Winooski River Portrait 2022

Posted on January 9, 2022 by mattbeagle

Yesterday I participated in the annual Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey. My route was the Winooski River, from Waterbury to Lake Champlain. I have surveyed this route several years now. While I did not see even one eagle, I did get to see the river in winter.

Last year the day was warm and there was much less ice. Yesterday I started with single-digit temperatures. By the time I was finished in the early afternoon the temperature was considering hitting 20, but had not yet decided.

Here is my portrait of the Winooski River for January 2022.

Under the Waterbury Winooski Street Bridge

Looking west from DeForge Hydroelectric Dam, Duxbury

At Warren and Ruth Beeken Rivershore Preserve

From Bridge near Fontaine Canoe Access, Williston

Bike path bridge where Winooski River ends at Lake Champlain

Winooski River Portrait 2019

Posted on January 13, 2019 by mattbeagle

I took part in the mid-winter Bald Eagle survey today. Yesterday was the target day, but I have been out of commission with a cold for a week. I tried to go into work on Wednesday, but I left early. I felt like garbage. I stayed out the next two days. Today, finally, I felt OK. Yesterday I was on the mend but I am glad I rested.

I saw zero Bald Eagles. There were not a lot of birds out in general. The day started at -6º Fahrenheit. It got as low as -9º. It was 11:00 before I saw the thermometer rise into positive territory. Our high was 13º. I guess the eagles were not interested in the cold. As I have the past two years, I took photos along the way. Here is my Winooski River portrait for this cold day.

Mist over the river just after sunrise in Duxbury

Looking north from the Winooski Street bridge in Waterbury

Green Mountains from Deforge hydroelectric dam

Open water under the Long Trail foot bridge

Looking north from the Jonesville bridge

River ice in shadow at Warren and Ruth Beeken Rivershore Preserve

Pancake ice at the Winooski River mouth in Colchester

Winooski River Portrait 2018

Posted on January 15, 2018 by mattbeagle

Yesterday I participated in the Winter Bald Eagle Survey. My route was the Winooski River, from Waterbury to Lake Champlain. While I did not see any eagles, I got to see the river in its winter splendor. It was cold. The day started at 3 below zero and got all the way up to 6 degrees. Here is the Winooski River as I saw it yesterday.

Just after sunrise in Waterbury

Winooski Street Bridge, Waterbury

Deforge Hyrdoelectric Dam. Note the ice after high water earlier in the week.

From the Long Trail access point, Duxbury

Long Trail footbridge

From Jonesville bridge

Warren and Ruth Beeken Rivershore Preserve

Town park, Richmond

Near Fontaine Canoe Access, Williston

Overlook Park, Williston

Woodside Park, Colchester. The river is under all that ice.

Winooski River Walk, Winooski

Winooski, Vermont

Flooded fields at Ethan Allen Homestead

From the bike path bridge as the Winooski River ends at Lake Champlain

Tractor Parade Portrait Gallery

Posted on October 11, 2010 by mattbeagle

The Pink Tractor Makes its Annual Appearance

My family and I went to the tractor parade in Charlotte yesterday. It was the 10th annual event, held on the tenth day of the tenth month. It delivered, as usual, even if it did start more than an hour after the start time. But so it is.

I did not have a good spot to stand this time. We dithered a bit before things got started so, while the children were right up there next to the road, I stood behind some chairs that someone had set up and left empty the whole time. I had a really tall guy uphill from me, in the direction the tractors were coming from. Plus, there were just simply people all around. So I changed my focus. Instead of taking pictures of the tractors, I took pictures of the people driving the tractors. Here is a gallery of some of those portraits.