The Ottawa river has been a vital transportation and trade route for millennia, first for indigenous peoples and later for the Europeans. 19 year old Étienne Brulé first paddled it in 1608. I couldn’t help but think of the voyageurs who transported furs this way in the 18th and 19th centuries as I explored rocky shores by the Deschêne Rapids

There is a small island here which hosts a cormorant colony.

Other birds:

Also of interest:

NATURE POETRY

Small birds lie sprawling vaguely in the heat,
And wanly pluck at shadows on their breasts,
And where the heavy grape-vine leans and rests,
White butterflies lift up their furry feet.                    – Djuna Barnes (1892-1982)

Miles Hearn