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.

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!

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!

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!