We were following the sightings of lots of birds. I carried my usual long lens gear, plus a backup with short lens, my monopod, and a gear bag. Never do this if above the age of 25. Besides you can’t sneak up on anything, you have become like a traveling circus.

Anyway, I really wanted to grab a few images of this long dike and what we see. This connects (below) with 3 other dikes and marshes.

The first photograph is a good example of how using trunks (gates) moves water between marshes.

There is a wooden rectangular box inside the dike with the gates on either side. A few hundred years ago that would have been a large hollow log. Same basic design from 1600’s until now. These shots are a month old, nothing changes.

Above is looking back to where we had started, the trunk being behind me now. Both images taken from the same spot. Thankfully the center had been recently cut.

A little further on is an area wide open for miles. At times filled with birds, others like this day not much happening. There was a breeze, bigger birds tend to avoid openings like this with wind.

This day we turned back and walked the same route. With all the dikes connecting here we have multiple options for a return to where we left the car. Which of course is on another dike.

These photographs were taken at Bear Island, a wildlife management area. The dikes shown here and the roads entering the area are now closed until mid February. Bear is one of the largest locations for migratory birds in the U.S., with a few exceptions this is a safe place for large water fowl.