Painted turtles will typically be seen on sunny days basking on logs. Most turtles will dive into the water when you approach, so if you see a small splash, likely that was a turtle you didn't spot.

To look for painted turtles, look at logs in the water 10m or more ahead of you. They will be almost the same colour as the log, but with small red spots. They can be from 10 to 25cm long.

It's somewhat rare to see a beaver itself, but you may see signs of beaver activity. The most obvious would be a full-on dam. We'll let you know if there are any beaver dams that could block your path.

Beavers don't actually live in dams; they use them to keep water levels high for their lodges. Lodges appear as piles of sticks on the river bank. Look for sticks that are chewed to a point in the middle (rather than a straight cut which humans would do). You can tell if a lodge is active by the colour of the chewed wood of the sticks. A while/yellow colour indicates fresh sticks; gray means the sticks have been there a long time.

Beavers in the water will show the top of their heads and backs. At a distance, they will look like a floating log, but one that is moving separately from the river current. Startled beavers in the water may slap the water with their tails, creating a loud sound and splash, then swim underwater for minutes at a time. You can try to track them by following the trail of bubbles.

Beavers in the water may be difficult to differentiate from other water mammals like muskrats, minks, and river otters, but beavers on land are easy to identify due to their large, flat tail.

Our namesake great horned owls have prominent tufts of feathers that look like ears. They usually rest in trees, where their colours provide excellent camouflage around tree trunks. They are very difficult to spot when not moving, but they will often fly along the river path when you approach them.

Male mallards have a green head and a brown/gray body. Females are all brown/gray. Mallards are a common sight in springtime with several ducklings following them around.

Mallards are easy to spot if they are present; they spend most of their time in the water and will only fly to escape a perceived threat. Mallards, including ducklings, can also dive underwater to escape.

If you are approaching mallards with ducklings, try to slow down to give them time to get away. If you don't, the ducklings may get separated from their parents. The female mallard may also perform a distraction display - they will pretend to be injured to draw your attention away from the ducklings.

Male wood ducks have green feathers on their head that resemble a slicked-back hairstyle. Females are brown/gray with a white circle around their eyes.

As with mallards, wood ducks will be obvious when present. Wood ducks do not quack - they make a cheeping sound.

Many other animals can be spotted in the Seine. Here are the other ones we've seen and how often we've seen them:

• Common: blue jays, red-winged blackbirds, sandpipers, Canada geese, gray squirrels, white-tailed deer, crows, American goldfinch

• Rare: merlins, bald eagles, kingfishers, muskrats, pileated woodpeckers, crayfish

• Very rare: herons, turkey vultures, snapping turtles, mink, fish