If you ever wander about a bayou like I often do, you start to ponder the whys and wherefores of a lot of things. Just this morning, a questioned rambled about in the brain for a while even though I knew the "scientific" answer. The mind-boggling part had nothing to do with the question of why shorebirds will stand on one leg but had everything to do with if they actually like standing on one leg. It is a well-known fact that the herons, egrets and cranes around here stand on one leg to keep the other one snug up in their feathers. Their long, spindly legs lose a lot of heat on these cold nights and mornings so standing on one while the other leg is tucked up under the feathers conserves a lot of heat...but do they like it? Are they comfortable standing there for hours? How do they not fall over? (Think about it...would you be able to stand like that for hours? I would not!)
This morning, there were two birds on the end of the pier. One was a tri-colored heron and the other a snowy egret. Both were standing in their "unipedal" position, both were staring straight toward my brother's pier and both were oblivious to my presence. There was just enough breeze to make the birds wobble a bit, now and again. This is when the all-important question of whether they were happy started squirming its way into my mind. Oh, how delightful it would be to converse with my fine feathered friends. But, alas, that is not possible so the answer will never be known.
I sat on the pier watching the birds for a good while. Only once did they change positions and swap legs. In fact, they did this in sync! It was almost as if a timer was set and it was beeping a loud alarm saying "Time to swap legs!" Watching them, I had to think how nice and warm their feather must feel to that cold leg! Speaking of warmth, it was time to head back inside. It was, indeed, a bit chilly out and I do not plan on standing on one leg while tucking the other up in my jacket!
It appears that I fret far too much over the well being of the critters of the Bayou. Let one become ill or injured and I am in a tizzy. That mothering instinct falls into play and if I can help in any way, I will. The one-eyed screech owl was fed raw chicken. The baby gray squirrels whose mother was killed by a hawk were bottle fed. The great blue heron that had its foot torn off was given daily rations of mullet so he would not have to struggle to hunt. In fact, I have fed more critters than I should have. The help has ranged from those unborn by me rescuing skink eggs from hurricane flood waters (only to have them hatch in my hands) to comforting a dying baby squirrel that had been attacked by crows. From the beginning to end...all critters need assistance now and again so I try to be that helping hand.
This afternoon, I took a break from cutting firewood to admire the reflections on the Bay. With overcast skies, there was just enough light to cast gorgeous reflections on the dead calm water. While photographing the pines across the Bayou, a great egret caught my eye. The bird was standing on the end of the pier and made no effort to move as I neared. Oh, my! The beautiful bird seemed to have only one leg! That would never do! I was just beginning to ponder if the alligator had gotten this bird like it had the heron. Had the same ill fate befallen both birds?
When I was a few feet from the bird, it lifted its wings and flew across the water. Nope. My fears were unfounded (thankfully!) The bird had both legs but was only standing on one at the time. The other leg was tucked up under its feathers. This is supposedly done to conserve body heat so it makes sense. As my friend flew westward, I whispered "thank you!" I definitely did not need another critter to attend.
