A New Generation

With the Little Bayou House relatively (pun intended!) empty this holiday season, there is not a lot to do.  The decorating was kept to the bare minimum to please Michael and the gift-purchasing was slashed to please the wallet.   The only thing that was in high gear was the baking.  The buffet in the dining room is filled with goodies for my husband, son and two brothers that live on the Bayou.  Any visitors to the Little Bayou House will also be encouraged to "try" a few treats.  Still this did not keep me busy long enough to make me forget the emptiness of the place.  Only the Bayou can do that.  I headed to the pier to visit with my critter friends.  They are always available even on a moment's notice.

As I sat on the pier a couple of days ago, I watched the shorebirds skittering about the mudflats.  The Killdeer and Sandpipers were scouring the long stretch of mud that was laid bare by the low tide and north wind.  Any minnow, shrimp or tiny crab was snatched up and eaten with great gusto.  These birds were obviously hungry!  There was not much that I could do to help them, though, as I am not sure they would have enjoyed a heaping handful of birdseed.   Out in the water, a lone Great Blue Heron waded in water up to its thighs.  It was hunting the little mullet or bull minnows that were pushed out of the marsh by the falling tide.  The bird would shuffle its feet in the soft mud as it walked.  This maneuver was meant to not only stir up any fish that were hiding but also give a bit of "cover" to conceal the large bird.  The heron stretched its neck to its full height.  From that vantage point, it was easy for the bird to see into the shallow water.  This did make the bird look a tad awkward, though!

This bird was a newcomer to the Bayou.  True, it might have been hatched and fledged here but it was a youngster.  A newcomer to the art of this wade fishing thing, it was doing rather well.  A small fish was snatched from the water with about every ten steps or so.  The bird appeared long and lank.  It would have to work hard this winter to find enough food to survive.  The cold wind and bitter temperatures could be tough on an underweight bird.  I felt comfortable that the bird had enough knowledge to see it through to spring.  Watching it fish, I could see that it had learned its lessons well.  Good luck, Youngster, good luck.  You are going to need it to survive.