Keeping Watch!

I arose early the other morn...far too early to actually be out on the pier but I headed that way regardless.  The sun had not even begun to brighten the eastern sky with its usual reds and oranges.  Ms. Ez and I carefully made our way down the board path and onto the pier itself.  There, the moon over the water brightened things up a bit.  I could hear the splish-splash of mullet as they journeyed from the shallows out to deeper water.  Thousands of the fish were around the pier and under the light of the neighboring pier.  After a bit, the sky started to get a telltale glow and I knew soon the sun would be popping up over the horizon.  The coolness of the morn had laid a thin, wispy blanket of fog over the marsh.  A slight north wind was sending this over the Bay in low, feathery traces.

  I watched to water.  The mullet jumping left ripples but other than that it was calm.  Except in one place!  About halfway to the mouth of the Bayou, I could see some strange shape in the water.  It was sort of undulating up and down.  At first glance, I presumed this was an otter but I was soon dealt a blow of utter disgust.  Once the sun rose enough for me to identify the unknown object, I was purely aggravated at humanity!  There floating near my Bayou was an old tire!  How dare someone toss such trash in the water!  I was mad!  Without a boat, there was no way for me to reach this junk to remove it from the water before it sank to the bottom.  Things like this do so ruin an otherwise idyllic morning. My morning had turned from simple and beautiful to frustrating in a matter of minutes.

I turned to Ez and told her that we were heading back to the Little Bayou House.  It sickened me to see the old tire bobbing along the shoreline.  It was then that I saw a friend!  Across the way to my brother's pier, I could see a Belted Kingfisher eyeing my every move.  I suppose he was in hopes that I would catch a few minnows for his breakfast but this morn there were none to be found.  He swooped down and alit near me on the pier post and let out such a ruckus!  Ms. Ez leapt up and started to bark!  She knows better than to disturb the birds but for some reason the Kingfisher irritated her.  The bird took off to sit upon the tall antenna on one of my brother's boats.  There he sat..glaring at the two of us!  He glared at me for not serving him breakfast and at Ms. Ez for her noisy greeting!

I bid the mullet and the Kingfisher a sweet goodbye and headed up the hillside.  It was time for breakfast and a good, hot mug of coffee!

Paradise

After a sleepless night, I decided to take a trek to my usual peaceful place, the pier, at 4:30 in the morning. It was still dark outside as I left the house with Ezzy by my side. So peaceful.. so overwhelmingly mystifying.. I felt as I always do when out and about this early in the morn. I was the only person on Earth and this time was made especially for me. Silently, we made our way down the boardwalk path, gingerly feeling our way with each step since we had no light. She stayed about two steps behind me all the way down to the end of the pier and then plopped down in her favorite spot. Immediately, she was back on her feet. "My goodness, what is wrong with you, Dog?" Then I realized that she was shivering. My poor doggie was so cold! It then hit me..it IS cold out here! The pier was still wet from the recent rains and that had to be uncomfortable for her. I had remembered to put on a jacket but poor Ez had jumped directly out of her warm bed to follow me out the door. I snapped a few pictures of the skyline and then set my camera down. I patted the bench next to me coaxing her to join me. She was fortunate that the jacket I grabbed off the rack was old and very large ..it was big enough for two! She snuggled against me and there we sat for the next hour..two against the world ..best friends ..partners in crime! When the horizon started showing a beautiful array of reds and oranges, I took some more pictures. There was a light, wispy fog emanating from the marsh giving the Bayou the most serene, picturesque appearance that I have ever seen. It was most ethereal, like something from a fantasy movie. I did not want it to end..I did not want the sun to rise just yet..I wanted this time to last a bit longer but that was not in the plan. The sun must rise and the world must awake. Ezzy and I sat there a bit longer watching the kingfisher waking after spending the night on a pier post. He fluffed his feathers and then let out a few screeches as if calling for his breakfast. Breakfast? Now, that is not a bad idea.. come on Ms. Ez .. time to eat!

The Dead Tree

There is a Black Gum tree in my yard that died about six years ago. Black Gum trees are tough old trees and even when they die, it is hard to knock them down to the ground. They just keep on standing until eventually as pieces fall off there is nothing left to them. This old tree is nothing but a stob..and for any who do not know what a "stob" is..it is a Southern word for a straight chunk of wood. This chunk of wood can be the remainder of a tree, (like mine), a post, a root that is exposed or any piece of wood that is stuck in the ground. Anyway, this stob's existence as a tree is over but it is still so full of life. Most noticeable is the woodpeckers of all kinds that visit it everyday hunting for their dinner. Their hammering can be heard echoing over the entire hill as they pull grubs and carpenter ants from the wood. These bugs and worms live in tunnels that lace the rotted tree stump. The woodpeckers pound away at the wood creating holes that soon become homes for smaller birds such as the bluebird and wren. Flying squirrels occupy other holes near the top. There is a nest of field mice in the bottom of the trunk between the roots, this home has two doors chewed into the wood making a nice escape exit if needed. I have seen bats clinging to the sides waiting for their evening flights. Slugs, spiders and moths also have found homes here. It is like a condo for critters! I know we should have cut this dead tree long ago but I find it so fascinating that such a diverse group can live in relative harmony in such a small area. Pieces are breaking off every time we have a strong wind and I always check for any critter residents before discarding them. I think perhaps it has at least one more good year before the remaining stob will come crashing to the ground. Perhaps by then I will have plenty of bat, bird and squirrel houses in nearby trees that all my animal friends can relocate without any problems.

Not all of the critters of the Bayou are being friendly. The Belted Kingfishers have been going at it for the past week. It is a constant war for territory, with their screeching and aerial battles from sunrise to sunset. There was one pair here for the past year but now a rival has come on the scene. I have been assuming that it is the males that are competing but I when I finally photographed one, to my surprise it appears to be the female! The male does not have the rufous (reddish brown) band on its chest. There is a chance that it is a immature male since they do have somewhat of a band..I will have to wait to later in the winter to determine for sure. In the meantime, I get to watch their air show and listen to their squabbling during the daylight hours.

Now that the evenings are getting a bit cooler, I am able to open the windows instead of using the air conditioner. This makes me happy as I can listen to the nightly serenading of the toads, frogs, cicadas, crickets and owls. These seem to be almost harmonious and seem to "go" together quite well..but then. Then there is the sole mockingbird that sits on the rose arbor right outside the window. This bird sings all night and is not at all in sync with the other animals of the night. How this mockingbird can stay awake nightly and then perform its concert again during the day, is beyond me. Also..why does it sing all night? In the Spring, I thought it was the male serenading his "wife" as she set on the nest warming her eggs. Now I am inclined to disbelieve this theory as she hatched her brood long ago. Perhaps it is scared of the dark and thinks that if it makes plenty of noise nothing will come near to scare it. Whatever its reasoning is, I am enjoying the music! It can sit outside my window any night!