Getting to know the Tricolored Heron!

  Early this afternoon, a odd looking bird sat on one of the pier posts.  This needed to be investigated so I headed down the board path.  Once on the pier, I realized that this was not an unusual bird at all but rather one that was in an odd position.  A tricolored heron had been preening itself and I caught sight of it as its head was beneath its wing.  Well, there was nothing to do but take a few pictures then head back to the warmth of the Little Bayou House.  A cool spell has hit the Bayou and the brisk north wind was chilling me to the bone.  One last look proved that the bird was hunkering down against the wind, as well.  Let's get to know our birdy friend! Here are some facts that I find interesting!

1.  Tricolored Herons are the only dark heron that has a white belly!

2.  Tricolored Herons love to wade belly-deep to forage for food!

3.  Tricolored Herons were once called Louisiana Herons!

4.  Tricolored Heron males' breeding plumage is blue and their beaks turn blue, as well!

5.  Tricolored Herons prefer feeding alone and will defend their territory against others!

6.  Tricolored Herons are usually solitary birds except during breeding season.  Then, they nest in huge colonies!

7.  Tricolored Herons eat small fish, crustaceans, insects, frogs, lizards, salamanders, tadpoles and spiders!

8.  Tricolored Herons are one of the most abundant herons in the Deep South!

9.  Tricolored Herons try to disguise themselves if threatened.  They will often submerge their heads and necks in water as if to appear being a log or (if in the marsh) they will stand erect with their beak pointed in the air as if to appear being a reed!  

10.  Tricolored Herons do a "dance" during courtship.  They neck stretch, bow, bill click and do circular display flights!

  Now that you know a bit about our fine-feathered friends, search for them along coastal areas.  They prefer bayous, marshes, bays, swamps, streams and occasionally fresh water ponds.  They are easily recognizable by that white belly!  (The last photo is from 2012 but it shows the bird really well so I decided to include it today.)

Been Duped!

  That little stinker of a heron had me fooled.  As soon as I step foot on the pier, a young (first year) heron flies in to beg for handouts.  Like a soft-hearted dummy, I throw the net until I catch several mullet for the bird.  He has gotten rather tame and comes within a foot of me to fetch his meal.  I felt good about helping this little rascal and about making a new friend but, now, I find that I have been duped!

  Lately, the "bird's" appetite has grown by leaps and bounds.  Whereas three mullet used to fill his belly, I am now catching up to twenty per meal!  I was beginning to wonder if his stomach was an endless pit!  Then, today, I caught on to the joke.  I am not feeding one young heron, I feed three!  The birds take turns.  I had no idea until I caught them in the act!!  One would fly to the pier, eat three or four (sometimes five) mullet and while my back was turned, another would take its place.  They were literally playing musical chairs or something!  As long as I kept tossing fish their way, the three took turns at eating.  Those little stinkers fully had me fooled!

  I told Mark about the three birds and their silliness, so he named them.  Meet Larry, Curly and Moe...named after the "Three Stooges" of vaudeville fame. Moe is the tamest and can almost be hand fed!   I suppose I will continue throwing the net thirty or forty times in the morning and then again in the evening to feed my fine feathered friends just because they bring a smile.  I just wish they would all come at the same time!  Oh, well.  It is great exercise!

Friends Stick Together

  I could stand it no longer.  Being cooped up is not for me.  I decided to brave the cold and take a good long hike about the place.  Mr. PJ, the old dog, decided to decline the offer of a two hour walk and preferred his cozy bed.  I, on the other hand, needed to escape the confines of the Little Bayou House and breathe.  I stoked the woodstove, closed down the damper and donned the jacket.  I was out of here!

  To kill two birds with one stone (as if I was ever inclined to kill a bird), I headed far back behind the house and into the woods.  Combining a hike and chores is always a good thing!  A couple of days earlier, I had spied some logs that would make great firewood.  Those were hauled to the house to be cut.  Then, I was free to head to the marshes and pier.  Not much was happening at the marsh edge but the mudflats by the pier were full of activity.  Five birds were feeding along the shallows and put on quite the show.  One Great Blue Heron, three Tri-colored Herons and one Snowy Egret performed an exquisite ballet while trying to catch small minnows.  The Great Blue kept his distance from the others but the Tri-colors and Snowy worked together to catch their prey.  It seemed that one Tri-color was particularly fond of hunting with the Snowy and never let much distance get between them. 

 

  The birds used a rather unusual tactic to flush the minnows.  They would sort of hop, skip and pounce instead of using a stealth approach.  All four of the smaller birds were using this technique.  One would spread its wings as if to take off in flight, make a mere "hop" into the air, land a few feet away and then bob for the kill.  The Tri-color and Snowy seemed to be collaborating their methods and sharing their take.  It was a rather unique experience to sit and watch this show.  

  The shorebirds are taking full advantage of the winter tides and are working the mudflats to their advantage.  With the low, low tide, the flats are extensive giving the birds a wider choice of hunting grounds.  They need this extra nutrition to survive the bitter cold that we have had this week.  It seems that the struggle for survival has made friends out of strangers.  Seeing the birds all working for a common goal sure made me wish that people would do the same.  No wonder I love my critter friends so much.

Giving Back

  True friends are just that...true.  They stand by you when things look bad, they help in any way and they give back kindness where kindness was shown.  In this crazy old world, a person is lucky to have a few of folks who truly care.  Sure, there are tons of "fair-weather friends" but barely a handful that will help a person weather the storms.  I am finding that most of my so-called friends are more the sunny type who say they will do anything to help but rarely show up when needed.  No problem.  If there is one thing that I can say Pop instilled in me, it is the ability to do for myself.  It is hard to ask for help so I usually do not.  That is not to say that the occasional true friend that offers a hand is not appreciated, it is just far easier to do things myself than to bend and ask.  I would rather be on the other side of the helping hand. Then, again, there are those that give back more than they received.  Folks like that are a rare commodity and should be treasured.  I am, indeed, blessed with my "handful" of those!  Folks like that give until there is just no more to be given.  

  Sometimes, those returning with a gift in hand are not even humans.  I have often stated that I have more critter friends than human.  We just seem to get along a lot better.  A mutual respect between the Bayou's critters and me has grown to a point that we share and share alike.  If an animal needs shelter or food, it is soon supplied in some form.  They return the favor by merely allowing me to photograph them.  Most show no fear of me as they remember the handouts and appreciate them.  Then, there was today....a gift in return for kindness shown.

  When the old dog, Mr. PJ and I finally made it to the pier between the rainstorms today,  dozens of birds had taken refuge there.  Pelicans, cormorants,  gulls, herons all rested their weary wings.  All of these feast upon fish, yet, there in middle of all of them was a fine mullet.  When I eased my way into the midst of the birds, they seemed to eye my reaction to finding the fish.  Any one of these fine feathered friends could have snatched that fish at any given moment but it almost seemed as if they had left it there for me.  Hmmm?  Was I reading far too much into this coincidence?  Probably....but you have to admit it was a tad unusual of a find.  

  Regardless of whether the birds had intentionally left the fish for me or if, by some quirky accident, they overlooked a fish in their midst, I intend on looking at it as friends helping friends. No, I did not keep the fish.  (I do not have a penchant for eating things that I find already dead.)  I did, however, share it back with my feathered friends.  The good-sized mullet was cut in chunks and doled out to each of the birds.  This they accepted.  We had a lovely picnic before the rains set in again and Mr. PJ and I had to race back up to the Little Bayou House...bit I did so with a smile on my face.

Autumn Peace

  Things have been in quite the hustle mode around the Bayou as of late.  The first running of the Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou is in two days!  TWO DAYS!  I have been in a tizzy getting things prepared. There are so many last minute details that need attending to make the thing run smoothly.  Folks do not realize just how much energy goes into producing this event.  I run around doing this and doing that without ever taking a break.  Finally, the first group comes and things fall into place.  I breathe a sigh of relief and smile as I listen to the excitement in the team's voices.  It is all worth the effort.  

  Still, every now and again, I have to stop for a breath.  Usually, some critter catches my attention and I spend a few moments just enjoying the company.  This afternoon it was two critters and a gorgeous sky.  I have been so busy that Autumn fell in upon the Bayou without me noticing.  A certain serenity enveloped me as I watched to herons flying across the golden sky. The slow paced wing flap simply oozed peacefulness!  Wow! What a gorgeous sight!  What a much needed break. I drank in the view, breathed in the smells of Fall and relaxed a bit.  Things were good.

  The Bayou has a way of grounding me.  When I do have a case of the jitters, I can always depend on the area to bring me back to earth.  This scene today...did that.  I am ready to face the day tomorrow whatever it may bring.

The "Scattering" of Herons

  Just so you will know, a group of herons can be called a scattering.  Why?  I don't know but it does have a nice ring to it so we shall call them just that...a scattering.  Today, my brother called me with a request.  "Do you know how to call your herons?" he asked.  I stammered a bit then questioned why in the world he asked that.  He proceeded to tell me that the birds were causing a bit of a problem and they needed to go home to the Bayou.  So now they are MY birds and they are causing problems. Hmmmph!

  This brother lives down the lane close to the main road.  While sitting on his porch, he noticed that cars were stopping in the road and folks were actually getting out of their cars.  It seems that several large herons were standing in the middle of the road.  The kindhearted folks were trying to scatter the birds and make them leave the roadway.  My brother said that the birds would fly up, circle around and land right back in the road again.  "Call YOUR birds home!" he requested.  My birds...hmmph!

  MY birds are in the Bayou!  MY birds are bit smarter than the scattering of them up in the road.  While talking to him on the phone, I noticed that, indeed, my herons were basking in the sunshine right in the marsh!  Good birds!  Smart birds!  These were my birds!

Oh, for an hour of sunshine!

The title says it all..yes, it was another cold, rainy day here on the Bayou! I am beginning to think the sun has gone into hibernation and won't come out to play again until Spring. I usually love to hear the pitter patter of raindrops on my rooftop but now it is beginning to grate on the nerves like the constant tap, tap, tapping of a leaky faucet. Still, one should not whine about things that are uncontrollable so..I sneaked out of the house and..got soaking wet. Who would have ever thought??? I took a quick hike to the pier just to let my mind breathe in the surroundings. Being inside squelches my creativity just as Nature restores it. I draw on the natural settings around me to be the inspiration of most of my artistic endeavors. During this hasty jaunt, I came across a young raccoon digging for clams in the mud. He was so intent on his digging that he barely looked up at me. I think he was hoping for a quick snack before crawling back in some snug nest to ride out the rest of this cold spell.

Even the Tri-colored Heron and the Great Blue Heron were hunched over with their feathers fluffed out to protect against the rain and wind. Although, I could not for the world, understand why the Tri-colored was standing in the frigid water of the Bay..would it not have been a bit warmer on shore??

At least the Great Blue Heron was in a tree and not standing in water. Perhaps it had decided to forgo eating just to stay a little dryer if possible.

Old Gus, the pelican, would dive in the water and then back to the post. There it would hold out it wings to dry before settling down again. I am not sure just how these animals endure cold weather but I knew it was about time for me to head back inside..I needed warmth!

Yesterday, I promised a picture of the finished gourd lamp. At least that is one positive thing about being cabin-bound! I am forced to complete projects! All that is needed on this lamp is the wiring. That has to wait on the delivery man..the parts have been ordered!