Celebrating Life

  Lately, I find it nigh on impossible to sleep past 4am.  I pop awake and try as I might, sleep just will not return.  After tossing and turning a bit, I relent and tumble out of bed.  It is still quite dark at this time but I have found if I put on the coffee pot, throw in a load of laundry and take my sweet time meandering down the hill, the pier is illuminated enough to continue.  After I reach the bench at the end, I enjoy my mug of coffee as I wait for the sun to rise.  The sounds of the birds waking bring smiles as does the sights of nocturnal critters  heading to bed.

  This morning, that jaunt to the pier brought another happy surprise.  A pod of dolphins was playing in the Bay.  The surprise got even better when I realized that all of the rejoicing was due to a new baby in the pod!  What a joyous occasion!  The tiny one was being boosted along by the gentle nudges of the adults.  It has been said that bottlenosed dolphin babies, like human babies, have to be taught.  The mothers and other adults of the family pod will help the little one learn to swim and to surface.  They are also taught the finer points of corralling fish and general survival tactics.

  The dolphins this morning were doing a good bit of what I call "water-dancing" as they would hold their tails high out of the water or even jump out of the water.  It appeared as if they were celebrating the new arrival so I celebrated with them.  It is always good to see the Bay and Bayou so healthy.

Our World Needs Healing

  As garden work demanded, I was out and about early this morning.  With times being what they are, this is now a necessity and not just a hobby.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  It would not surprise me to see things continue to slide downhill for about a year or so even after the current virus situation is under control.  I figure to get a head start on filling the pantry with canned goods from the garden.  I was also in hopes to fill the freezers with seafood but now that stands iffy.

  Today, the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened to lower the water levels of the Mississippi River in New Orleans.  While this is great news for those folks, it is devastating to wildlife and even the local seafood industry.  This is getting to be quite troublesome for those of us who depend upon seafood for sustenance or those who depend upon it as their livelihood.  The inundation of fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico creates deadly algae bloom that kills a lot of the sea life. The algae bloom depletes oxygen in the water. Dolphins and sea turtles are the most noticeable but if they are affected, everything below them has already been decimated.  Entire oyster reefs died with last year's opening of the spillway, hundreds of dolphins perished, along with nigh on that many turtles.  Fish and shrimp were hit hard, too, with thousands being found upon the beaches.  Not only were our fishermen dealt a mighty blow but the tourism industry did, as well.  With the beaches being closed due to toxins, there was just not enough draw to vacation here.  Now, it is to be a repeat situation.  Not too many things cause me to get angry but inside, a gnawing anger is brewing.  Our waters are to be tainted once again and there is nothing we can do about it.

  About mid morning, my thoughts were being twisted and turned and fueled by the turmoil of the world.  I headed to my sanctuary...the pier.  There I can find peace as I sit and meditate.  While there, I heard a familiar sound.  Dolphin blows.  Yep.  A pod of dolphins were corralling mullet for their newborn calves to chase.  The little ones could be seen trying to imitate the adults as they surfaced and rolled.  The sight is always thrilling but, this morning, it was also rather saddening.  Will those little ones even have a chance at life?  Will they be able to frolic and play?  Will they even be able to mature to adulthood?  Not if the spillways continue to be opened.  Our world needs healing in so many ways.

My Friends Have Returned

  One of the first things Mark and I do each morning is take a hike down to the pier.  We start our day by looking out over the water and reflecting on how blessed we are to live on our Bayou.  For some, it may not seem like the best life but, for us, it is our little piece of paradise.  It is hard to imagine living anywhere else.  This morning, the realization of those blessings increased dramatically.

  Recently, the wildlife in the area has faced a terrible blow.  The opening of spillways has released, not only river water into the Gulf, but an extreme amount of chemicals.  Those chemicals wreaked havoc on the critters.  Hundreds of dolphins and sea turtles washed ashore.  They had huge lesions caused by the tainted water.  Thousands of other sea creatures perished as well.  This morning, a pod of bottlenose dolphins happily played in the waters of the Bay.  Mark and I watched as these fine creatures feasted on the schools of mullet.  As they chased the school of fish, they would breach the water and cause huge swells.  

  Seeing the dolphins at play gave me hope that soon things would be back to normal for my critter friends.  We, as humans, cause so much tragedy for the other creatures of this world.  It makes me sad to know that by human hands so many animals perish needlessly.  It is good to know that Mother Nature can sometimes put things back in order.

In Distress

  Sometimes watching nature on the Bayou can make me extremely sad.  A turn of events can create dire circumstances for some of my critter friends.  Just a few days ago, one such thing was observed and it has left a nagging feeling inside of me.  While Mark and I were on the pier, my brother called out to us.  He brought to our attention a bottlenose dolphin that was breaching nearby. "That poor fellow doesn't have his fin!"  He yelled at us.  Sure enough, with the next breach, we noticed that the dorsal fin had been severed.  The dolphin was trying its best to catch mullet but was having difficulty in diving correctly.  With each breach, it became more and more apparent that the dolphin was in great distress. My heart started breaking as I knew there was nothing we could do to help this poor creature.

  A bit later, I asked a marine biologist friend if the dolphin had even the slightest chance of survival without this all important fin.  "No, the dolphin will most likely die a slow death." was his answer.  I wanted to cry.  He did reassure me that he would pass along the information I had given him to the proper rescue folks.  "Perhaps, they can capture the dolphin and try to help."  It was all the hope I had for my critter friend. 

  This morning, there was an entire pod of bottlenose dolphins in the Bay.  The injured one stayed in the far corner of the inlet so I was not able to get photographs of it.  Mark and I watched the healthy dolphins corral the mullet and seemingly steer them toward the hurt one.  It appeared that the healthy ones were trying to help their injured pod mate.  If this is true, then these creatures are some of the most understanding and caring beings on this old earth.

  Hopefully in the morning, I will have a front row seat on our pier to watch the rescue team at work.  It would make me elated to know that someone is trying to amend what has happened to the poor creature.  Also, hopefully, the rescue team will find that this was just an accident and not an intentional act of brutality.  As I said, my heart aches.

What a Motley Crew of Friends!

  With the coming of fall, the weather has cooled nicely.  Early mornings are pleasant down on the pier so I tend to spend a good bit of time there.  It matters not if the fish are biting, the view alone is enough to keep me intrigued.  This morning, another gathering of the cormorants took place.  This time, the birds never stopped.  A long stream of them flew eastward along the far shore.  As I was photographing them, a few dolphins decided to join in on the fun.  

  While this was all fun, my favorites were the pelicans.  Dozens of the large birds were dive bombing the schools of mullet.  Today, they seemed to be doing it more for fun than for nourishment.  The pelicans were not even making attempts to actually scoop up anything to eat.  It was just dive and take off again.  Perhaps they were practicing their fishing skills!  

  One pelican stayed close to the pier.  This bird would dive and then sit to look at me for a while.  Of course, I had to talk with the bird. We are old friends.  Its close proximity gave me some excellent photo opportunities!  After a bit, a lone cormorant came to visit us.  With the rest of its kind far down the Bay, it seemed to appreciate the company of the pelicans.   All of us, as misfits, seemed to flock together.  Friendship can cross the species boundaries at times.

Well. that was hard!

  Living on the Bayou allows me to view all sorts of things that most others only see occasionally.  There is a never-ending parade of critters that inhabit the area.  Their presence is one that I tend to take for granted and, at times, do not find overly exciting.  Then there are critters that, no matter how many times I see them, fascinate me.  Bottlenose  Dolphins were playing in the Bay today.  They were chasing the schools of mullet and teaching their young how to toss the fish into the air. There were five adults and three babies just out from the pier.  It was an interesting sight to see but a most difficult to photograph.

  I am usually adept at capturing the images of the Bayou and Bay.  Critters often will cooperate given enough time and space.  The dolphins, however, play hide-and-seek!  Try as I might, I could never get a good photograph of their antics.  I would watch and think I could anticipate their next move just to find out that they would change direction.  Often, by the time the camera snapped, the dolphin would be out of sight again.  My photograph was of water...wide open space of water...no dolphin in sight.  The pelicans, on the other hand, would photobomb the dolphins on a whim!

  A couple of times, a few of the dolphins were captured by the lens.  This was pure happenstance and by no talent of mine.  Finally, I relented and sat back to enjoy the show.  Some day...some lucky day...I will get the perfect photograph of my friends of the water.  

For some, its a hard life

  It is always a happy morning for us when the bottlenose dolphins are seen playing in the Bay.  At times, they can be seen tossing fish as high as twenty feet in the air.  This is to stun the fish so it can be eaten with leisure.  Other times, the dolphins will team up to corral school fish into a tight circle.  The dolphins then can attack and catch more fish.  Mullet, ladyfish, trout even catfish are considered breakfast for a hungry dolphin.  These huge critters are not picky eaters and will devour just about any fish that gets in its way.  Mark and I enjoy watching the bottlenose dolphins as they work and play near the pier.  

  At the same time that the dolphins are busying themselves, it is easy to notice the large schools of fish that are their targets. Mullet and ladyfish, especially, are visible with their jumping and striking the water's surface. The dolphins follow the large schools of fish as they come into the brackish water to spawn.  Once they have the schools in the Bay area, corralling them in even tighter circles is easy due to the shallow water. There is not much chance of escape.

  The other morning, we wasted a good bit of time trying to catch our lunch.  We wound up catching a lot of fish but none that were worth eating.  One of the fish that took my line was a fine ladyfish.  That fish bounced around the water like a maniac before I finally managed to get it on the pier.  Once it was there, we realized that the poor thing had already had a rough go of things.  Something had already taken a nice swipe at the fish's side.  Perhaps one of the dolphins had slapped the ladyfish out of the water but never devoured it.  (This habit is actually called "fish-whacking".  Yep, that is the technical term for it.)  A nice sized scar spanned the girth of the ladyfish.  Its fin had been damaged and it did, indeed, look a little ragged.  It did not appear to have been bitten only smacked.  Poor ladyfish!  It has already been attacked, whacked and then hooked.  Life cannot be easy for smaller fish when the dolphins are hungry!

We All Need Good Friends During a Storm

  The storm system that is raging over a good bit of the country also refuses to leave the Bayou.  High winds and heavy rains were the rule for today.  This caused much flooding in the surrounding areas but for once the Bayou was one of the "drier" places.  Unlike during hurricanes where the tidal surge causes major problems, rainwater merely slides down the hillside into the Bay. We are blessed to live on such a high hill. Others around us are not so fortunate.  Houses and businesses are being flooded.  It is such a sad situation at the very least.  The winds, on the other hand, are quite...errr....brisk?  With the immense amount of rain saturating the ground, the wind does wreak havoc on the poor trees. Those  with shallow root systems are apt to topple.  So far, other than a few small bushes, our trees have held fast.  The bad thing about this system is that it is so slow moving.  The lingering rains do nothing but create more trouble.  

   I took advantage of the one break from the rain today.  Being housebound was beginning to wear on my nerves so about 3pm, I made a quick dash to the pier.  The small skiff was holding its own against the waves although the bilge pump was working overtime!  As I was checking the boat, I heard a familiar sound.  Ahh, the Bottlenose Dolphins were playing around the pier!  Careful to not slip and slide on the wet boards, I hurried out to watch them.  I adore these massive creatures!  I am always in awe of their beauty and grace.  Four of the gigantic creatures would surface and then dive again.  In my fascination, I purely forgot to video the show!  After about ten minutes, the dolphins eased away towards the west.  I was sorry to see them go but felt extremely privileged to have been on the pier at the time of their visit.

  One creature decided that it was just too much trouble to move out of my way.  On the pier post, a lone cormorant sat drying his wings.  Even though these are diving birds, the heavy rains soaked the bird.  It looked at me as if to say "If it is ok with you, I shall just stay right here and rest a bit."  I assured the bird that I had no intention of shooing it off the post as I fully understood its plight.  It responded with a few squeaky noises and then a couple of croaks.  I did notice that dozens of other cormorants seemed to be following the dolphin pod.  Perhaps they were picking up tidbits of fish leftover by the dolphins feeding on mullet.  The one on the post was missing out on a sure meal but he did not seem to be overly worried.  Maybe his belly was filled earlier and now he just desired to dry his wings.  Whatever, Mr. Cormorant! You can do this in peace.

  It was at that moment that the rains started once again and I needed to hurry back up that hill!  I did not wish to get soaked! My entertainment for the day was over.  I felt better after a little communing with nature.  I love my critter friends!

Entertainment..Bayou Style!

  It seems that it is going to be an exciting time around the Bayou for the next few months.  What with alligators, snapping turtles, otters and now several Bottlenose Dolphins hanging around the pier, we should never have a dull moment.  This morning, Mark and I headed to the pier just to relax a bit.  We have not been able to catch too many fish with all of the rain as of late so we were just sitting enjoying each other's company. Out in the distance, I saw a couple of dolphins playing in a school of mullet.  It always gives us a bit of excitement to see dolphins in the Bay.  More oft than not, these beauties stay a good distance from the pier as the water shallows near the Bayou.  However, the tide was high this morning and we got a closeup view of the dolphins!  

  About five minutes after our first sighting, a large wake could be seen heading right for the pier.  The dolphins were coming straight in for us. Once they were just feet from the pier, they started playing in a large school of mullet.  It was then that Mark noticed that there were several adult dolphins and one tiny baby dolphin!  The larger ones were helping the baby learn the ropes about swimming and catching mullet.  

  We watched as the dolphins played for a few minutes and then as they moved back away from the pier.  It is amazing to me that critters seem to cherish the family moments just as we do.  The birth of the little one is a momentous occasion and it was beautiful to be a part of the love shared between these family members.

The Perfect Morn....

The breaking of dawn saw Ms. Ez, the dog, and me on the pier.  I wanted to get an early start today since I have been putting off some chores that really needed to be done.  I find if I watch the sunrise, I have much more energy than if I lie in bed until after sunup.  The sunrise did not fail me..it was gorgeous!  So many brilliant colors lit up the eastern sky that it was most breathtaking!

There were masses of mullet jumping in the Bay waters this morning.  All I could think about was how Mark should be out there throwing that net and catching me lunch!  As I stared at the splashing waters, a huge swell broke the surface!  Oh, my goodness!  That was a huge fish!  Then....the telltale fin!  Or..a lot of telltale fins!  Dolphins!  The Bay area around the pier was churning with mullet and Bottlenose Dolphins!  I watched as the dolphins corralled the mullet in huge schools.  They would swim around and around the school until it was a tight mass and then attack!  Mullet were tossed out of the water as the dolphins fed.  Fins and tails of the dolphins rode high on the waters.  It was quite the amazing sight!

After watching for some time, I noticed that mixed in with the larger dolphins were a number of little ones.  The adults were teaching their little ones the fine art of catching mullet!  The tiny dolphins were learning well as I could see them splashing right along side of their parents.  What good parents these creatures are!  Most sea creatures never worry about their young and some will even eat their own given an opportunity.  Not the dolphins!  They protect and teach their little ones!

It was such an exhilarating morning!  The perfect sunrise, the cool, crisp air and the amazing dolphin experience!  I will be back on the pier before dawn to watch these creatures again.  It is times like this that make living on the Bayou enjoyable.

The Perils of Life on the Bayou

Life on the Bayou is usually a pretty laid back existence...except if you are one of the critters that inhabit the area. Then daily trials begin and end with the ability to eat but not be eaten. It is a constant struggle for most of the animals. The food chain can be dangerous! This morning early, the Bottlenose Dolphins were busy hunting mullet. These mammals work together to corral the fish. They made huge loping circles around the mullet schooling them in tight wads. Once they had a good many in one area, the feeding would begin. The dolphins would dive deep and come up under the mullet. Their huge swells would send mullet jumping every which way. The dolphins would even toss mullet high above the water. Again and again, they would chase the mullet into a tight mass only to devour them. This large, marine mammal is near (if not at) the top of the food chain in the Bay. I love watching the teamwork of the dolphins.

I could not get a clear picture of the Bald Eagle that was fishing for mullet. The eagle was following along after the dolphin pod. It was in hopes of catching a fish for its breakfast but these hopes were dashed when another raptor intervened. The Osprey decided that there were not enough fish in the Bay for the Bald Eagle to have any so it started darting at the larger bird. Again and again, it swooped at the eagle. Eventually, the Bald Eagle gave up on the fish and headed inland. The Osprey had won the fishing rights to the Bay and soon took up the Bald Eagle's game. The mullet were in constant danger from both below the water and the sky above.

A bit later near the marsh edge, another bit of the food chain was at work. Crabs usually eat whatever they can find that is already dead. Occasionally, they will catch small minnows and fish but more likely than not, they are the prey. When the crabs are small, most everything eats them. Most fish love dining on small crabs, shore birds will eat every one they can catch and even other crabs will make a meal of their neighbor. When the Blue Crab is in its soft-shell stage (when it is shedding its old shell), it is easy prey for anything that wishes to have a meal. The crab at this point is powerless to escape much less defend itself. For hours on end, the crab depends purely on luck to survive. It is helpless...but it is a different story when it is in its hard-shell stage. Then the prey can become the predator as was the case this morning.

A crab was easily seen in the about four inches of water near the marsh. This crab had hunted down and caught its meal for the day. It had actually caught another predator. The crab was scooting itself out into deeper water where it immediately buried itself and its dinner in the soft mud. At first glance, I was not sure just what in the world the crab had in its claws. The glint of the sun on the water made it difficult to see but once the crab was in the shade of the marsh grass, things were different. This Blue Crab had a death hold on my little Garter Snake! It was heading to deeper water to drown the snake! My poor little snake friend had succumbed to the food chain of the Bayou! Never once had it occurred to me that crabs would eat snakes! Good bye, Little Snake!

~Today was Hubby's birthday! We celebrated by having a perfectly lazy day! As much as the hallway needed finishing, we decided that fishing was much more important! I wish I could say that he caught this large red fish today but sorry, this is one from a fishing trip this past winter. (I just liked this picture!) Everyone needs a day like this! Happy Birthday, Mark! ~