Submitted by Dorothy Yuan
Friday, October 1, 2021, provided perfect late afternoon temperatures for 15 Collington residents to take a 90-minute pontoon ride on the nearby Anacostia River. The group boarded the boat at 5:30 p.m. for the sunset cruise conducted by the Anacostia Watershed Society.
One of the organization’s environmental education projects is to offer experiences on the water with a licensed river pilot. Pat and Mike Burke saw this opportunity and offered to organize a group from Collington to watch for birds. Their offer was immediately taken up members of the local bird club. (The Collington birding club is open to all residents. To join, contact club founder Joe Howard.)
As we cruised along the river, our knowledgeable captain, Robinne Gray, provided information regarding the conservation efforts of the AWS while a naturalist with eagle eyes pointed out birds. Among others, we saw large numbers of great egrets, a hawk, several great blue herons and various waterfowl. The highlight were two bald eagles, one perched motionless for many minutes on top of a telephone pole and the other on a treetop almost as high.
The Anacostia Watershed Society is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore the Anacostia River by bringing partners and communities together to achieve a clean and safe Anacostia River for the benefit of all living in its watershed and for future generations.
All and all it was a most pleasant evening spent with familiar friends.