Ulterior Motive!

   A few days ago, I jokingly made a post on social media about a seagull that decided to "friend" me.  For some reason, the pun flew by most folks and all remarked about how nice the gull appeared.  Yep, I was, indeed, poking fun at the sudden rash of "friend requests" I had received on the site.  Most of those were not valid requests and were followed by the usual "I did not make a new account!  Do NOT accept a friend request from me!"  The bird, however, did validate its requested friendship by visiting me again today.  We had a grand time sitting in the warm sunshine while discussing the fishing techniques of each other.  Then, I threw the net, caught a few menhaden and the bird feasted.  (No wonder this bird wants to be friends!  I have been hoodwinked into catching its breakfast!)

  This is a immature laughing gull and they are known as the "beggars of the bird world".  These birds would just as rather beg, borrow or steal lunch than catch it.  They only "work" if absolutely necessary.  They are pretty much jerks that will show up to dine at any banquet even if they were not invited.  Other birds have to catch their breakfast then be quick and agile enough to evade the sneaky gulls.  

  So..you may rightly ask why I catch food for the gull.  I do simply to allow the terns to eat in peace.  If the gull is getting its fill of menhaden on the pier, it is most likely not going to expend energy chasing down a tern to steal its food.  (Did I mention that I really like the terns?)  I shall continue to feed my "friend" (even if I use the term in jest) and enjoy watching the terns dive for their own meals.

Looky! I Am A Duck!

  Early in the morning just about sun up, the critters of the Bayou all seem to get along fine.  The heat of the day has not yet caused tempers to flare nor greediness to head.  All is well in the critter world.  Sometimes, however, I do think that some of the youngsters get a bit confused about who they really are.  Take this morning, for example.  A  juvenile laughing gull came swimming by the pier.  Yep.  While gulls are more often seen flying above our heads or perched on the pier posts, this little guy decided to swim.  He paddled happily about the pier as if it was perfectly normal action.  Perhaps, he had been watching the ducks and geese and figured that they were getting handouts so he would give it a go.  "Maybe if I act like a duck, I will get a tasty treat!"

  

  The laughing gulls normally nest in large numbers out on the islands or front beach.  It would be rare for one to nest here on the Bayou as there are too many predators that would make short work of the eggs or chicks.  When nesting in colonies of hundreds of birds, there is a community effort to protect the nests.  This youngster has been on the Bayou a few days so he is well on his way of being independent.  He has made his way to our Bayou and will most likely spend a good bit of time here.  The food is plentiful and, if he behaves himself and acts so adorably cute, handouts will be proffered on a daily basis.

  The young gull swam for most of the morning before he flew to a nearby pier post.  There, he perched and preened as most birds do.  He came back to the pier as Mark cleaned our catch of fish.  The bird received plenty of scraps to fill his belly this morning!  He will be back.

A Popular Diner

  For the past few weeks, I have been feeding a friendly Great Blue Heron (also known as a Bayou Ostrich thanks to my little granddaughter, Mary Ruth.)!  The bird is becoming quite tame and comes running up the pier whenever it sees me pick up the net.  Once I have a good catch, the young heron eats to its heart's content.  With its belly full, the little fellow flies to a post to watch my every move.  Then, before I leave the pier, I have to feed it another meal.  This is fine as long as there are plenty of little mullet or menhaden in the Bay.  A couple of casts of the net and the meal is served.  But...things changed today.

  As usual when I went to the pier, the bird flew in behind me.  When I picked up the net, he came running and followed me as I cast.  The catch was dumped on the  pier boards so the bird could feast but before he could finish his meal, others came. That rascal had evidently told all of his buddies that a free meal could be had if they came to the diner on the pier!  A motley bunch of beggars came to lunch.  Besides the heron (ostrich?), a Snowy Egret, a Common Tern and a Laughing Gull enjoyed a fine meal of menhaden.  The heron was given some extra treats of little mullet since he has been coming the longest.

  With this crazy crew, I had to throw the net several more times to catch enough minnows.  At one point, the gull decided that he did not want to share the meal.   He flew to the mound of menhaden and gulped down about twenty of the little fish before the other three birds could reach the spot.  It did not take long before the Snowy took command and chased the greedy gull away!  The other three shared a peaceful meal while the gull glared from the pier post.  So....I wonder who will come to breakfast at the pier diner tomorrow??  If this group keeps growing, I may need a bigger net!

A Bit Out of Season

  If there have to be "rules" concerning how we dress during the year, then critters should have to abide by some guidelines, too.  You know...things like "Never wear white after Labor Day" or "Never wear socks with sandals"...as humans, we are expected to follow certain dress codes....animals should as well.  Just kidding.  Although....

  Of all the birds that hang around the Bayou, the assorted gulls are probably the most plentiful.  We have a seemingly never ending supply of the loud, raucous birds.  During the winter months, some of these gulls have plumage changes.  The Laughing Gull is most noted for not only its loud, laugh-like call but also its jet-black head.  During the summer months, the bird's head is covered with inky black feathers. The "hood" changes to a more muted grey during the colder months.  This all has to do with the breeding season.  However...

  However, there is one Laughing Gull here on the Bayou that has not received word of the rules governing his attire.  This gull is still wearing his summer plumage and has not acquired his winter-blah hood.  The gull still sports the crisp black head feathers.  Could this just be a fluke of nature or does it have something to do with the late arrival of cold weather?  I ponder.  

  The lack of plumage change has not seemed to affect the bird in any way.  It is still feeding on whatever it can catch, beg or pilfer.  The bird seems to be of a healthy weight and is quite active.  It is also still quite loud!  Being out of season, it just looks a tad different from the other Laughing Gulls on the Bayou.

Weather Forecaster?

"Seagull, seagull, sit on the sand;

It is a sign of rain, when you are at hand."

  The little ditty above is said to be one from Scotland and supposedly came about from the habit of gulls roosting during times of low pressure.  In weather forecasting, low pressure usually indicates stormy weather, hence, rain.  I am not sure if the verse is always accurate but it is reasonable.  On rainy days, I see more gulls roosting on the pier posts or on the pier itself than flying about the Bay.  

  This afternoon, Mark and I headed to the pier to check his skiff when I noticed several gulls roosting on the posts of my brother's pier. Yep, it was raining.  Not much, just a drizzle but the forecast calls for a rainy evening.  Perhaps the jingle is correct or perhaps birds normally take to the roost like we would seek shelter in our homes.  While there is not much spectacular about a bunch of gulls roosting on pier posts, one of the birds did catch my eye.  Perched on the outside post was a dark gull.  Ahh, a juvenile Laughing Gull had ventured out with the adults. At least one little tyke of a brood had survived.

  Laughing Gulls stay around the Bay and Bayou year round but were nearly eliminated years ago by folks hunting them for their feathers and for eggs.  Now they have made a fantastic comeback following laws made to protect them.  The gulls are so named for their call which does, indeed, sound a good bit like peals of laughter at times.  I find they do this a lot just after stealing my fish bait!  

  The little guy (or gal) today, seemed to be quite healthy.  In a couple of years, it will get its adult plumage of grey and white with a black head.   I guess now I have a new scavenger to feed if it does not make a nuisance of itself by demanding ALL of the handouts!

The Last Laugh

  My fishing experiences, as of late, leave much to be desired.  I have come to the conclusion that there are just no fish in the Bay..at least there are none that wish to bite my bait.  After spending the morning pushing a lawnmower about the hill, I thought that I deserved a bit of fishing time.  This was good in thought but not so good in reality.  My time spent dangling that poor little mullet from a hook, did not achieve a single thing.  It did make me glad that I have tendency to hook my bait as far to the rear as possible as after a few casts, I was able to release the tiny fish.  He seemed none the worse for wear once he was free from the hook.  Things might have been a bit different for the mullet had a Laughing Gull had its way!

  While waiting on that elusive fish, I noticed a seagull flying near the pier.  The Laughing Gull was begging for a handout.  Its raucous call sounded much like an old witch's cackle, hence the name "Laughing Gull".  The bird would swoop down and try to grab my bait every time I cast out the line.  The little mullet on the end of the line had to do some fast swimming to stay clear of the clutches of the bird. Once the mullet was out of reach, the gull would start to swoop about my head.  It was making a general nuisance of itself!   Several times, the bird almost smacked me in the head and the poor old dog was taunted beyond any comfort.    This pestering kept on for the whole time we were on the pier!

  Normally, after I finish fishing, I will toss any dead baits out to the birds. They have a hay-day of a time snatching the floating minnows.  Let one bird see a handout and its loud call will alert all others within miles, it so seems. Today, however, the little mullet was still quite lively so instead of feeding the seagulls, the little fishy went free.  The rowdy gull squawked and dive-bombed after the little guy but one quick flick of his tail sent the mullet to safety beneath the pier!  Good job, Little Mullet! The gull turned its attention back to me as if to say, "What were you thinking?"  It was my turn to laugh.  "Mr. Gull, you were a tad too aggravating today!  No food for you!"  With that, Ms. Ez and I headed toward the house.