Sleepyhead!

   For the past week, the remaining piles of lumber that washed up during Hurricane Zeta have slowly disappeared.  Just after the storm, all of the boards were sorted into "usable" piles.   We rebuilt the pier and folks came by to claim any of their missing planks.   There was still several stacks yet unclaimed.  Some...had seen better days and needed to be burned...others were restacked to be used in building garden boxes.  It was a daunting job to tackle but someone had to do it.  So...I did. 

  It was while I was stacking that remainder that something far down in the Bayou caught my eye.  A blotch of white edged with black glinted in the evening sunlight.  Hmmm?  Well, that surely meant that I needed to investigate.  Grabbing the ever-present camera, I made my way to the only spot that I could get a somewhat clear shot.  It was quite evident that this was a living creature and, being as it was in the middle of the Bayou, obviously a waterfowl.  It was almost certainly a Hooded Merganser but its actions were perplexing, to say the least.  Several Common Mergansers were out near the pier but this was the sole critter visible in the main cut of the Bayou.  

  After examining the photographs, my questions were answered.  The merganser was sleeping!  The head was neatly tucked upon its back and it was simply floating.  The duck had chosen this part of the Bayou because it was wide and its sleep would not be disturbed by shore critters and, since it was surrounded by marsh, the waters were calm allowing the bird to stay in one place.  Smart bird!  I smiled simply because it was nice to know the duck felt safe and secure in my Bayou!