Something's underfoot!

  When Hurricane Katrina dumped about a ton of lumber in our yard, we could have done what most folks did and burn the stuff.  Instead, Mark and I decided to clean, stack and reuse as much of the lumber as we could.  While some of the lumber went relatively unscathed, a lot of it was broken or splintered.  These boards were not fit to be used in any building projects so I decided that we were in dire need of a board path leading down the hillside.  A lot of the planks I used were old pier boards making them too short to use in most building projects but as path boards, they were perfect.  There were even a few pieces of piers or decks still intact.  These, I used to terrace the hillside.  The board path has served well all of these years since the hurricane whipped through here.  I have had to only replace a plank now and again.  The terrace platforms have had no problems whatsoever....until now.

  After a night of torrential rains pounding the Little Bayou House, I decided to scoot myself down the hillside to check the skiff.  We have an automatic pump that is supposed to keep the boat free from water but occasionally, it is not so "automatic".  The pump gets a tad contrary and refuses to pump.  As Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog, and I made our way out the front gate and down the first terrace, all was fine.  It was that second platform that looked a bit strange.  Right in the middle of the thing, a hole had been gnawed!  Sometime during all that rain, a critter decided it needed a new house!  I would not have complained as much if the animal had decided to make its door on the side but, noooo, this critter gnawed right through the middle of the platform!  Now my walkway had a hole as big as my fist!  Geez! Herein lies the problem. What critter wants to live under my path?  It is highly unlikely that this is a squirrel as they are tree-dwellers (except for the ones that insist trying to house themselves in my attic!) and they are diurnal.  This hole was chewed during the night.  That leaves the most obvious critter to be a RAT!  Ugh!  I had noticed a colony of rice rats living in the palmetto clumps this past summer.  I had hoped that they would shy away from moving so close to the house but it seems to be their intent on seeking higher ground.  (Should I be worried about the fact of rats moving uphill?  Perhaps they know something that I do not?  Is our water level going to rise?)  

  But, back to the rats and their choice of dwelling.  I am now presented with the difficult task of prying up the platform and eradicating the area of rice rats.  This will not be a fun chore!  Besides, where are those two cats that call the Bayou home?  Why are they not doing their job?  And Ms. Ez?  Shouldn't she at least be interested that some rodent is underfoot each time she heads down the hill?  I think my animal friends are a mite lazy!  It will be up to Son and me to fight the infestation of whatever critters that are living under the walkway.  Not fun...not fun, indeed.

Marsh Rice Rat

Mark and I were out sitting in the wicker chairs this afternoon when suddenly a small critter darted across the pathway.  Hmmm...that sure did not look like a squirrel!  There was no telltale fluffy tail on this animal!  He and I watched as the critter started to dig after some unseen tidbit hidden in the soft sand.  Yep..a Marsh Rice Rat had come out of the Sawtooth Palmetto clump to get a bite to eat. (And I have no clue why they are called "Rice" rats!)  Nothing unusual about that..we knew there was a family of rats living there.  Mark had seen a couple several times before but since they were right next to the marsh, we decided to let them be.  Now if the rats decided to move closer to the house..it would be extermination time for sure!  In the meantime, Ms. Put has been presenting us with several rats daily as proof of her earning her keep.  She does a grand job of ridding the place of any that pop their heads above ground but the tunneling voles are about to run her ragged.  This rat, however, was a bit nervy!  Here it was just after noon and the critter was wandering about the hillside!  What happened to them being nocturnal?

The rat moved from digging acorns to eating a mushroom.  I suppose the nuts were too hard to find and the mushroom did indeed look tasty!  Hmmm?  I wonder?  I grabbed my camera and eased my way down the board path that leads to the pier.  The rat had wandered to the edge of the path all the while eating its mushroom.  I knew the critter could see my every move as there was nothing to hide me.  I just ambled down the path as if oblivious to its presence.  When I got to the large house-type bird feeder at the end of the path, I stopped.  There I could photograph said rat at my leisure!  The rat did not make any effort to hide or to even stop munching its lunch so I took a couple of dozen pictures before easing a bit closer.  Still the rat did not move!  Ok..so this was getting a mite creepy!  Perhaps this was some rabid rat!  Or maybe it could call all of its rat friends to attack if I attempted to harm it!  Or...my imagination was getting the best of me again!  Still the rat just stared at me!

After a few more photographs, I decided to let the critter eat its mushroom in peace.  I know most folks would have the heebie-jeebies about having a nest of rats on the property but they actually do a service.  Rats eat most anything and will help to clear the marsh of decaying matter.  Like I said, if and when they do move up the hill, they are goners!  Besides Ms. Put, the cat, on patrol, I am sure I can find a few traps if necessary!  The rat also has to watch for the fox and the owls that would definitely love to dine upon her! These particular rats have a short life expectancy anyway.  With all of the predators in and around the marsh, they only live for about a year. For today, however, the rat can live.  I found it interesting and that was in the rat's favor.  Tread lightly, Mrs. Rat!  And make sure to teach your little ones to stay near the marsh!