The Dead Tree

There is a Black Gum tree in my yard that died about six years ago. Black Gum trees are tough old trees and even when they die, it is hard to knock them down to the ground. They just keep on standing until eventually as pieces fall off there is nothing left to them. This old tree is nothing but a stob..and for any who do not know what a "stob" is..it is a Southern word for a straight chunk of wood. This chunk of wood can be the remainder of a tree, (like mine), a post, a root that is exposed or any piece of wood that is stuck in the ground. Anyway, this stob's existence as a tree is over but it is still so full of life. Most noticeable is the woodpeckers of all kinds that visit it everyday hunting for their dinner. Their hammering can be heard echoing over the entire hill as they pull grubs and carpenter ants from the wood. These bugs and worms live in tunnels that lace the rotted tree stump. The woodpeckers pound away at the wood creating holes that soon become homes for smaller birds such as the bluebird and wren. Flying squirrels occupy other holes near the top. There is a nest of field mice in the bottom of the trunk between the roots, this home has two doors chewed into the wood making a nice escape exit if needed. I have seen bats clinging to the sides waiting for their evening flights. Slugs, spiders and moths also have found homes here. It is like a condo for critters! I know we should have cut this dead tree long ago but I find it so fascinating that such a diverse group can live in relative harmony in such a small area. Pieces are breaking off every time we have a strong wind and I always check for any critter residents before discarding them. I think perhaps it has at least one more good year before the remaining stob will come crashing to the ground. Perhaps by then I will have plenty of bat, bird and squirrel houses in nearby trees that all my animal friends can relocate without any problems.

Not all of the critters of the Bayou are being friendly. The Belted Kingfishers have been going at it for the past week. It is a constant war for territory, with their screeching and aerial battles from sunrise to sunset. There was one pair here for the past year but now a rival has come on the scene. I have been assuming that it is the males that are competing but I when I finally photographed one, to my surprise it appears to be the female! The male does not have the rufous (reddish brown) band on its chest. There is a chance that it is a immature male since they do have somewhat of a band..I will have to wait to later in the winter to determine for sure. In the meantime, I get to watch their air show and listen to their squabbling during the daylight hours.

Now that the evenings are getting a bit cooler, I am able to open the windows instead of using the air conditioner. This makes me happy as I can listen to the nightly serenading of the toads, frogs, cicadas, crickets and owls. These seem to be almost harmonious and seem to "go" together quite well..but then. Then there is the sole mockingbird that sits on the rose arbor right outside the window. This bird sings all night and is not at all in sync with the other animals of the night. How this mockingbird can stay awake nightly and then perform its concert again during the day, is beyond me. Also..why does it sing all night? In the Spring, I thought it was the male serenading his "wife" as she set on the nest warming her eggs. Now I am inclined to disbelieve this theory as she hatched her brood long ago. Perhaps it is scared of the dark and thinks that if it makes plenty of noise nothing will come near to scare it. Whatever its reasoning is, I am enjoying the music! It can sit outside my window any night!