Today saw the Bayou being pounded by more storms. Winds were gusting pretty stiffly and at times the rains were torrential. All of this storming made for high tides and slippery slopes but, by late afternoon, the skies cleared enough for Mark and I to take a quick walk about the place. Of course, the first place we always go to is the pier. It was on the way back toward the shore end that Mark pointed out a large flock of birds overhead. Looking up, my first thought was egrets but it confused me to see so many flocking together. Then, I caught a glimpse of the bills of the birds. Ibises! Those are ibises! I was not quick enough to get more than one pretty shabby photograph of the birds before they headed west. While that was disappointing, the fact that we actually saw this many of the birds made my day.
The White Ibis is usually found more around fresh water lakes and ponds than salt or brackish water. There, it will visit the mudflats in search of mud worms, crustaceans and insects. The ibis has a long, curved bill that it uses to probe the soft mud. When it senses something, the bill snaps shut and the prey is pulled from the mud. If it is too muddy, the bird will then go to clear water to wash its supper. It will also declaw crabs and crawfish and crush their shells before eating them.
It has been a long time since I have seen any ibises. My aunt (actually my mom's cousin) was an avid birder and she often let me tag along on her excursions. We would search for any bird and Fairie Lyn would quickly and accurately identify it for me. I learned a lot about birds from this lady! In her later years, she depended on me to take her birding...which I gladly did as often as I could. We had fun! I remember how excited she was on one outing when we came upon dozens of the White Ibises. She started pointing out the identifying factors of the birds and gave me a brief history of their lives. This afternoon, I thanked my long-gone auntie for teaching me to appreciate the beauty of birds. Fairie Lyn, your love of birds lives on through me.
It is really odd how a vision, sound or smell can trigger a memory from long ago. Perhaps this occurs more often now that I am aging as I do not remember it ever happening in my youth. Age does strange things to, not only the body, but also the mind. I find myself dwelling on things I learned in the past then promptly forgot. Maybe forgot is the wrong word since these tidbits of information come flooding back at any prompted notice. The more accurate description could be that the data was pushed far in the cobwebbed coated corners of the brain. (At this point, think of that dusty old box in the back of the attic where no one dares go because it may be haunted!) Anyway, those bits of information, memories or subdued emotions all come flooding back with the least bit of provocation when you get to be my age.
This afternoon, I was happily puttering around in the garden plot minding my own business when thoughts started interfering with my work. A lovely squadron of white pelicans gracefully glided overhead causing all chores to come to a complete halt. Into the brain popped thoughts of Fairie Lyn. This lady was Mom's cousin and was probably one of the smartest folks I have ever had the privilege to know. Over the years, she tried her best to instill some of that knowledge in my brain but, for the life of me, I cannot find it. Among the many things that she did in her life, one of her favorite pastimes was birding. She knew just about any type bird out there, could recognize it by flight pattern, could mimic most calls and could spout of the life history of the bird. While I was still a youngster, she took me on several outings with her "bird group". To be honest, it annoyed me. As a kid, all I could see was a bunch of "old people" with binoculars stuck to their faces while they murmured things like "Ahh! There is a yellow-billed cuckoo! This is such an exciting day!" or "My goodness! There are TWO common loons!!" Yeah, well people, you are all a tad cuckoo and act like a bunch of loons! was all that I could think. I wanted to romp around on the sand dunes when we went to the island. I wanted to swing on the vines when we were walking the creek beds. I wanted to be a kid and not be hushed or told to be still as I would scare the birds. Phooey on birding!
Things change. As I aged into an adult, I cherished the time spent with Fairie Lyn. She and I went birding. We went to concerts. We went to the ballet. I found she was just as quirky as I am. We tangled at times but it never changed our relationship. As she said, "We are true partners in crime!" I never retained all of the information she tried to push at me but, at times, tiny bits worm their way into the forefront of the brain chamber. Those thoughts haunt me just enough to make me research what she was trying to tell me for free. A few of the things come in loud and clear. Like the identities of the white pelicans. I knew it was them simply by the black wing bars that show only when they are in flight. I knew that they do not dive like the brown pelicans. I knew that these birds will only be here on the Bayou for a short time during the winter. All of these things were "Fairie Lyn" identifying facts. I believe that my intense love of the birds of the Bayou (whether year long friends or migratory ones) is all due to my early experiences with Fairie Lyn.
Speaking of this dear lady (rest her soul), I always loved her name. Fairie Lyn! What a perfectly magical name to give a baby girl! And to think...she had an older sister named Fern! Yep, my great aunt really knew what she was doing when she named those two! I do wish Fairie Lyn would have been here today to see the pelicans gliding overhead. I bet she could have filled me in with a lot more information about the birds.
