The "Flight" of Cormorants

   Early this morning, I grabbed my snips and started clearing down by the pier.  Since the hurricane washed everything clean and the weather is cool, it is the perfect time to snip out some of the underbrush.  This chore has been long needed so it best be tackled now.  While doing this, I was able to still watch the critters of the Bayou which is my favorite pastime.  The hillside was quiet.  Either the neighbors had all gone to work or were not out and about yet.  Suddenly, there came such a splashing near the remnants of the pier!!  Goodness!  What in the world was going on down there??

  Well, you know me.  I just had to stop work and investigate!  So, camera in hand, I eased my way down the single plank runners of the makeshift pier.  The boards wobbled and shook but soon I was almost to the marsh edge.  There were cormorants!!  And pelicans!  More than I could count!  It seems that a large flight of cormorants had come in on their migration.  They were feeding in the shallows so about a dozen brown pelicans joined in on the fun.  While we always have a few resident cormorants, the hundreds that come for the winter months is a sight to behold.

  A lot of folks are not overly fond of these birds but it made me happy to see them return.  Cormorants are a good indicator of an area's pollution index.  The birds will not return to a place that is unhealthy and my birds come every year.  The Bayou must be holding its own against the human race and its garbage.  Welcome back, my friends.  Glad to have you for the next few months.