake on our way back down the river we always meet somebody who inevitably asks, “how far did you make it?” We always laugh because how do you answer that? There are no road signs or mile markers. Beyond that the banks are pretty much all the same and although there are a few landmarks it is questionable if they would know what we were talking about. I realize that the reason some ask is that it gets quite weedy as you get further upstream and they want to know if it is passable. That being said, they should be asking “what did you see?” The river is full of surprises and that is what has kept us going back for over thirteen years. Today was a perfect example. We started out watching an Egret fishing along the shore who didn’t seem to mind. It was a beautiful day with little wind and a sky full of fluffy white clouds. It was a perfect day to mosey upstream. Occasionally we find little inlet streams that with a little work you can make your way up stream. Today we found a new one that had opened up. Although shallow we were able to go probably a half mile upstream until we got to the source which was a shallow pool with burbling springs lining the bottom. We have found these pools before but are always fascinated by the little percolating springs. Unfortunately we hadn’t brought our underwater cameras so had to settle for capturing them with phones. We were amazed by how many of the plants and trees were changing color. After our adventure in the inlet we did continue a little further up the river but decided we should probably head back. Being the middle of the day we didn’t see a lot of wildlife except birds of all types. It was then that we met the only other person on the river coming upstream. “How far did you make it?”

Getting Started

Relaxation

Egret

The Watcher

The Watched

Going upstream

Making our way up the inlet

A burbling spring