Dastardly Devil and Water Witches

  The Bayou has seen its share of precipitation over the past few days and it seems that we are in for a few more days of such sogginess.  The sky stayed dark gray except for one fleeting moment when the sun actually poked its head out to check on things.  Strange thing was that moment happened right in the middle of a heavy downpour!  To get an idea of  just how fleeting it was, by the time I grabbed my camera to get a picture, the clouds had blocked out the sun once again.  Drats! (A photographic attempt was taken through the screen door but did not show the weather phenomenon accurately.  It was that moment of brightness that struck a memory.  "The devil is beating his wife!"  Yep, it is a Southern thing.  In Deep South Mississippi, this has long been the "reasoning" behind the phenomenon of the sun shining while it is raining.  The logic behind the saying is that the evil devil was angry at God for creating beautiful, sunshiny days and, as the devil would do, he took out his anger on his wife.  Her tears fell in the form of raindrops.  So, any time the sun would shine while it was raining, folks would say "The devil is beating his wife again."  The devil's wife must suffer terribly and should consider leaving that abusive marriage!  

  The rain could not keep my cousin and me from the pier, though.  She and I went down between thunderstorms so she could fish a little before heading back to Georgia.  Her weekend here was far too short but she did end it with the catch of a fine redfish.  After she left, I made a last quick trip to the pier to check the old skiff.  It was then that I spied the Water Witches.  A whole water dance of grebes had flown into the Bayou and were hanging out for the drab day.  (Yes, a group of grebes is a water dance!)  Horned Grebes have the unfortunate nickname of "water witches" which, as far as I can tell, stems from the fact that they have red eyes.  To my way of thinking, this is a sad nickname to slap on such a sweet bird.  

  So between the rainstorms, dastardly devil and water witches, it has been one interesting, albeit drab, day.  Come the weekend, I might be wishing this weather was back as we are to see our first bout of cold air hitting the Bayou.  Brr!  Better stock up the woodpile!

The Up/Down Duck

  Sometimes things on the Bayou can be quite comical.  While on the pier trying to photograph ducks, I had to giggle at a small one. Well, it was not actually a duck but rather a grebe.  A tiny Horned Grebe was swimming rather close to the pier which would normally make for a great photo session. Not so with this little water bird.  When I photograph wildlife, I prefer to take numerous pictures since one can never command the critters to sit still. A lot of the pictures are a bit blurry due to the quick movements.  This little guy was giving me a run for my money!  Up, down, up, down...I think the grebe spent more time underwater than on the surface!

  Grebes are one of those species that sort of get lumped together with anything similar.  To a lot of us, if it is a bird, swims in the water and is sort of squatty...it is a duck!  Cormorants, geese, coots, loons, grebes....they are all ducks!  Anyway, this little grebe seemed to be doing a yo-yo act.  Its bobbing made it difficult to photograph as most of the time, all I caught was a splash of water where the grebe had ducked (pun intended).  Mark and I decided that this was not a grebe at all but an Up/Down Duck!

  Grebes are in a class of their own.  They are the only birds associated with the Podicipediformes order.  They are much smaller than most ducks, have small pointy beaks instead of flat bills and lobed toes instead of webbed feet.  They are also just downright cute!  Most of the time, grebes of all types spend their time in fresh water but during winter migration they will stop in to visit the bays and bayous.  During their visit here, they are in their non-breeding plumage of grey, black and white.  They lack the "horns" that make them easily identifiable during other times of the year.  Still, they are some of my favorites of the waterfowls.  Like I said they are adorably cute and have so much personality so what is not to like?  Ducks or grebes...these little guys are wonderful!

 

Critters as Teachers...

Ok, so now I think I understand the whole concept behind working as a team!  It took the critters of the Bayou to totally explain this to me.  You see, as humans, we may think we work together as a team but ninety percent of the time one does ninety percent of the work.  The rest of the "team" pulls just enough slack to appear busy.  They do not pull their fair share.  Then there are those that have no other purpose than to find fault or point fingers.  These are the ones that are quick to blame but never quick to solve any problem.  Hmmm..sound familiar?

This evening while I was on the pier, I noticed a group of Horned Grebes.  These little guys were all in their winter or non-breeding plumage so for a bit, I was confused as to which of the grebes they were. They look so different during this time of year!  After looking closely at the pictures that I took and comparing them with the so-called experts, I do believe I have identified them correctly.  Anyway, like I said, I watched a group of grebes.  There were five of the birds and they were on the hunt!  Grebes are notorious for being able to stay underwater for long periods of time but that as not what amazed me about these birds.  They were working as a team.  The five would gather together then separate into a circle.  They would look at each other then dive at just about the same time.  All would go under and literally corral the little fish that were under them.  I could see where the grebes were swimming in a circular motion under the water. The water would be swirling around like an eddy. The fish did not know where to go so they were an easy catch for the birds.   Smart birds.  There was no squabbling.  There were no lazy birds..all were working together.   Not once did any of the birds try to take a fish from another..instead they were trying to make sure all were fed.

I really enjoy watching the waterfowl that visit the Bayou during the winter months.  Each day brings a new discovery of some interesting fact that I never realized before. The birds depend on each other not only for protection provided by being a part of a group but for food, warmth and company.    Yep, we as humans sure could learn some positive lessons from the bayou critters..if only we would pay a little attention.

Water Witches!

This morning started with a trek to the pier..as usual! Mark and I made our hike early enough to catch the sunrise. Coffee mugs, camera and Water Witches made the breaking dawn an interesting occasion. While I snapped pictures of the beautiful sunrise, Mark took note of the rapidly approaching group of Horned Grebes. When they were in range, my photography attempts were changed from the Eastern horizon to the grebes. These Horned Grebes were all in their "non-breeding plumage" so they did not have their horns or tufts above their eyes. An interesting note..a group of Horned Grebes is called a Water Dance! This is most likely in reference to their courtship "dance". Grebes will "dance" across the water surface in a graceful display. The grebes themselves are called Water Witches..hmmmm..I have not figured out why these darling little water birds are called witches but there surely has to be some folklore behind such a graphic name.

Sure enough..there is folklore attached to the Horned Grebes but none explain the nickname. One of the most interesting tales, though, did refer to the grebes awareness of their surroundings. A Native American tale tells of how....."the trickster "Old Man" convinced a number of ducks into closing their eyes and dancing for him. While they were not looking he killed them one by one for his supper. The smallest of the bunch peeked and was horrified. He sent up the alarm which warned all of the other ducks. This "duck" was a little grebe and to this day he is always the first to notice any impending danger!".... I knew that I liked this little bird for a reason! But this still does not explain the Water Witch thing...I pondered and read some more.

After reading and reading, as far as I could determine, the nickname of Water Witch might have something to do with the birds red, red eyes. It seems that another name is Devil Diver. My poor little bird..what awful names to have placed upon its head! If you have ever seen a Horned Grebe, I am sure you would agree with me..this little bird is far to adorable to have such menacing nicknames! I think..Cutie-Pie Duck would be far more accurate!