"Pride Goes Before The Fall"

   Early this afternoon as I was gathering an armload of firewood for the woodbin, I noticed that three mourning doves were eating birdseed.  I had strewn extra portions these past few days to help the birds through the wintry weather.  They seemed appreciative of the black oil sunflower seeds and mixed birdseed that Mark picked up at the feed store this morning.  Several times, I heard the doves cooing at each other all-the-while pacing under the flower benches.  The goofy doves are prime targets for the hawk so it made me happy that they were a bit protected.

  Obviously, one of the trio was a female and the other two were males.  One male in particular was "showing off" for the benefit of the female's attention.  His wooing went rather unnoticed as the little female just kept on eating.  The amorous male kept trying to garner her attention but the rival suitor was just as adamant.  Little Miss Female ignored them both.  Soon, instead of trying to attract the female, the males spent their time trying to intimidate each other.  The younger of the two was putting on quite the show of intimidation.  He was literally strutting his stuff!  The older bird was more subtle and more confidant.  He let the young whippersnapper carry on for a bit then, suddenly, he had enough of the shenanigans.  Needless to say the more mature bird won the heart of his ladylove.  The youngster's pride and haughtiness got the best of him.

  It is a bit early for the birds to think of nesting.  It seems to me that the "ice age" we are experiencing this week would be enough to put a stop to this idea but obviously not.  Hopefully, Mama Dove will nest in a sheltered spot.  The cold rain and sleet will not be a happy experience for her.

Happy Wedding Day!

  And just like that, we have another marriage on the Bayou!  It is funny how quickly things can change and, to my way of thinking, for the better.  Just a few weeks ago, there was a bitter brawl in the skies over one beautiful lady.  Two young male ospreys were at odds over the love of the young female.  Their territorial ways were getting the best of them as they tried to impress the female.  She was having no part of them.  Then, just when it appeared that she may be eyeing one as a possible suitor, in pops a third male.  Things got real intense for days.

  Today, however, the new suitor won his ladylove.  Although the other two were still trying to compete while he was performing the "Fish Dance", she ultimately accepted his gift.  That, in the osprey world, meant she accepted his proposal and was ready to nest.  He had performed the most spectacular soaring and plummeting moves, caught the largest fish and outdid his rivals.  The happy couple will now nest and raise their brood.

  Living on the Bayou gives me the opportunity to witness many things.  The "Fish Dance of the Ospreys" is just one.  There are so many wonders out there, folks.  You just need to step outdoors and investigate.  Once you really began to "see" things instead of walking around in a daze of everyday humdrum, the amazing sights will lure you to return day after day.  Life is good.  

Fish Dancing

  The springtime Fish Dancing has begun!  A few days back, I wrote about an osprey that took noticed of the old dog and me as we relaxed on the pier.  This was a solitary bird that was simply soaring above us while it fished.  Today's ospreys were doing something far different.  The male was doing the "Fish Dance" to impress his ladylove.  The female perched in a tall pine tree on the edge of the marsh while her suitor did his best dance.  He would soar to great heights only to stop, hover, drop, hover and so on until he was just above her.  Then, he would flap his wings vigorously to gain altitude once again.  Most of the time, his legs were dangling beneath him unlike when he is actively hunting. 

  After several times of this undulating aerial dance, the male osprey's attention turned to hunting a mullet. The female osprey sat on her tree branch screaming encouragement to her beau. Once he had snagged a nice fish, he immediately flew to the pine tree, danced a bit more then presented his ladylove with the gift.  She accepted!  The marriage is official!

 Now that these two are a happy couple, they will begin to build a suitable nest and start their family.  The male will take over the fishing completely while the female lays and incubates the eggs.  He will bring her fish so she only has to make short flights to get water and bathe.  After the eggs hatch, she will still spend most of her time on or next to the nest while the male provides.  Rarely are the chicks left unattended especially with the nesting bald eagles in the area.  The eagles are not beyond raiding an osprey nest and stealing the young.

  I find it interesting to watch the critters of the Bayou.  After a bit, you begin to understand their actions and appreciate the individuals involved.  Just a few years back, we had one pair of ospreys nesting on the Bayou but, thankfully, we now have about a dozen pairs in the general area.  They are amazingly beautiful birds with quite the elaborate lifestyles!

Masters of Bluff

  As I have said before, one of my favorite pastimes is watching critters.  It matters not what types of animals I encounter, they interest me. Their defense actions, feeding techniques and even their nesting habits intrigue me.  People could learn a lot by watching the critters around them as most animals behave a lot nicer than most humans. 

  This afternoon, I grew weary of chores so headed out to traipse around the hillside.  As usual, I wound up at the marsh edge.  There is never a shortage of critters living in the marsh and each face a daily struggle to survive.  Bayou life is not easy for humans nor critters but we choose to live here and each love the place....so we stay.  This afternoon's entertainment providers were the "Masters of Bluff" better known as Fiddler Crabs.  The male crabs have this bright idea that if they wave their large claw in the air, it will prove their virility.  While the younger crabs actual have fierce combats, it is not after a good bit of intimidation by "my claw is larger than yours".  This goes on for a while until one gets a bit foul tempered and attacks.  The battle ensues but not much damage is done to anything but egos.  The older crabs win their ladyloves merely by having larger claws.  These claws are moot points as the ability to wave the large claw is about as far as the fierceness goes. Waving and battling abilities are two entirely different things in the crab world.  

  Fiddler Crabs live about two years and during that time will shed their shells periodically.  If a leg or claw is missing, a new one replaces it with each molt. If they have not lost a claw, the old one just gets bigger. With each molt, the crab seems to lose a bit of strength in its claw.  The mobility increases but it is just a bluff.  The weaker claw can wave intensely but not do much in defense.  

They are hard to see but there are more than a dozen male Fiddler Crabs waving their claws in this photo.

  All of this waving and battling is purely to attract females.  The better display and the larger the waving claw signals a strong male (whether that bluff is in action or not!).   That large claw also is indicative of how roomy a burrow is so the female goes for the guy with the bigger house!  A lot of times, the older crabs merely bluff their way into attracting females and intimidating young males.  In other words, the male simply lies his way through courtship.   It is all about survival of the fittest and if you can make others believe you are strong then you will come out on top.  Whatever works.