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.
While my mood has not lifted, I am going through the motions of the holidays. The Little Bayou House is as decorated as it is going to get, hundreds of cookies have been baked and the few gifts wrapped. It is going to be a very....very....quiet Christmas here on the Bayou this year. Family members all have other plans so Santa will not be filling stockings at our mantel this year. Instead, the time may be spent thinking of how to go about improving myself a bit. I might as well get a jump on those New Year's resolutions!
The weather, however, is a different story. Most folks would say differently as we have had a cold, drizzly rain for the past two days. Personally, it made me feel better. Hearing the rain pelt the rooftop made me stop and smile at least a dozen times today. If it could rain every day this week, perhaps my disposition would improve. No one has ever claimed that I have a "sunny disposition" anyway so I might as well go for it! Gray suits me fine.
Early this morning, I braved the drizzle to go check on the small skiff moored at the pier. There were a few ducks out in the middle of the Bay but none close enough to photograph. Even my sweet little marsh rail was laying low and could not be found. Perhaps she had taken shelter beneath the heavy marsh mats and was keeping snug. There was nothing interesting to be found so I made my way back up the pier. Then! A bright splash of red made me think of the Season being celebrated. A small Yaupon tree grows at the foot of the pier and its berries were finally ripe. The berries were dripping with water droplets from the mist causing them to look as if they were wearing jewels. I was tempted to snap off a few branches to add to the pine boughs in the entryway but decided against it. The berries were better suited as food for the cedar waxwings that should be on their way to the Bayou.
~As an added note, Yaupon berries are toxic and should not be eaten. Using the berries as seasonal decorations should be done with care if you have small children or pets in your house. The berries have a tendency to drop rather quickly and can be a temptation due to their bright hue.
