Embrace it

  Fogged in.  Pea-soup thick, ghostly grey, covered with a gossamer film fog...every day...every day...I wake up to this greyness...this sogginess.  It is not that I mind because the fog has several good points with the best being that watering the garden is not necessary.  There is no dragging that hose about for a good hour to soak all of the cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower plants.  Instead, I can concentrate on gathering the firewood for the upcoming cold front that is to slide in behind this dampness.

  Another good thing about the fog is that it gives me the opportunity to get a whole lot closer to the wildlife around here.  The fog makes the ground soggy which muffles the footsteps and it also shrouds the view so critters are not afraid.  This morning as I was on the pier, several ducks ventured quite near. One was a merganser that actually came within a few feet as it tried to figure out just what that dark blob (me) was.  The sweet little thing kept getting closer and closer.  Although, I would have loved to get a clear picture of the bird, I was purely satisfied with just being so near.   Perhaps if the mergansers get accustomed to my presence, a few clear photos will be obtained once the fog lifts.  I have always loved the little "hoodies".

  Fog...embrace it.  There is really not much else you can do.  

Serenity at its best

   My favorite time on the pier is just before daybreak.  Then, the air is still cool and crisp.  The night sounds are settling and the day is bursting forth with new music.   This is my time, my space and my peace.  The morning starts with a hot mug of black coffee, a regimen of stretching exercises and a bit of meditation.  After that, I am rearing to go meet the day.

  This morning, I was a bit surprised to see several large flocks of cormorants coming in to the Bay.  The birds are early this year as normally, they come in October or even November.  Perhaps this is the sign of an early fall and winter for us.  That sure would be nice!  Very few of the cormorants stopped near the pier.  Most hesitated in flight but then went further west.  Most flocks had nigh on fifty birds which is not nearly what will be here by late November.

  With one straggling group of only about ten birds, I was confused to see a single bird drop from the group and alight in the water near the Bayou.  As soon as it changed course, I realized that this was no cormorant causing even more confusion.  Why was a duck traveling with the migrating cormorants?  The little duck has been around the pier for most of the day now and seems to be in no hurry to rejoin its odd flock.  As I was watching the lone duck, a golden glow from the sunrise softly settled about the creature.  I wonder if it was how the Bayou was welcoming its new friend.  The whole scene made me feel a bit warm and fuzzy!

Could It Be?

  It is the time of the year that the Bayou is a temporary home to a lot of migrating birds.  Among these are a lot of ducks and other waterfowl that we do not ordinarily see in these parts.  I am always happy to see the birds fly in to visit for a while and I try to identify each and every one.  Sometimes, I find that difficult as, just as soon as I think I have a positive identification, something throws me off.  That happened today and I am still in a quandary as to who my visitors are.

  Along about noon, I made a quick trip to the pier.  A happy surprise awaited me when I came across several ducks swimming near the pier.  At first, I had thoughts that my friends, the Hooded Mergansers, had returned but once I was near, I could tell that was not the case.  These birds were different.  Ok, so maybe a different group had drifted in for a stay.  Perhaps, these were not mergansers at all.  Perhaps, this was wishful thinking on my part.  

  After photographing the birds while trying to protect the camera from the drizzly rain, I headed back to the Little Bayou House with pictures that I hoped were clear enough for an identification.  It was disappointing to find that the photographs were not clear due to the mist.  Still, I had hopes.  After looking at dozens of pictures, a decision was made that perhaps I had some Common Mergansers as guests on the Bayou.  Well, that idea was short lived as it seems that we are out of their range even during migration.  Searching a bit more. I decided that maybe these are Red-breasted Mergansers!  That would be a first for us! They sure resembled the Red-breasted Mergansers.  Maybe some took a swing our way during their migration flight and opted to stay on the Bayou for a bit.  I can hope, right?

  Even at this late of hour, I am convinced that my birds may just have been a bit off course of their usual path.  Perhaps tomorrow, I can get better photographs.  My curiosity is nagging at me!  How nice would it be to have some new faces among the crowd??

The Return of Winter Friends

  In a matter of a few days, the Bay went from being almost barren of waterfowl to being dotted with hundreds of birds.  While the "locals" are still here, newcomers are flying in quickly.  Our locals being the herons, pelicans, egrets, geese, terns and gulls  are joined by the cormorants, ducks (quite the variety!), loons and mergansers.  I love them all but have to admit being rather partial to the little mergansers...especially the Hooded Mergansers.  These birds are beautiful!  Although, the hoodies are a smallish bird compared to other ducks, they have lots of character!

  This evening, one hoodie stayed close to shore while all of the other birds were far out in the middle of the Bay.  At first, I wondered if the little one was ill or maybe hurt but those fears were soon laid to rest.  My little friend was merely feeding in the shallows.  With the north wind blowing the tide far out from the shoreline, minnows and shrimp that normally stay in the marsh and bayou cuts were an easy target for the hoodie.  He was happily filling his belly!

  Welcome back, my little, winter friends.  You are always welcome here on the Bayou.  I hope your stay is pleasant!

Goodbye, Hoodies!

  Hopefully, the critters are correct.  Recently, the critters of the Bayou have been declaring the "demise of winter" and are heralding in spring.  Birds are hunting for nesting sites, the squirrels are playing "chase" and my hoodies have flown.  The Hooded Mergansers are perhaps my favorites of the ducks that visit the Bayou during the winter months.  They fly in sometime during late November and hang around until they think it is warm enough to begin that long flight back to wherever their home may be.  I wish they would stay at least for a while longer.  I never tire of watching them.

  Yesterday, I noticed that there was quite the gathering of mergansers near the pier.  I knew this collecting could mean only one thing...migration flight was to begin again.  I watched as the males were already beginning their courtship displays.  The raising of the crest, the stretching of the neck and the calls all for the benefit of their ladylove.  Any number of males will perform for the favor of a female.  Since Hooded Mergansers are like most other ducks in the fact that they are seasonally monogamous, the courtship starts long before nesting.  The little female has to choose her mate from the many that attempt to catch her eye.  The males parade up in down in front of a female until she goes into a "prone" position on the water which means she has made her choice.  Then, the unlucky chaps move their parade to the next female.   But the gathering yesterday was not only for a mate choosing parade, it was to prepare for the homeward bound flight.

  I will miss my sweet hoodies.  Their absence will be far too long for my liking.  Hopefully, however their nesting business back home will be successful and dozens more hoodies will make the flight back to the Bayou with the onset of cooler weather next fall.  Love my hoodies!

Swim Goggles and Pie Pans

  Sometimes it pays to hike down to the pier in the cold, drizzly rain.  Not many times...but sometimes.  While I was waiting on the old dog to make his morning rounds, I ambled to the pier in hopes of seeing the otter pups at play.  Instead, I was treated to a sighting of four Hooded Mergansers.  These are probably my favorites of the ducks that visit the Bayou.  While I love every waterfowl in the area, there is just something special about these tiny ducks.  Perhaps this goes as far back as my childhood when I would visit my grandparents who lived on this very Bayou.  My grandmother loved the little mergansers and would watch them when they came to visit for the winter.  My granddaddy, on the other hand, would hunt the ducks.  He and Pop would push the little skiff out on the mudflats and wait for the ducks to fly into the area.  Grandmother would rush down to the end of their pier with a pie pan in her hand.  She would beat that pan and call to the ducks.  "Here, duck, duck, duck!"  Bang, bang, bang!  Sure enough, the ducks would flock to her and be safe from the guns of Pop and Granddaddy.  I was allowed to "help" Grandmother on her mission to save the ducks and had my very own pie pan to beat!  Eventually, the menfolk gave up on having duck for dinner and the little mergansers were safe for another day.  Grandmother was happy.  The menfolk were not so happy.  Me?  I felt important banging my pie pan in protection of the ducks!

  The little ducks visiting the pier this morning were busy working the shallows.  They were in search of breakfast and swam around with their heads under water, more oft than not.  Hooded Mergansers "sight" fish.  With their heads underwater, they can see the fish.  Mergansers have a nictitating membrane (third eyelid) that acts a lot like swim goggles.  Not only does this protect the eye, it also allows perfect vision under water.  Though the pickings were scarce this chilly morn, the ducks were obviously finding something to eat.  They hung around near the pier for a good while longer than I did.  That rain was cold and the wind blustery.  It was time for me to go stoke the woodstove and get another mug of hot coffee!  Glad to have you back for a few months, Hoodies!

Nature mimicking people? Not a good thing.

  One has to ponder how things are in the world today.  With all of the stupidity ruling, where has commonsense gone?  There is nothing but a bunch of whiny folks complaining about anything and everything.  People think they deserve more than they have, find fault with everyone else and are so easily offended by the most unoffensive things has created a pitiful state of being.  Basically, in my humble opinion it all boils down to one thing....greed.  Just about 90% of the people nowadays think they should be handed everything on a gold platter.  (Yeah, I know that the saying is a silver platter but, here lately, if you stuck a million bucks on a silver platter and handed it to someone, they would be offended that the million dollars was not on a gold platter.  Sad state of affairs this mess is.)  

  I was thinking about all the greed that seems to have taken hold of the greater part of the population nowadays as I sat on the pier this morning.  The pier is where I do my greatest thinking.  I ponder things and, then as my Uncle Alfred used to say, put things back to suit myself.  Yep...I wish I could.  A lot of folks would receive a good whupping and then be sent back home.  Just as I was about to head back to the sanity of the Little Bayou House, I heard a lot of racket out over the Bay.  The cormorants had flown back into the area by the hundreds but, while they were peacefully diving for minnows, they were being attacked by seagulls.  Yep, about thirty seagulls were literally dive bombing the cormorants.  Greed had taken over the gulls.  In their eyes, the cormorants had no business being in the Bay eating "their" minnows.  Even though there was more than enough for every bird in the county to get breakfast, the gulls wanted everything for themselves.  There was no "share and share alike" with the greedy gulls.  I watched as the gulls would actually steal fish from the cormorants and other birds after it was caught.  The pelicans, ducks, mergansers and grebes were happily swimming right along with the cormorants but not the seagulls.  They squawked and attacked like a bunch of rioters who did not get their way on something.  Whiny, raucous, hateful and lazy...all over a tiny minnow that could have easily been earned the good old fashioned way.

  I stayed to see the outcome of the ruckus.  Would the greedy gulls win? Would the cormorants cede to the wishes of the rioters?  Would evil top peaceful?  Not in this case.  The cormorants, ducks, pelicans, mergansers and grebes kept feeding regardless of the ugliness of the gulls.  Yes, the cormorants did eventually leave the area but only after they finished feeding.  This was not by the intimidation of the gulls, however, as it is a daily thing.  By evening, the cormorants would fly back in to get supper. The riotous gulls would start their stupidity, once again, thinking they had succeeded in doing great things.  Delusional little rascals, aren't they?  The other birds were happy campers with full bellies while the gulls did nothing more than cause themselves a bit of grief.  Sounds familiar doesn't it?

Resting Up For The Big Journey

  Living in the Deep South, we get a good amount of migrating birds during the late fall.  They arrive, spend the winter with us and then journey back to their summer homes.  Here on the Bayou, the most evident are the water birds.  Waterfowl are abundant on the Bayou year round but come winter, we see many more.  Very few nest here and make trip back northward each springtime.  With winter being slim to none, the birds are a bit confused and are already preparing for the flight home.  I am not so sure that is a good idea after looking at the weather reports of some places in the northern regions.  We may not have had winter but it does appear that others are still quite chilly.  What are those birds thinking??

  For the past few mornings, (what I think are) scaups are gathering in front of the pier.  What started out as four or five has turned into quite a large raft of near a hundred.  The early hikes to the pier usually finds them adrift rather nearby but once they are alerted to our presence, the group slowly makes its way to the middle of the Bay.  It takes a few minutes for the "lookout" duck to alert all of the others since they are literally "asleep on the job".  Most are dozing with their heads turned backwards on their backs with their bills nestled in their feathers.  This is a common method of resting for both Greater and Lesser Scaups. (Since I could not get a great view of the birds, I could not distinguish which they were.)  Scaups and most other ducks will sleep in this position as to keep their wide bills warm!  (Smart birds.)  One or two of the ducks will be on watch to alert the others to possible dangers.  The birds will alternate the task so each can rest.  

  With hundreds of miles to travel, the scaups will congregate in the Bay until time to take flight.  Here they will spend the time resting and feeding.  Their flight northward usually occurs at night so one morning soon, my friends will be gone.  Rest easy, my friends.  You have a long journey ahead of you.

Is It Here?

  After our week long bit of bad weather, it seems that spring has made an appearance here on the Bayou.  The temperatures reached the high 70's today with plenty of sunshine and a charming breeze.  Some would say this was the perfect day...and I am not one to disagree with that proclamation.  About mid-afternoon, I meandered out to the gardens and was pleasantly surprised to see those reluctant squash seeds sprouting. Oh, happy day!  Then on to the greenhouse where I found things not as delightful.  The wind had blown rain up under the roof and soaked my box of seeds.  The packets were deteriorating causing all of the seeds to be mixed with some even starting to sprout already!  Well, I was not going to toss perfectly good seeds even if they were in one big wad.  A trench was dug alongside of the garden fence and the entire lot was strewn into it.  There is absolutely no telling just what will decide to grow out of this mess but at least I feel as if I tried.  Pumpkins, peas, squash, basil, zinnias, beans, watermelons and gourds might all fill the garden with goodness...or not.

  Disgusted with my feeble efforts at gardening, I headed to the pier. Here things were different! A good number of ducks were amassing on the waters.  Yep, spring must be here.  These were the large Canvasback Ducks that migrate here from parts unknown.  They spend their winters with us and then once the weather warms, they gather for that long flight back home.  I will be sad to see them leave.  Our bay seems a bit empty without the ducks from around the country.

  The long flight that these ducks face will be covered in a remarkably short time.  Canvasbacks are some of the fastest flying ducks and can reach speeds up to 70mph.  They have been known to fly for eight to nine hours before stopping for a break.  That should put them home (depending on where they are going) in a day or two.  My goodness!  I hope they are fully rested and have eaten well before they start their long flight!  Goodbye, my friends! I will await for your visit come late next fall!

A Safe Haven for Ducks!

  Stormy days are good for some things!  While on their migration southward, a good storm will usually entice ducks to make a stop in the Bayou.  Here, they can catch a rest while filling their bellies with the abundant little mullet.  If we are lucky, the birds will stay for the entire winter.  Their presence makes me happy as it gives me a new subject to photograph.  Ducks are always likable candidates for a camera shoot.

  Between rain storms today, Son and I would make mad dashes to the pier to check on the old skiff.  We received over five inches of rain last night and probably another inch today.  While on the pier, it was easy to spot the newcomers in the Bay.  A string of ducks spanned the entire width of the small inlet.  Thousands of ducks were busy preening and feeding.  I am sure that most will journey on their way once the weather permits but since the weatherman is calling for tough storms all this week, we will just have to wait and see.  Perhaps the ducks will take a liking to their temporary home and stay a while.

  Most of the ducks in the Bay, today, appeared to be Canvasbacks. These ducks will not be feeding heavily on the little mullet as they prefer a more plant-based diets.  Throw in a few insects and maybe some crustaceans and the Canvasbacks are happy.  The birds filter seeds and other plant material from the mud with their bills.  While this is good in an area like the Bayou, in places where hunters frequent, the birds are prone to lead poisoning from shot that have settled to the bottom.  Poor ducks do not have a chance!  If the shots do not kill them by hitting them, they kill the bird when it is ingested.  At least here, the ducks are safe.

  This reminds me of years ago when Pop and Granddad used to hunt ducks.  They would carefully hide down near the marsh waiting for the ducks to fly into the Bayou and then shoot a few for supper.  This was not going to happen while Grandmother was at home!  She would take a pie pan of birdseed down to the pier.  Once there, she would proceed to "feed" the ducks all the while banging on that pie pan and yelling "Here duck, duck, duck!  Here duck, duck, duck!"  Needless to say, Pop and Granddaddy did not shoot too many ducks.  I will have to keep Grandmother's method in mind if any duck hunters dare try to shoot my fine feathered friends.

Sweetness on the Water

  I have always said that humans can learn a lot from critters if we would only open our eyes.  We have always claimed that we, as a species, are "civilized"...sometimes I wonder.  Back in the day, when my siblings and I would squabble, we were reprimanded with "Stop acting like animals!" which was effective at the time but would cause me to ponder a bit nowadays.  In the wild, I find that it is a rare thing to find critters behaving badly just for the sake of it.  Sure, they instinctively munch down on the weaker if they are carnivores but they do not do things just for the sake of being mean.

  I was witness to a bit of sweetness on the water the other day.  Two Mottled Ducks were paddling around in the tide pool next to the pier when the tiny, immature rail wandered in to feed upon the bull minnows. The pool had very little water in it, as is normal for the winter months, but that did not pose a problem for the three birds.  They were just as happy to share the puddle as to be there themselves.  In fact, the two ducks seemed intent on "helping" the rail find a meal.  They stirred up enough mud with their webbed feet to shoo the minnows to the far end of the pool.  There, the little rail was able to corner the minnows with ease.  Not once did the birds squabble with each other.  Not once did they fuss over whose dinner was being eaten.  Not once was there conflict, jealousy or bitterness of any kind. The ducks and rail shared and shared alike. They exhibited good manners and that is something a good many folks lack.  They proved that you can be amicable with others regardless of the situation.  I like that.

  Sometimes in this crazy, topsy-turvy world, it is good to sit back and realize that with a little bit of effort we could all get along just fine.  Too bad I cannot get more folks to watch the critters.  Too bad I cannot get these ducks to teach lessons!



 

Nature's Photo-bomb!

  I enjoy taking photographs of nature.  There is so much beauty among the flora and fauna of this Good Ole Earth.  During wintertime, I particularly love to photograph the waterfowl and this is for no other reason than the Bayou abounds with these birds.  Sometimes the pictures are perfect while others, for one reason or another, are less so. Critters of all types have a tendency to move at the most inopportune times! It seems that I have not perfected the command of "pose".  Once I have the birds in focus, they either take flight or dive under the water before the shutter does its thing.  Wild critters are such fickle things!

  The Hooded Mergansers are starting to filter into the area with the cooling weather.  I noticed a few of the ducks paddling about under the pier and thought I might slip down to get a few pictures. Those little rascals saw me coming and scooted themselves out a bit but at least did not fly off into parts unknown.  Ahhh, yes!  A photo shoot in the making!  I snapped pictures one after another without taking the time to check the clarity.  I had to hurry since this was done in between rainstorms while Michael was checking the small skiff. I must say that it is difficult to get clear pictures in drizzling rain...in poor lighting...while shivering.   Back inside the Little Bayou House, I checked my pictures to see if any were of decent quality.   My ducks had been photo-bombed!

  Not that it needs explanation to most folks but being photo-bombed means that someone (or something) had been inadvertently included in the photograph.  The three ducks that were intended to be in the picture were joined by a fourth that I had not even seen.  There in the picture was the fourth duck flying in front of the others.  Aww, what a neat deal! Granted this is not a "magazine-worthy" photograph but it is at least interesting and does make me happy.  

Weathering the Storm

It was quite a day on the Bayou!  The "Storm with No Name" hit and hit with a vengeance.  We had been watching a low pressure system in the Gulf for the past few days fully expecting it to form into at least a tropical depression.  It supposedly did not.  The thing was never given a proper name and so we were never overly concerned with its landfall.  We did expect the overload of rainfall and perhaps a bit of wind and were prepared for that.  Early this morning, Mark and Michael pulled up the boat so it would not catch the brunt of the waves and I picked up a few things that might whip around the yard.  Other than that, it was a "stay inside and work on crafts" sort of day for me.  Then mid afternoon, a deluge smacked us good and proper!  Thunder and lightning accented the storm nicely so we sat back to enjoy the view.  Wham!  Winds assaulted the south side of the Little Bayou House!  For the next hour or so, the Bayou was the scene of some intense weather!  Ok, so this was quite as surprise!

Late afternoon saw Mark and me on the pier.  We sat enjoying the coolness that comes after a storm of such intensity.  While we were there, the flock of ducks came paddling back from my cousin's house.  Evidently, they had ridden the brunt of the storm out in her yard.  We watched as this group made its way to their usual roosting spot in the marshes of the Bayou.  I am supposing they were happy the weather had calmed.

After about twenty minutes, a lone duck came paddling across in the same path as the group.  We made the remark that obviously this one had gotten left behind and needed to hurry to catch up with the group.  Just as the duck got in front of the pier, it stopped.  Something seemed to be amiss.  The poor little thing waffled this way and that for a good five minutes.  It looked to be quite concerned about something in its path..something unseen to the humans on the pier. The duck was not about to follow the same path as the group as much as it wanted to do just that.  After a bit, the duck turned ninety degrees to the north and headed toward the shore where the water was not as deep.  Hugging the marshline, the little duck continued on its way.  Mark and I pondered just what scared the lone duck enough to make it change course.  Perhaps a gar or other large fish lurked beneath the water and gave the duck second thoughts about swimming there.  This is something that we shall never know!

The Bayou and all of its denizens are alive and well after the sudden onslaught of a fierce storm.  Weather such as this is something to be reckoned with and not feared.  Here it is to be expected.  Gulf storms whip in on a moment's notice and leave out just as fast.  They clear the air and make us all thankful to be alive!  We, like the little duck, just have to use our heads and choose the safest course of action.  We shall weather the storms that come our way.

Ducks!

I have been trying all this week to get a picture of some geese that fly in to the little pond behind my son and daughter-in-law's house.  They are elusive!  There is a strip of brushy woods between their backyard and the pond that prohibits my view.  Sure, I could have easily walked through this woods to the pond and photographed the birds but I wanted to catch them as they flew over the house.  The one morning that I happened to be outside just at the right time, my camera sat on the patio table and was not in my hand!  Duh..it is really hard to catch that picture without the camera in hand!  I had just set the camera on the table so I could play "fetch" with their dog when all of a sudden the geese came into view.  Not a problem had the patio table been nearby but, alas, they have a multi-level deck and that table happened to be on the second deck.  There was no way possible that I was ever going to run up that far to fetch a camera in time to get the photograph.  So, instead, I simply enjoyed the closeness of the geese!

Some of the incredibly nice folks at the Augusta Market.  This is only a small portion of the booths that were there!

Later that day, Joanna took us to a wonderful Farmers' Market.  This market was more like the size of a "State Fair" than a farmers' market.  Ok..maybe not that large but it was, by far, the largest and nicest market that I have ever seen.  This was the "large" market which is not to be confused with Thursday's "small" market.  This market had booths galore.  You could buy most anything (and everything) imaginable!  There were also entertainers present and lots of demonstrations.  While there, we bought lunch and Joanna suggested that we wander down to the far end of the market to eat our meal by the river.  We wandered down the brick road to the riverwalk.  There we found a number of small picnic tables.  While we ate our lunch, we were entertained by a gentleman that played the guitar and sang.  Between songs, he further entertained with a constant chatter.  The man was hilarious and provided us with a most delightful diversion.   We purchased to of his music albums merely because he said that he would take donations of money, clothes, books, small animals or even dead bugs!  (And no..we did not give him a dead bug...we actually bought the albums!  His entertainment was well worth the ten dollars.)

Ducks..Savannah River Ducks just being happy!

After this bit of fun, Joanna suggested that we walk a bit on the riverwalk.  This is a brick path that is landscaped gorgeously!   At one point, Mark pointed out a number of ducks swimming in the middle of the river.  I had left the zoom lens to the camera at home...another duh moment!   Well, ducks can be found in other places.  Then I saw them!  Right beneath us!  I looked over the railing at the rocks below and there were ducks!  Lovely, lovely ducks!  Savannah River ducks!!  I started taking pictures of the ducks.  Mark and Joanna were in deep conversation about some important subject like the bricks in the walk or which booth had the best okra and did not realize that I was lagging.  I did not want to leave my ducks!  Finally, I turned and had to hurry to catch up with them!

Riverwalk in Augusta during the Market.

We continued to meander around the market for a bit longer as we bought peaches, peas, okra and onions.  We also purchased some of the tastiest cupcakes ever created! These would all become our meal later in the evening but for now, it was just a matter of having a bit of afternoon fun.  I could have stayed at this market for hours and never seen half of what was there.  I, also, could have stayed at the riverwalk forever!  I am thinking that Georgia has the right idea when it comes to maintaining the beauty of a place.  Riverwalk of Augusta just proves that sometimes man and nature can coexist.  Yes, there were brick walks, benches. fountains and lights but there was also plenty of space for flora and fauna.  It seemed as if the man-made and natural mingled nicely.  AND!  They had ducks!!!! (I still have one morning left to attempt that photograph of the geese flying overhead!  Wish me luck!

Coming home from Michelle's Diner!

My cousin, Michelle, lives just west of us if you go down the shoreline. This is the cousin that has an unique way with most animals.  Michelle can befriend any critter that flies, swims or crawls on the face of the earth!   She is also the one that feeds the masses of geese and ducks.  Every morning and then again every evening, the birds start to either fly in to her yard or they swim up to the shore and walk up the lawn to her house.  They know that a lovely meal will be set out just for their enjoyment.  Sometimes it looks like every duck and goose in the entire state is waiting at her door for a handout!

All of these ducks made me ponder just where they go after leaving her place.  I could see some flying past the pier and knew that several had nested in the Bayou but I had no idea how many called this place "Home".  Then this evening, I heard a familiar quacking.  The ducks had finished eating and flew back to the Bayou for the evening.  Wow!  That sure sounds like a lot of ducks!  It was getting rather late which made it quite difficult to see through the marsh grass.  The Bayou winds this way and that through the marsh.  Some of the canals are just a few feet wide but other areas are nigh on a hundred feet across.  The ducks had landed in one of the wide open spaces and were following some of the smaller canals to their nesting grounds.

I was curious to see just how near the ducks would come.  Surely they stayed closer to the open water.  I stood still just listening to the soft quacks.  The ducks were obviously keeping tabs on each other as they rounded the twists and turns of the Bayou.  Suddenly, a large group appeared right in front of me!  I snapped a few pictures and then started to count.  The first bunch had eleven ducks!  I could hear more around the corner but they did not come any closer.  The group of eleven settled in for the night on a strip of the shoreline.  The quacks quietened to a soft "duck whisper".  Obviously, each group has its own bedding site and from the sounds of it, there were several groups of about a dozen each. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, these same ducks will make the trip to Michelle's house for breakfast!  I guess my Bayou is just their sleeping quarters..Michelle feeds them!  And from the looks of the ducks, she feeds them quite well!

Let Sleeping Ducks..Float?

I often wondered how more of the ducks were not eaten by the critters around the Bayou during the nighttime hours.  The fox, coyotes and even the raccoon would love duck for dinner, I am sure.  The ducks on the farm would waddle up from the pond to sleep on the shore.  They would huddle together usually under one of the large oak trees but here on the Bayou, I have never seen the wad of ducks in the evening.  Pelicans, herons, egrets and seagulls all roost on the pier posts and on the pier itself but, again, no ducks.  Just where do those birds sleep??

This is only a small portion of the flock of ducks on the Bay this morning!

This morning, Michael joined me on my hike about the hillside.  We were on a mission to dig up some white Swamp Lilies for my cousin, Helen.  She is coming for a visit and wishes to take a few of the bulbs back to Missouri.  Michael and I decided that the current cold spell was the last opportunity we would have to muck around in the Bayou before the snakes, alligators and snapping turtles present a threat.  It is not safe to tread in the marshes once these critters come out of hibernation!  While we were digging the lilies, Michael stopped and gazed out over the Bay.  Being a man of few words, he just pointed and said "Wow!"  (That exclamation mark is my addition to his statement as he never shows a lot of excitement!)  Anyway..I followed his gaze to see ducks!  Lots of ducks!  Hundreds of ducks!  Oooh!  A chance for a photograph!  I clambered out of the marsh and headed down the pier.  From there I could see that there literally were hundreds of ducks but it seemed as if only a few had heads!  What?  Headless ducks?  That does not seem right!  It was then that it dawned on me..these ducks were sleeping!  Each duck had its head tucked nicely over on its wing!  I am not sure that the ducks were even aware that we were on the pier!  Of course, we were probably a good seventy-five feet away and not much of a threat.  A few ducks were alert and watching our every move but the majority just snoozed!  Ha!  I never knew that ducks could swim and sleep at the same time.  Talk about your multi-tasking..these birds are pretty smart!

Out on the water, at least the threat of land based predators was nil.  Barring a gar swimming under them or an owl flying above, their sleep would go uninterrupted.  I am not sure an owl would attempt to prey on a duck of this size either so I am assuming this is the safest place for their naptime!  Smart ducks!

Lavender Bay!

Sometimes things that are ordinary can turn extraordinary in the blink of an eye!  Take this evening for instance.  Ms. Ezzy and I were taking our usual hike around the hillside.  Nothing stood out as being any different than any other hike...it was nice but not what I would call extremely exciting.  We looked at sorts of things that were interesting...well, I looked...Ezzy sniffed as dogs are prone to do.  She seemed more excited about the rabbit poop than the osprey in the dead pine tree but I suppose that is a dog thing as well.  Then, as habit takes us, we made our way to the pier and that is where the change to extraordinary took place!

As the two of us stepped up on the pier, I noticed a pelican sitting on the other end.  I assumed that the bird would take flight as soon as he realized that we were venturing his way but he seemed unconcerned about our presence.  We were about ten feet from him before he decided that Ms. Ez's sniffing was making him uncomfortable enough to soar low over the water to my brother's pier.  There was nothing unusual about a pelican on the pier.  I have seen far more than my share and the evidence left behind nightly proves that they like to roost there!  Like I said..the pelican was not the extraordinary event...what I noticed after he left was.

It was not until the dog and I made our way to the far end of the pier, that I took notice of the unusual colors around me.  The water was purple!  Yes!  Purple!  The sun setting in the west had cast an rare purple hue upon the waters of the Bay.  The pelicans and ducks were but silhouettes on a lavender wash!  This made me feel as if I was in some mystical place where the waters change colors and the sky is always acting like a kaleidoscope!  It was most breathtaking and mystifying!  I am used to seeing the reds and oranges of the sunsets reflected on the water but this purple was majestic to say the least!

It never ceases to amaze me just how things can change so quickly.  Moments after I took the photographs, the Bay returned to its natural sunset hued self and all was back to normal.  If I had not been on the pier at that exact time, I would have never experienced the magical moment that I had!  Folks...get outside and be a part of this amazing thing called nature!  You will not regret it in the least!

Canvas Backs and Mud Dogs!

On the Bay this morning, there were ducks. Lots of ducks! I think the recent cold spell brought a lot of them in to spend their winter in the protected area of the bayous. That and my cousin sets out a delightful buffet for them each day. Today's ducks were Canvasbacks. This is a rather large duck that at first glance seems to have been put together by someone with a sense of humor. They have a very pale gray (almost white) body with a black chest and tail. Then to top it all off, they have a reddish brown head! Quite the paint job on these fellows! I found out something that I thought was a bit strange about these ducks..they are prone to lead poisoning. It seems that they filter seeds from the mud as a way of eating and in doing this they ingest a lot of lead shot from hunters. After eating enough of the shot, it causes lead poisoning that kills the bird. It seems as if the hunter kills a lot of birds without even realizing the damage being done. Hmmm..that is a thought that needs pondering. Perhaps something besides lead shot should be required for hunters. At least if the bird is hit by a bullet, it is used for food whereas if it dies from lead poisoning..a life has been wasted. Just a thought there.... In this raft there was quite a number of ducks but they stayed a good bit away from the pier. They don't seem to be as curious about me as the Hooded Mergansers. Still it was good to see so many of them.

After photographing the Canvasbacks as best I could, I wondered where in the world Ez, the dog, disappeared. She usually stays relatively close to me. I called for her. Suddenly, her head popped up above the marsh grass! She was nosing around in the mud for something..I am still not sure just what..but she was so proud of herself. My mud dog! She had mud spatters all over her head! I had to laugh at her in spite of the fact that I now had to wash a dog! In this cold weather that was not going to be fun..for me or for her! Sometimes I wonder about the sanity of this animal!