Longview Lake

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April 30, 2011 I was supposed to have been Canoeing the Buffalo River in Arkansas.  However, the people I was to go with had a breakdown and the trip got cancelled.  Given that the boat was already strapped to the car, and the gear was packed, I figured Colin and I should head over to Longview Lake and do some paddling.

We weren't on the lake for much more than an hour but it was an experience I wasn't expecting.  As we paddled away from the boat launch, we headed for Mouse Creek (the SE arm of the lake).  I figured we could paddle up the creek and do some exploring.  We soon crossed the "No Boats" Buoys (which I assumed mean MOTOR boats).  After a bit of paddling we came across a very large nest in the top of an old dead tree.  Sure enough, it was an eagle's nest and inside was a mother and a baby!  We paddled on by under her watchful eye and soon found another eagle.  This time it was the father, and he was out looking for lunch.  As we got closer he took flight and headed straight for us.  At first I figured he might be giving us a warning to move on, but as he got closer, he swooped down and pulled a fish out of the lake!!  Colin and I were both in awe.  Not only do you not see that every day, but being a mere 15 ft away was very impressive.

We continued on towards Mouse Creek but were ultimately stopped by the muddy marsh before we could even reach the bridge.

As we paddled back towards the car we came across the nest again.  This time we saw mom keeping watch and dad was in a nearby tree doing the same.  There was no sign of baby...I imagine he was enjoying lunch.

We loaded up and headed home with a very exciting but unexpected story to tell.