Welcome Back, Buddy!

  Just this morning, I was bemoaning the fact that I have not seen the alligators yet this spring.  The place seems a mite empty without their presence.  One expects alligators to be in the Bayou!  There is just no two ways about it.  Alligators...Bayou...synonymous.  I missed the critters.  They are like old friends who make themselves at home and are taken for granted but when they are not here, the place seems empty.

  About noon, I headed down to the pier once again to bait the crab traps when I spied something coming down the shoreline.  Sure enough a small gator was swimming in search of food.  This one was about five feet long so it was relatively young as gators go.  It came out from the shore and eased its way toward the pier.  The gator was a bit leery of my presence so did not dare come empty the traps.  Usually, the gators will steal the bait all the while making a big mess of the wire.  Nothing is safe when exposed to their jaws!  Now that I know the gators are back, I will have to keep better watch on the crab traps. Those hungry critters will be lurking nearby just waiting for me to fill the bait boxes!

  I made short work of the chore and then sat to watch the gator for a bit.  Hopefully, this is the first of many sightings this summer.  I love it when old friends return to the Bayou!