The Race Is On!

   With winter comes the low, low tides.  Often the water is far out beyond the marsh and even the reach of the pier.  This lack of water exposes the soft mud that hides clams, crustaceans and minnows.  The predators that normally have to stalk their prey are now able to feast upon the stranded critters.  A great number of birds, otters, raccoons, fox are out during the low tide.  The mudflats are alive with those seeking breakfast.

   This morning, hooded mergansers, egrets and herons were all making good use of the mudflats.  The ducks were busying themselves in the shallows while most of the birds stayed in the ankle-deep water.  At one point, the rush to get breakfast had me in a fit of giggles.  A tri-colored heron and a great egret seemed to literally be in a race to see who could snatch the most minnows.  If one bird snatched a morsel, the other would dart to see if there was another.  This race continued for nigh on an hour until suddenly something startled the mergansers.  As they skittered across the water, both the egret and heron took flight.  Breakfast had ended.  

  With the warming of the weather, the water will deepen and the mergansers will migrate back northward thus leaving the herons and egrets to fend for themselves.  Then, the stalking returns as each will stealthily patrol the shallows in hopes of finding a meal.  The buffet on the mudflats will be closed for another season.  

Holiday Visitors....Critter Style!

   I have to admit that this time of year is a favorite.  This is not necessarily due to the hustle and bustle of the holidays (something I could do without and be totally happy) but rather that visitors of the critter sort come to visit.  The Bayou seems to attract ducks like a magnet attracts iron.  Seeing the wild assortment of ducks migrating here never ceases to thrill me to the core.  I am not sure why but they just do.  Perhaps it is because if wildlife is drawn to the area, that means the area is still pure enough for life to continue.  This may not be the case for long with the influx of people that have suddenly converged on the area but, for now, my friends have come...and I am happy to see them.

  On a whim, I quit baking cookies and Mark and I took a hike to the pier.  As soon as I stepped on the first plank, a surprise was noticed.  The Hoodies are here!  A dozen or more Hooded Mergansers were huddled beneath the pier!  I eased my way down the pier trying to step easy and not make the planks sound like thundering xylophone!  The birds still heard me and started gradually swimming out into the open water.  This was when I noticed dozens more to my left!  Oh, my!  The Hoodies brought family and friends!  Last year, we only had perhaps ten but, this year, there were at least twice that many!!

  Not wanting to scare my friends, Mark and I just casually walked to the end of the pier as if we did not even notice the ducks.  They did skitter across the water a bit but soon settled back down just to stare back at us.   Welcome to the Bayou, my friends.  Please feel free to stay as long as you please!  This...this is my type of holiday season!  Critter friends are the best.

Sleepyhead!

   For the past week, the remaining piles of lumber that washed up during Hurricane Zeta have slowly disappeared.  Just after the storm, all of the boards were sorted into "usable" piles.   We rebuilt the pier and folks came by to claim any of their missing planks.   There was still several stacks yet unclaimed.  Some...had seen better days and needed to be burned...others were restacked to be used in building garden boxes.  It was a daunting job to tackle but someone had to do it.  So...I did. 

  It was while I was stacking that remainder that something far down in the Bayou caught my eye.  A blotch of white edged with black glinted in the evening sunlight.  Hmmm?  Well, that surely meant that I needed to investigate.  Grabbing the ever-present camera, I made my way to the only spot that I could get a somewhat clear shot.  It was quite evident that this was a living creature and, being as it was in the middle of the Bayou, obviously a waterfowl.  It was almost certainly a Hooded Merganser but its actions were perplexing, to say the least.  Several Common Mergansers were out near the pier but this was the sole critter visible in the main cut of the Bayou.  

  After examining the photographs, my questions were answered.  The merganser was sleeping!  The head was neatly tucked upon its back and it was simply floating.  The duck had chosen this part of the Bayou because it was wide and its sleep would not be disturbed by shore critters and, since it was surrounded by marsh, the waters were calm allowing the bird to stay in one place.  Smart bird!  I smiled simply because it was nice to know the duck felt safe and secure in my Bayou!

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.  

Busy After The Peace

   It was a day of getting gardening chores done in preparation of a spring planting.  This meant I was up before dawn to pick peas, cut cauliflower heads and cabbages and pull beets.  Then, for the next 3 hours I mulched oak leaves to put in new rows once the winter garden fades.  (Word of advice...if you do not have a market for cauliflower and cabbage, never....NEVER...plant a hundred of each.  After the first few offerings, you cannot give them away to anyone.  These are not unlike the proverbial zucchini giveaways.)  After all of that, I headed to the greenhouse to check the seedling tomatoes and peppers.

  This was not before I had made my rounds like every other morning.  The water called so I heeded.  The Bayou sometimes has a pull like no other.  This morning, as the moon was setting and the sun was peeping over the pines on the opposite shore of the Bayou, I was mesmerized by the golden hue set upon the water.  The last lingering pair of hooded mergansers were awash in the shimmery glow of the rising sun.  This...this is what draws me each morning and holds my heart during the day.  It was hard to break loose and attend those chores but it had to be done.  Tomorrow will be much the same as I am trying to work around the storms that hit us each spring.  At least, I have the golden morns to start the day even after the mergansers migrate.

Hoodies, Golden Moments and Memories!

   A few mornings ago, I awoke to find the room awash in a golden glow.  That told me that the sunrise was to be spectacular.  Even though, I had little emotional energy left to even think of sunrises, sunsets or anything else on the Bayou, instinct made me stumble out to the pier.  Golden....beautiful golden moments...those are the times that life hands you when you least expect.

  That morning, the waters of the Bay were pushed far from the shore by the north winds of overnight.  The mudflats were busied by the raccoons and shorebirds foraging for breakfast but I was more interested in three little beings paddling in the shallows.  The hoodies were back!  Hooded mergansers hold a special place in my heart.  They are not seen here except during the winter months and, even then, they are here for only few weeks.  I try to enjoy them as much as possible while the opportunity lasts.

  One of my early recollections of the hoodies involved my grandmother.  She loved feeding all the birds even the waterfowl.  Come wintertime, she would carefully put birdseed in the long, tray-like feeder under the south-facing window and then fill a pie tin with bread crumbs, corn and sometimes barley.  Carefully, she would traipse down to the pier my granddad had built.  The goodies would be scattered on the lower part of the lawn for the ducks to enjoy.  If, Pop and Granddad were trying to do a little duck hunting near the mouth of the Bayou, she would bang that pie tin and give a call of "Here, duck, duck, duck!"  Yep, those menfolk gave up the hunt rather quickly since they knew that "Hattie" was not approving of their antics!  Plus, all of the ducks within earshot would flock to their free meal.  Of course, the fish-eating mergansers never came to feast upon the grains but the banging on the tin would send them skittering across the water!

  It is funny how a simple things like the hoodies' presence can bring back a flood of memories.  Golden moments abound!  Life is good. 

  

The Busy Morning

  It was rather chilly out on the pier this morning.  With the temperature in the upper thirties, I had to watch my step for fear of slipping on the frost-covered pier planks.  I was fully not expecting others to be out on the water but, to my surprise, the place was quite active.  The north wind had pushed the tide far out exposing the mudflats for some distance.  Those mudflats and the shallows were teeming with activity as all sorts of critters were hunting breakfast.

  A group of mottled ducks were the first that I noticed.  It seemed that they kept their heads under the water more than above.  They were shuffling the bottom to muddy the waters.  This allowed them to confuse the small mullet and bull minnows swimming there.   Along with the mottled ducks was a pair of hooded mergansers.  These, too, were busy feasting on the little fish.  I was surprised to see the two types of ducks mingling.  The hoodies are a much smaller type of duck than the mottleds but they had no problem working together to find their morning meal.  I watched  the ducks for a few moments before I noticed yet another critter joining the feeding frenzy.  A snowy egret flew in to the open diner.  This gorgeous bird stepped gingerly in the shallows and dipped its beak often.  It always came up with a tasty morsel!  Imagine my surprise when a tri-colored heron joined this motley crew!  This bird, too, caught its breakfast with ease.  The sight fully amazed me.  I was so impressed that each of these birds seemed oblivious to the fact that it was dining alongside of those different than itself.  The sole intent was to fill the belly on this cold morning.  But...I was being chilled to the bone and decided to head back to the warmth of the wood stove.  I rose from the bench, looked up and was floored!  Yet another critter wandered to the area to dine.  A lone raccoon waddled out of the marsh and started scavenging the mudflats for trapped minnows.  After a few moments, the coon waded out to share in the bounty the others were enjoying.  All in all, six mottled ducks, two hooded mergansers, one snowy egret, one tri-colored heron and a lone raccoon feasted upon the minnows that had been flushed out of the marshes by the low tide.  It was definitely a busy, busy morning on the Bayou!

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!

The Unusual Behavior

  Early this morning, I noticed a few ducks swimming out of a cut in the Bayou.  Knowing that the winter months bring tons of migrating birds into the area, I pondered as to which type these were.  As soon as the sunlight hit the birds, it was easy to tell that the ducks were some of my favorites...the Hooded Mergansers!  I love the Hoodies!  The drakes have such an unusual look about them with their white crests that are edged with stark black. They have a black and white patterned body that is flanked with rust colored sides.  The females are just as lovely even though more subdued.  Instead of the showy crest, their's are a lovely cinnamon color.  These small ducks fly in to spend their winters with us.  They feed on the small shrimp that fill the waters of the Bayou.  Their arrival is somewhat a sure sign that winter has come to the Bayou.

A lovely quartet of Hooded Mergansers paddling about the Bayou.  In the upper left corner and in the center of the photo are several Tree Swallows.

  While watching the Hoodies was interesting enough, it was thirty or so smaller birds that stole the show.  A whole stand of Tree Swallows was swarming above the ducks.  The swallows were acting a mite strange.  It is not uncommon to see the swallows swarming above the marsh in search of gnats, mosquitoes and other flying insects that breed there but these birds were not feeding.  Instead, the birds were dipping into the water, rising and fluttering.  Water droplets were scattering everywhere!  

  After watching the birds for a bit, it dawned on me that they were taking advantage of the calm waters of the Bayou.  Even though there was a brisk north wind, the area against the marsh was quite calm.  The birds were simply bathing in the calm waters under the warm sunshine.  So...I had a two for one view....my favorite ducks and an aerial ballet by the swallows.  You can't ask for a better way to start a morning.   I love my bayou friends!

Birds of a Feather....Feathers of a Bird....Whatever...

  That old saying "Birds of a feather flock together" rings true most of the time but today, I found feathers of a bird....and not one that was flocking with anybody.  While out cleaning the greenhouse, I decided that the sunshine would do the plants a world of good, so out they went.  After I toted dozens of large plants out into the yard, they each received a good dousing with the water hose.  That should fix them!  Turning to enter the greenhouse once again, I spied a feather among the brown leaves.  Hmmm...that feather stood out like a sore thumb!  This was no ordinary songbird feather nor was it part of the plumage of any of the waterfowl that inhabit the Bayou.  This feather was easily recognized, yet, was not from any bird that has been in the area for a good thirty years.  The black and white polka-dotted feather was from a guinea fowl. Why in the world did I find a guinea fowl feather in my yard?  And, better yet, where is the guinea fowl that lost its feather?  It is not like they are that hard to see!  Guinea fowl are large (think fat chicken size), brightly colored with the black and white polka-dots and....most of all....LOUD! So where was my guinea fowl?  I would love to find it and maybe befriend it! Years and years ago, Mark and I had a dozen or so of the birds running about the yard.  I loved them!  The bird would definitely be welcomed to the Bayou with open arms and a heaping helping of food!  Where, oh, where are you, Guinea?

  Before finding the guinea feather, Mark and I hiked our way around the marsh edge to the back part of the property near the creek.  When we neared the part of the Bayou on the east side of the property, there was a loud splashing echoing through the marsh.  A family of otters played in the shallows but I also noticed two ducks over to one side.  The bright sunshine made it difficult to see the birds well but the shape of their heads or their crests gave away their secret identities!  These were Hooded Mergansers!  I love these little ducks!  The pair seemed to not mind our presence or that of the otters.  We watched the frolicking critters for about ten minutes before heading down to the creek.  What fun!

  While the find of the guinea fowl feather and the sighting of the Hooded Mergansers were not related other than both being avian, they both did make me happy.  Hopefully, if the guinea fowl is lost and needs a home, it will settle in on the Bayou.  It will be welcomed.  And hopefully, if the mergansers found the Bayou as a suitable winter home, they will return next year.  They, too, will be welcomed.  

Winter is Coming

  Winter must be on its way..at least up north.  The birds have been migrating our way for some weeks now.  This evening, I headed to the pier to check the skiff since we are due for some pretty stiff storms this week.  While there, I noticed that fish were breaking near the shore and longed for my fishing pole.  Just a few weeks ago, I had hauled the gear to the Little Bayou House and have yet to restore it to its proper place on the pier.  There, it is ready at a moment's notice but, for tonight, it sat far up the hill.  The sky started darkening and clouds were gathering.  

  Even though it was starting to get a bit dark to see, I caught a glimpse of some ducks far out from the pier.  A cluster of six mingled not too far from each other.  Four of the group had a distinct shape so, even though distance and lack of light prevented me a clear view, I recognized the ducks.  These were Hooded Mergansers!  The Hoodies are back!  Their wide crest and pointy tails were sure identifiers!  

  I love the little Hooded Mergansers.  They are usually some of the first ducks to fly into the Bay. After a few weeks, there will be hundreds of them in the Bay and many of them huddling beneath the pier to escape the stiff north winds.  During their stay, they will become accustomed to my presence and remain under the pier even when I wander down at sunrise.  Before dawn, I can hear their funny, little calls and soft splashes of water as they preen.  The Hoodies never cease to make me smile with their presence.  I am so glad they are back.  This is one of the reasons that I like winter so much!

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.  

And the ducks come.

The Hooded Mergansers are here for the winter so the Bay has another touch of beauty added to it.  I always love the Hoodies just because they are so different from the other ducks that visit the area in late fall.  To start, they are a small duck.  An adult Hoodie will weigh in at just about a one and a half pounds.  That is not a lot of duck!  What they lack in size, they make up in appearance.  Their striking hood sets them apart from most others.  The males have a large white crest edged in black and their black and white bodies are set off by cinnamon-colored sides.  Their rumps and tails are brown.  The female has a rusty red crest and are mostly brownish-grey.  It is those crests that garner the most attention, though.  When the crest is extended the bird practically demands attention!

These ducks nest in tree cavities that are sometimes fifty to seventy-five feet above the ground. It is there that the female will lay a dozen or so roundish, white eggs, although, she might incubate twice that many!  Other Hooded Merganser females are not above laying their eggs in another duck's nest!  As soon as the mother duck starts to incubate the eggs, the male abandons her.  It is entirely up to her to protect the nest and raise the little ones.  Once the eggs hatch, the ducklings will plummet themselves to the ground when they are the ripe old age of one day!  They will flutter to the ground to follow their mother to the water.  Here they are able to dive and catch prey granted their first attempts are quite comical.  The little ones' efforts pay off in the end and by the second day they are diving with the best of the other ducks.  The mother duck will stay with her little ones until they can fully fend for themselves.

I do like these little ducks and I am always excited to see the number of them increase with each year.  By early winter, the Bayou should be home to nigh on a hundred of the Hoodies.  Ms. Ez, the dog, and I will have plenty of entertainment as we wait for the sunrise each morning!

Crazy Hoodies!

Brrr!  The drear remains on the Bayou.  I am not used to this many days without sunshine.  The temperatures stayed in the low forties today.  That, coupled with a slight north wind, made it seem much colder.  The drizzly rain did not do much for my spirits.  I just had to escape the Little Bayou House even if it was just for a short hike.  Ms. Ez was willing to go with me once I dressed her in her jacket.  Poor old dog..these cold, wet days are hard on her.  I never before thought that I would be dressing my dog in clothes!   Still, if I want her to go with me, she needs to be protected against the rain and cold.  She suffers fits of chills and shakes if I do not.  Needless to say, once she was warm and toasty, she was ready for a hike!  Out we went!  I opted for the pier since the ground was so soggy.  It would be for the best if we could stay on the board paths.  My moccasins and her feet would catch the brunt of the raw weather otherwise.

Once on the pier, three mergansers paddled about thirty or so feet from the marsh. I could see two fine but the third seemed to be either hurt or just doing something a tad weird!  For the longest time, this duck floated on its side!  I have never seen this activity before!  I watched.  The two that were swimming upright were Hooded Mergansers..one male and one female but I could not identify the third upside-down duck!  All I could see of this one was a white belly with its head folded down flush against the tummy.  Hmm?  Had some dire accident befallen one of my little ducks?  I watched.  After quite a spell, the duck toppled itself right side up seemingly no worse for wear.  What?  Was this one just taking a nap?  After righting itself the bird started to preen.  I suppose the little duck is fine and it was just enjoying a bit of odd relaxation.  Whatever the reason, the other two took no notice of its antics.

This triplet of Hoodies seems to hang around the pier a good bit.  They seek shelter under the pier when the hard rains come and dabble about for minnows and little mullet in the shallows.  I know they will only be here for a short while.  Once the weather warms a bit, they will take flight northward and I won't see them again until late next fall.   So I enjoy them while I can...right side up or upside down!

A Roof Over Their Heads

Sometimes when you spend a good deal of time watching the critters, you come across things that are a mite comical.  These instances cause you to ponder just what goes through the minds of animals.  Most of the time, their actions are purely instinctual and they will do what provides comfort.  In other words, animals just do what feels good!...Most of the time.  Then there are the times that their actions cause you to scratch your head and ask..."Why?"

A few days ago, I awoke early and prepared for my morning trek to the pier.  It was cold..nigh on freezing so I had to bundle up with warm clothing.  Ms. Ez, on the other hand, decided that her fur coat was just not going to get the job done so she stayed in her cozy bed.  I edged my way down the board path.  As I neared the pier, I could see that the tide was extremely low.  The north wind had done its job well!  I could also see that there were numerous blobs under the pier.  Hmmm?  Blobs?  Once I was up on the pier, I could tell that these were ducks.  A whole slew of the little Hooded Mergansers were clustered under the pier.  I thought that perhaps they were trying to escape the cold wind.  That would make sense!  Stepping closer and close, I tried not to scare the little birds.  They had flown far to get to my Bayou.  I was sure not going to make them feel unwelcome.  Soon, I was right on top of them.  I could peer through the planking and see the little ducks paddling around beneath me.  I could hear their "croaking" calls as they talked with one another.  Still not wanting to startle them, I eased down to a sitting position.  I was now sitting on the planking just above them.  (My bench was taken by Hurricane Isaac back a few months ago.)  I watched them between the boards.   They made no effort to skitter away at all!  After a bit, I was chilled and headed back to the house and a mug of hot coffee!  The ducks stayed!

About noontime, I looked out the door and noticed that the Hoodies were still huddled under the pier.  Ok...so I understood them being there during the night and early morning hours but the temperature had warmed nicely.  The sun was sparkling on the water and the day was nice.  Why were the ducks still huddled under the pier?  Surely by this time, it had to be colder in the shade of the boards than out on the sunny water.  I shook my head...goofy, little Hoodies!  Get yourself out there and enjoy that sunshine!  All day, the Mergansers stayed huddled under the pier.  Why?  I have no clue.  Perhaps they felt protected as they rested from their long journey.  Several times in the past few days, I noticed that they were back.  My pier seems to have become their "home away from home"...their shelter from the cold...their winter retreat.  I am good with that!  Welcome home, Hoodies...welcome home.

Frogs or Ducks?

I spend an awful lot of my spare time down on the pier.  It is there that I can relax and ponder all sorts of things!  It is also there that I watch.  Nature never ceases to amaze and enthrall me which is why I enjoy watching it so much.  There is a never-ending show of critters about the Bayou!  The latest to make an appearance is the Hooded Mergansers.  Every year about this time, they will migrate in to ride out the cold of winter.  The Bay and Bayou will be filled with these tiny ducks!

I remember the first time I ever saw or rather really observed the Hoodies.  I was a teenager and was on a fishing trip with Pop.  He and I headed out one cold, foggy morning to catch some speckled trout.  Winter time is always the best time of the year to pull in the large trout and Pop was the best at finding them!  He knew every fishing spot in the Bay!  This particular morning, we had mistakenly headed to the boat at four in the morning instead of the normal five!  Pop had looked at the clock wrong!  He shook me out of a deep sleep to see if I wanted to go with him and, of course, I did!  Once we were out in the pitch blackness of the early morn, I heard a strange noise.  To me, it sounded much like a frog!  "Pop!  Why is there a frog all the way out here in the middle of the Bay?" I questioned.  He snickered a bit and shushed me.  "Sit still and you will soon see."

I waited and waited.  The sun started to rise but the fog was too heavy to see the shoreline.  The "frog" had now multiplied to many "frogs".  Their funny croaks had filled the area around us!  Then through the whiteness of the fog, I could see black dots swimming in the water.  Those crazy "frogs"!!!  Anyway as I said, that was the first time I had ever really noticed the Hoodies!  Before that day, ducks were ducks!  Then right before my eyes, ducks were suddenly not all one and the same!  I had discovered that there were many different types of ducks!  Beautiful, colorful ducks filled the Bay!

Since that foggy fishing trip with Pop, I have been interested in identifying the ducks that migrate to the Bay.  The Mottled Duck is the only group that stays to breed on the Bayou but come winter, the area is the home to many different types.  My favorite?  The Hoodies, of course!  They were the ones that got me interested!  Those pretty little ducks with the frog-like voices created such an intense fascination!

Early Winter?

Sometimes I watch the critters on the Bayou to see if they react any differently to a change in the weather.    I have been told that most critters can predict upcoming weather changes about as accurately as the so-called expert meteorologists.  I watch things like the caterpillars, squirrels and birds.  All seem to have their own special ways of preparing for whatever is headed toward the Bayou area.  Caterpillars have a method of speeding up their transitional period of being in a cocoon.  If a cold spell is headed this way, I have seen seemingly immature caterpillars either bury themselves under mulch or in the ground or suddenly change forms.   The squirrels will stockpile acorns and seeds much heavier before storms or hard winters.  The local birds (those that do not migrate) also stockpile seeds.  Woodpeckers will hide seeds and acorns under lose tree bark and Blue Jays will hoard seeds in much the same manner.   All of the critters eat like crazy and create a nice layer of fat on their bodies.  This will help to keep them warm and also help them to survive when the food is scarce.

 This week, I noticed that the migratory birds have started arriving.  It is a mite early in the season compared to the past few years.  On the Bay, the Hooded Mergansers have started filtering in pair by pair.  Those and a few Ring-necked Ducks were huddled against the wind late yesterday evening.  They will be joined by the daily arrival of many more ducks of all sorts until the Bayou area is filled.   Then the Canadian Geese that are not permanent residents will flock into the area.  They will all head to my cousin, Michelle's place for their meals.  She sets out a fine buffet of corn to attract the hundreds of water fowl that need a decent meal.  Each year, the number of her visitors increases until her yard is dotted from end to end.  AND...she welcomes them all.

If these ducks are indicating what I think they are, we are in for an early and bit more severe winter this year.  I am thinking that perhaps our woodpile might not be sufficient to last the entire time.  Last year as with the previous few years, the winters have been mild..almost too warm.  The gut-feeling is for this one to be harsh.  We shall see...but in the meantime, I think some good old-fashioned wood-cutting is in the near future!

The Hoodies are back!

Early this morning, I made the hike to the pier and was fully surprise at how cool it had gotten over night! With just a flannel shirt as a jacket, that wind was down right cold! I had good intentions of waiting for the sunrise but with the thick layer of clouds that would have meant me sitting there for quite some time. The dog and I were just not too overly thrilled with the dampness and the windchill so we called it quits about thirty minutes into the trek. Tomorrow will see me dressed a bit warmer and will probably see her snuggled in her bed!

Snowy Egret braving the cold North wind!

While waiting for the sun, the usual bayou critters made their appearances. All were on the hunt for breakfast and just happy to have survived another night. It seemed to be a good morning for fishing as the egrets and herons both were edging the shoreline. The little grebes were busy bobbing up and down in search for minnows and the rails were snatching up tiny shrimp in the tidepools. In the marsh and along the mudflats the otters and raccoons were having a heyday with the low tide exposed clams! Everyone was happy! Ezzy and I watched and shivered!

Nice to see the Hooded Mergansers back on the Bayou!

Just before heading to the house for our breakfast and mug of hot coffee, I noticed a small group of ducks headed toward the pier. Being dark, it was hard to identify them at any distance so I had to just be patient. Once they were about twenty feet from the pier, I recognized them as Hooded Mergansers...ahhhh..the Hoodies were back! These are the smallest ducks that call the Bayou their temporary home. During the winter months, they migrate here and will hang around until Spring. It always thrills me to see them return as they brighten up the place. These little ducks are quite agile swimmers and appear extremely graceful on the water but on land..it is a different story. Since their legs are set so far back on the bodies, they appear almost awkward when they walk. Still it does not matter to me if they walk, waddle or wobble...I love these little ducks. They are just one of the many reasons that I love Winter on the Bayou!