Trekking Pinkham Bay Marsh - Steuben, Me.- Joe Palmer & Steve Resotko

Pinkham Marsh located between Steuben Road and Pigeon Hill Road off US route 1 in Steuben, Maine, is alive with eagles, herons, small fish, marsh grass, beaver, and ducks, and Canada Geese. You will enjoy an exciting trekk across the marsh. 

View of Pinkham Bay Marsh December 27, 2012 from east side

looking up marsh.

In this picture Pinkham Bay Bridge is seen in the distant background. Steve Resotko and I began our discovery trek through the Marsh about 9 AM on a fall day. Wearing rubber knee boots is most helpful. Steve guided me along the marsh  creek toward two beaver dams he wanted me to see.

The marsh has several inlet flowing into it on the east side. You can see small fish and crabs in the stream inlet.

Steve leads us away from the steam eastward though a clump of tree and undergrowth.

One of the first sites is a large pool of "fresh" water behind a beaver dam. The water is low exposing tree which beavers had brought down years ago.

Looking closely you will see two ridge fomations barriers. One near the foreground has a outlet. The barriers are similar to each other. You already know these are beaver dams. "Where are the beavers,' I asked Steve.  "Most likely

they have been trapped." Beavers are amazing engineers.

Leaving the beaver dam area, we walked toward the stream again. Coming from across from the other side of the marsh we could hear Canada Goose.

 

We headed back toward Pinkham Bay Bridge. In it special way the wooden one lane bridge is nostalgic. Every week I go extra miles off US Route 1, just to drive over it and look South toward the open bay.

View of Pinkham Bay December 27, 2012 looking toward east bank
South of Pinkham Bay Bridge. Boat of shore.

Knowing that geese are skid dish, Steve and I eased our way toward them slowly pausing now and then.

We loaded 300 mm lens on our cameras.

Honestly this was an exciting part of trekking the marsh. We wanted to capture photos of the geese before they took to flight and as they got airborne.

Finally we got really close to the geese. Camera on the ready. And we fired away, click, click.

The geese were just beginning to take flight.

I love this photograph. It reveals the beauty of the geese and their power to fly confidently just above the marsh grass; then sore higher. By now I'm imagining they are in much further south and west of Maine now.

We had a great day. I will be back to this blog as soon as the first snow storm hits the area to capture more of the marsh's beauty in winter.

I leave you now with this thought:

“In every outthrust headland, in every curving beach, in every grain of sand there is the story of the earth."
Rachel Carson

Looking for new adventures.

Duck Brook Autumn Scenes Mount Desert Carriage Trails

Duck Brook Marsh is as beautiful in the Spring as it is in the Fall. In this picture I captured the beaver dam (center of the picture) with Sargent Mtn. in background. I ride my Trek Mountain bike to this spot at least three times a year.

Here is the south entrance to Duck Brook Bridge.The sign on the right points toward the Carriage Trails.  If you hike or ride a bike here for the first time, come prepared to stay at least 45 minutes. The bridge and creek draws 100s of people during the year. You will enjoy time spent here exploring the creek and bridge. Meet new people here.

 The Duck Brook Bridge is a spectacular, three-arch structure over Duck Brook, Completed in 1929,  Here is a romatic setting  for couple to make pledges to one another.

On most any good weather day, around noon time in summer and fall, I have enjoyed meeting and chatting with hikers and cyclists from around the world. The bridge seems to hum with smiles and friendly conversations.

 

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One has to scramble to get to this spot.

 
 

Looking down on Duck Brook before it flows under the stone bridge.

Steps leading down to Duck Brook Creek. Taking these steps down to the creek is the easiest way to access the creek. The path on the other side the  the creek can be slippery.

Creek view as water rushes from the marsh toward Frenchman's Bay.

I like to steady my Nikon D-200 and slow down the shutter speed.

View through the central span looking east toward Route 3.

From Duck Brook Marsh the creek rushes through the central span creating  an awesome
sound.

Here is  peaceful scene spot where one can sit and take in the beauty of the stream.

Looking up stream from Duck Brook Bridge toward the marsh.