After seeing blue heron after blue heron during our exploration of Harpswell’s Yarmouth Island in eastern Casco Bay, my wife asked: “Have we really seen 50 blue herons, or just the same five moving around a lot?” It was hard to tell, but there were herons everywhere: at water’s edge, in the air, and one daredevil perched at the top of a tall pine. On a seaweed-covered ledge, we came upon a peace-loving heron bedeviled by a pair of loud and aggressive terns diving at the heron’s head. After much dodging and ducking and uttering an indignant squawk, the heron flew off to a more serene ledge.

We came around a bend, and a startled blue heron lifted off and flew 20 yards away to a boulder with two cormorants resting on it. The heron glided in between the pair and gracefully landed. The cormorants were not happy, craning their necks toward the heron to get a closer inspection. It was hilarious. After a few “should we go or should we stay” flaps of their wings, the cormorants calmed down and accepted the new arrival.

So, if you love birds and poking about by canoe in pretty spots, paddling the northern coves and passages of Yarmouth Island and Little Yarmouth Island will soothe your exploratory itch. Normally on salt water, we use our kayaks, but the waters at the southern end of Quahog Bay are protected by barrier ledges and small islands, which is fine for experienced canoeists.

It is a half-mile crossing from the Bethel Point Road boat launch in Harpswell to Yarmouth Island. We spent an hour exploring the many secluded coves and islets along the island’s northern shoreline, and then paddled down the narrow passage between Yarmouth Island and Little Yarmouth Island. Keep in mind that at low tide, the water disappears for two hours and the islands are connected. You do not want to lose this protected return option if the wind kicks up.

The corridor is intimate and inviting. Snowy egrets stood in the lush green marsh grasses watching us glide by. A couple of bald eagles sat on nearby boulders while talking back and forth with each other. Sandpipers flitted along the shoreline. As protected as we were, we could look far down the narrows to the open ocean beyond.

The lower half of Little Yarmouth features a 13-acre nature preserve under the stewardship of the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust. There are no trails in the preserve, but the shoreline provides many outstanding spots to stop and relax. A small beach near the southern tip provided a fine spot for a swim and for some beachcombing for our favorite finds: heart-shaped rocks. Another hour flashed by.

If the winds stay calm, consider following the Yarmouth Island shoreline to the east and circle around a large cove to a line of striking white ledges near the southern tip. We scampered up over some slippery seaweed to get a closer look. We are not geologists, but we were amazed at the artistic dikes and bands cutting through the ledges, looking like fearsome serpents writhing in the summer sun. The green serpentine ones were the show stoppers. Green snakes everywhere. Is there any other island in Casco Bay that has as dazzling a display of eons of volcanic forces at work? Let us know.

It was time to return while we still had enough water in the passage to get through. A school of pogies rose to the surface in the deep channel between the island and the end of Bethel Point. Fish were jumping all around us. A cormorant emerged holding a huge fish in its beak. The bird sat on the water pondering just how it was going to get something so big down it’s skinny throat. Gulp, it was down.

Consult the DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer (map No. 6) for help in getting to the Harpswell town boat launch at the end of the Bethel Point Road. Park on the east side of the road in one of the five non-permit spots. The put-in area has a peaceful vibe to it; sailboats heading out to blue water, lobster boats coming in. An older fellow wheeled his dory down the paved ramp to the water and, with a satisfied smile on his face, went out in search of herons and eagles.

Michael Perry is the former director of the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools and founder of Dreams Unlimited, specializing in inspiring outdoor slide programs for civic groups, businesses and schools. Contact: michaelj_perry@comcast.net.

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