Deadly Poop!

  Early this morning, the hike to the pier was not the most comfortable.  The storm from overnight was lingering into the morning so a drizzly rain made the hike be shortened.  While on the pier, however, I did have the opportunity to photograph a pair of cormorants as they sat on the pier posts of my brother's pier.  These birds have to do a good bit of "drying out" as their feathers are not "water-proof" like most waterfowl.  The cormorants' feathers become waterlogged making it difficult to swim and to take flight from the water.  This morning's drying session was rather a moot effort as the rain had to be saturating the feathers.  

  As often as I have photographed these birds, I actually never knew one point.  While way up north on the river tug, Mark saw numerous nests in the trees on an island in the river.  One of his coworkers told him that they were cormorant nests.  The man went on to explain a bit about the birds and their use of the trees.  According to him, the birds nest in huge colonies and the excrement from the birds can literally kill any plant life beneath their nesting sites.  This included the very trees that the birds used as sites for their nests.  The man said that whole islands were devoid of trees simply because of the birds pooping.  

  As I stated, I had never known this fact so a bit of research was in order.  Come to find out, the story is true.  The bird poop does kill the vegetation (even trees) when a colony of several hundred cormorants repeatedly use the same nesting site.  This has even caused an uproar among people with different mindsets....those who wish to protect the trees and those who wish to protect the birds.  Things have even gone so far as to have people shoot hundreds of the birds only to find themselves being arrested.  Those shooting the birds were breaking the law since they shot migratory birds.  All migratory birds are protected by federal law.  Over the years, the illegal killing of cormorants has escalated to the point that thousands upon thousands of the birds are shot. Something had to be done as it was getting out of hand.  Laws were passed to allow the killing of a certain number of birds each year if done correctly with permits.  In some states, even the eggs are "oiled" to prevent hatching.  All in all, about 40,000 adult birds are killed each year (that number is the reported kills) but this does not include the killing of chicks.  This has some folks livid.  "How can anyone condone the killing of 40,000 birds each year??"  Well, when it comes to cormorants, that is about 2% of the population in the United States so it is an easy point to argue.  Still, even with these "kills", the bird population is burgeoning.

  I did find it interesting that the bird poop kills plants so I checked a bit further and it seems that the poop is high in nitrogen and phosphorous.  When used in small amounts, these are nutrients that help plants grow but when thousands of birds roost in a small area, the poop piles up several feet deep.  That extreme amount does the damage.  (After having to clean the chicken houses back on the farm, trust me when I say it does not take long for poop to pile up.)  To take this a bit further, being as the birds nest near water, those "nutrients" find their way into the waterways.  This is being declared as having a adverse effect to everything!  According to some studies, the excess of nitrogen causes extreme algae bloom which can be highly dangerous.  The birds are not only killing plants, they are polluting the water!  And let us not forgo the argument that as the cormorants are taking over prime nesting sites, other birds and wildlife are either dying out or having to move elsewhere.

  My stance on this whole spat?  It is hard to say.  Perhaps if the cormorants were killing every bit of plant-life (and, therefore, all the critter life) in the back of the Bayou, I would find it hard to not condone the limiting efforts.  As it is, we are in the "non-breeding" zone of the birds so the problem has not hit home.  While I usually live by the mantra of live and let live, there has to be a solution that would please everybody (cormorants included) and it definitely seems that people are attempting to find the answer.  This does make me appreciate the fact that these birds are migratory!

Just In Time To Say Goodbye

  The morning was met with a threatening rainstorm on the horizon so the pier visit was cut short.  Between the drizzly rain and the barrage of gnats, time spent on the water was short.  However, in the few minutes allowed, I found a few bayou friends had gathered nearby.  A dozen or so cormorants had settled in for the night and were just starting their morning feed fest.  Most of these were juveniles that still had their grayish-white breasts.  The birds were doing their usual "heavy swimming" with just their necks and very little of their backs above water. 

  Cormorants do not have feathers that repel water like ducks do.  Their feathers often become waterlogged causing them to seek refuge on pier posts.   There, they spread the wings and stand letting the wind and sun dry their bodies.  This heavy swimming does allow the birds to do well with catching their meals.  It has been said that having heavier bodies makes their diving easier.  It does not, however, make taking flight easier.  The birds have to do an awful lot of "water-walking" and wing-flapping to get airborne.  

  As I sat swatting gnats, I thought of how I am going to miss my friends. It is time for them leave the area. They visit here for the winter then head north to breed.  Once all of the migrating waterfowl leave, the Bayou seems a tad lonely.  At least, then, the gators and cottonmouths will be back to add a smidgen of entertainment.  There is never a boring day when you can find amusement in just about anything.  I do.

Just Doing A Bit Of Running

  My hike this afternoon took me well back into the woods near the creek bed.  I had hopes of venturing across the creek to a spot where the spider lilies grow.  I figured that since most snakes would be sluggish, it would be a good time to dig up a few bulbs for the garden.  My plan did not include the copious amount of rain that was just dumped on the area.  There was no getting near the creek much less crossing it.  The low area was a sloppy mess!  So much for good intentions!  That said, I was diverted to (of all places) the pier.  Being as that is my peaceful spot, it only seemed natural to be there.

  While there, I noticed large birds swimming in the distance.  Three Double-crested Cormorants were busy diving beneath the water.  Just as I thought it was a good time to get photos, the birds opted to vacate the area!  I was left with very few photographs and no birds.

  Double-crested Cormorants are funny birds.  It seems that they spend more time under water than on the surface.  They can make long dives in search of food.  In fact, they would rather dive than fly to get away from a threat.  Watching the birds take flight from the water is sort of like watching a comedy show.  They literally "run" on the water's surface to take off in flight.  I happened to catch that "running" in one photograph before the birds went out of range.

Just a bird being a bird!

  While double-crested cormorants are around the Bayou all year long, when the weather turns cooler, we are inundated with those migrating southward.  The local fishermen are not overly happy to see the thousands of fish-eating birds gather in the shallows of the Bay as they look at the birds as competition.  The birds do eat a lot of fish but, in all fairness, they eat small fish.  They do not grab large fish as they swallow their dinner whole.  A large fish would choke the poor bird.  Fishermen do not have worries about a group of cormorants depleting their catch.  Pop always said if you are catching fish small enough to feed a bird, then you "ain't much a fisherman".  I agree. 

  A lot of pier owners do not care for the birds, either.  Cormorants are not like ducks that can stay in the water for a long time.  Cormorants' feathers become waterlogged and the birds need to dry out.  They seek pier posts so they can spread their wings and dry without worry of becoming supper for some predator.  The only downside to this according to the pier owners is that the birds poop a lot!  Most folks find messy piers disgusting and will try to shoo the birds away.  I figure it like this.  A good rain will wash the pier so let the birds borrow the posts.  It is part of nature and I am sure not going to interfere!  

  My whole point is to let the critters be just that...critters.  They do eat fish.  They do use the pier posts as drying stations.  They do poop.  To be brutally honest here, I know a lot of people who have less respect for Mother Nature than these birds do.  At least, bird poop is biodegradable.  The beer cans, bottles and other trash are not.  Every day, I have to scoop dozens of these items from the marsh and I find THAT disgusting.  No amount of rain is going to clean up that mess. This all falls back to why I have more critter friends than people friends.  Carry on, birds, carry on.  You are welcome to use my pier posts as your drying station.

Here They Come!

  The trek to the pier this morning was interesting, to say the least.  A low fog shrouded the the Bay and added a bone-reaching chill to the air.  Mr. PJ and I had no intentions of staying out long in the cold, damp air but he and I both love being on the pier. He has fallen quite well into the role of protective dog and refuses to leave my side.  I appreciate him being there.  He brings great comfort especially when dense fog blocks the view.  

  While waiting for the sun to rise, a low whistling sound could be heard just out of our range of view.  I knew it was the whir of wings but this had to be one large flock of some sort of birds.  The whistling lasted for a good ten minutes!  Also audible was the sound of splashing as the birds were making contact with the water.  Well, that told me one thing...they were a type of waterfowl!  I would just have to wait until the sun burned off a bit of the fog before making an identification.  The sunrise was gorgeous as the big red ball illuminated the gazebo across the Bayou.  I was in the perfect spot to see the sun hit the tip top of the building making it resemble a light house beacon.  I was torn between taking pictures of the sun and the birds that I could now identify as Double-crested Cormorants.  Hundreds of the birds were quickly filling up the Bay.  The flock (or gulp if you are looking for the proper term of a group of cormorants) seemed to be endless!  As far as I could see, there were birds...some swimming...others flying.

  The arrival of the Double-crested Cormorants is a sure sign that our weather is soon to change to the cooler side.  The birds fly in to spend the winter months with us.  They are expert divers and will feed upon the little mullet that also fill the Bay.  I like the cormorants and their funny antics.  There is never a dull moment when they are here!

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.

Here They Come!

  This time of year sees a whole new bunch of critters on the Bayou especially in the way of birds. Birds are migrating southward with the coming of winter and they either stop in for a rest before heading on their merry way or they spend the winter with us.  It makes me happy to see the thousands of waterfowl visiting the area.  Each visit to the pier during late fall, gives me the chance to see new birds.  Some of these are new to me while others are returning friends.  

  A couple of days ago, huge flocks of cormorants could be seen gathering in the Bay.  This is crazy since all of the flocks were flying in FROM the south.  Shouldn't they be heading south if they are migrating? Thousands of birds accumulated in the Bay.  I have never witnessed this many cormorants here at any given time.  Usually, there are at most a few dozen or perhaps even up to a hundred but never this many! When they landed in the water, they immediately started swimming toward each other until there was a thick mass of black as far as I could see. Then, as quickly as they came, the cormorants took flight and disappeared from sight....heading northward!

  The cormorant is a funny bird that will resort to diving beneath the water when threatened instead of taking flight.  They are excellent divers that can swim for long distances beneath the surface.  Perhaps this is why their collective name is a "Swim" of cormorants!  This ability and their hooked beak makes them experts at fishing.  While it was exciting to see so many birds in the Bay at one time, I am sort of glad to see that most have ventured on to parts unknown.  With their fishing expertise, my catches would have most likely come to a halt if they had stayed.  Happy fall...happy migration!

Jewel-eyed and Blue-throated!

  There are several cormorants hanging about the Bayou recently.  They, along with other waterfowl, have flown in to spend the winter with us.  I am sure that just about now, they are wondering why in the world they ever left their summer home as the weather has not been exactly agreeable with their migration.  Things will change soon and they will be happy that they made the flight.  In the meantime, the cormorants are happy campers with the Bay full of little fish.  Feeding time is easy. 

  While most folks think that cormorants are strange birds and are not too pretty, I find them "strangely beautiful".  Even though the birds often appear to be jet black, their feathers are actually iridescent.  If the sunlight hits the feathers in a certain way, the bird is gorgeous!  While their plumage is quite notable, it is their eyes that I find captivating.  If you ever manage to get close enough to come "eye to eye", you will notice that cormorants have bright greenish blue eyes.  The teal color stands out against their dark feather with a certain flair!  These eyes sparkle like jewels!  The eyes are set off by a bit of reddish orange around the face.  AND...the cormorants' throats are blue on the inside!  Imagine that! If you ever had the chance to peer down the gullet of a cormorant, you would find it bright blue!

  While I never have the chance to come face to face with the cormorants, I am happy they call the Bayou home during the winter months.  It makes me happy to have them around....even with their weird bird design!

Early morning visitors

  Early this morning, Mark and I braved yet another rainy day to head to the pier.  We always go down and check the crab traps even though the water in the Bayou and Bay is not salty enough for many crabs to be active.  All of the rain has flooded creeks and rivers which in turn have poured in to the bayous and Bay.  Our fishing and crabbing have come to a halt.....too bad the rain hasn't.  Still, we check the traps in hopes that a few crabs might have wandered in for a bite.  None have...none will at least for a while.  

  Our hike was not in vain, though, as we did have a couple of visitors. Mark was the first to spot a small gator near the marsh.  At first, we questioned whether we were "seeing things" or if it really was an alligator.  The "bump" was so very still that we were not sure. I decided to photograph the unknown object just to identify it.  As soon as I did, I knew we were definitely in the presence of a gator...a small one but still a gator.  This is the second alligator of this season which thrills me to no end!  My marsh must be healthy to support this many gators and where there are little ones, there has to be larger ones.  This one was a bit larger than the wee babe that I found a few days ago.  It seemed to be three to four feet in length judging by the size of its head.  

  The second visitor was not as exciting as the gator but, in its own right, a beauty. This was a young cormorant that has not left for parts unknown.  The cormorants come here to while away the cold winter months and then head north to breed.  This was a juvenile and was still in its dusty brown plumage.  We found it a tad strange that the bird seemed to want to visit with us.  Once we neared the end of the pier, the young cormorant came flying in as if to greet us.  It did not dive under like most of the adult birds but rather stayed near the pier and eyed us curiously.  I did my best to warn the bird that the nearby alligator would not be a wise choice as a friend even though I am quite sure that the gator would be more than happy to "invite the bird to dinner".  Fly away, Little Cormorant, fly away quickly!

  Regardless that some folks would see a lot of the wildlife I encounter as nuisance critters, there are very few that I do not find interesting to some point. Each and every one has some purpose.  Sometimes we just have to look beyond the obvious to find the good point.

The Gathering

As usual, Ms. Ez and I headed to the pier this morning.  Ms. Ez always heads to the south gate of the Rose Garden to expectantly wait for me!  She knows that a trek to the pier is always first on the agenda!  There we sit, watch the sunrise and eye the critters that are either heading to bed after a night on the Bayou or waking with the morning light.  Today was no different.  The raccoons and owls were ready for a nap but the  waterfowl were stretching their wings with delight in the morning light!  I noticed a Double-crested Cormorant swimming not far from the pier.  It was preening and diving for breakfast. Most cormorants will leave here to nest in other areas.  A few will remain but rarely have I seen a nesting pair on the Bayou.

As I watched the cormorant, several others flew in to join it.  Soon the group numbered upwards of a dozen with more to be seen in the distance.  It was then that I realized that they were gathering to migrate.  The gathering kept up until the group decided it was time to take to the skies!  My friends were leaving me!  They were heading to a nesting site to have little ones!  Next year, if all goes well, there will be new additions to the flock!

Something that I find a tad interesting about the cormorants that visit the Bayou is the fact that the inside of their mouths are blue!  Yep!  Blue!  This is sort of like their "bling" to catch the eye of a potential spouse!  "I adore you..let me show you the inside of my mouth.  Is that not the brightest blue that you have ever seen?"  Wouldn't do much for me personally but I suppose to another cormorant, it is highly attractive.  Another oddity?  Even though these are of the Double-crested variety, the crests are only visible during the breeding season..other times...no crest!  Another bling-thing, I suppose.

As Ms. Ez and I headed back to the Little Bayou House, I heard a lot of splashing behind me.  I turned just in time to see the gathering of cormorants head out to parts unknown.  Goodbye, my friends, goodbye and safe journeys!  See you next year!