canoe trips

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In the summer, the golden jewel of the Tennessee River shoreline is the prothonotary warbler. These school bus yellow and gray songbirds raise their young in hollow stumps and old downy woodpecker nest cavities near the water’s edge. There, they forage the shadows of overhanging branches looking for insects to eat.

Their name comes from their wonderful sunflower color: officials in the Roman Catholic Church known as the "protonotarii" once wore golden robes. If their saffron garments were as remarkable as the birds that bare their name, they must be stunning.

Prothonotary warblers are somewhat difficult to see from dry land; the best way to find one is in a canoe.

In fact, there’s no better way to beat the summer heat than in a canoe. The City of Knoxville Department of Parks and Rec is offering canoe trips every Saturday morning for the rest of the summer into October. Each trip starts at Holston River Park and ends at Ned McWherter Park east of downtown (roughly four river miles).

Kristin Manuel, Knoxville's aquatics coordinator, is the organizer of the trips. A naturalist from Ijams Nature Center will go along to help identify plants and animals along the way. On some trips, that would be me. (I know it’s a difficult assignment—leisurely canoeing down a slow moving river—but I’ll do my best to keep up a brave face.)

In addition to prothonotary warblers, we’ll look from herons, osprey, kingfishers and a possible bald eagle.

The canoe tours are every Saturday morning at 8 a.m., but you must reserve your spot on the Wednesday before. The cost is $20, but group rates are available. For more information or reservations visit: http://www.cityofknoxville.org/recreation/canoeing.asp


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