And the critters prowl.....

Here I sit in the early evening listening to a combination of wind and drizzle.  In the distance down toward the Bayou edge, I can hear the yipping of several fox.  When I hear them, I think that at least this time it is not the pack of coyotes. Why this makes a difference to me is befuddling as both will feast upon the local bunnies if they catch them.  Still, there is something a tad more comforting knowing it is the fox.  Their yipping does not send chills up my spine like the barks and howls of the coyotes.  Ms. Ez is tense.  She knows something is near and feels the need to be on guard even though she is inside.  She watches the door with expectations of attacking anything that dares to enter!  Good dog! Sometimes the sounds of the night make me ponder just what all is on the prowl around the marsh after sundown.

Early some mornings down by the pier, I come across where some cat has done its business. This part of the ground is covered with beach sand that washed in with several hurricanes and makes it the perfect "bathroom" spot for cats.  Covering their "business" in the soft sand is much easier than up on the hilltop.  From the scratch marks on the ground, the area is being used by a very large cat.  Apparently, one that must be at least three to four times the size of Ms. Put, my house cat.  Each time I have found the scat mounds, the area scratched is nigh on two feet across! This compared to Ms. Put's dainty claw marks of six inches tells me that whatever is burying its poop here is large!  I, personally, have not been inclined to dig up said scat to examine it so don't even ask what it looked like!  Anyway, I have come to the conclusion that along with the noisy and rambunctious coyotes and the sly, sneaky foxes there must be a few bobcats roaming the hillside.  All of these make for some sleepless nights for the dog and some quite interesting nights for me.  Just by sitting and listening, I can tell that there are numerous critters on the prowl outside my windows.  By inspecting the ground early in the morning, I can tell just where the critters have been and how many visited the yard.  The Bayou after dark is a busy area.  Predators abound..just waiting to pounce on whatever is deemed edible.  The loud squeals of a rabbit, the terrified squeaks of a mouse or the shrill, unsteady calls of a shore bird means that a meal has been found.  Unsettling as it may be to some, I view it as life continuing or survival of the fittest.  In a way, it also makes me appreciate my snug Little Bayou House that much more.  For in here, I am safe from the predators on the Bayou....and the old dog, Ez commences to growl.