Sound the Alarm! There is a Monster on the Pier!!!

  My usual morning hike to the pier was delayed by a good four hours. The grass needed cutting and I wanted to take advantage of the morning's coolness.  Ha!  So much for that.  With no wind, it was sweltering hot!  It still is.  But....I pushed a lawnmower instead of lounging about on the pier.  All of the upper part of the yard is now cut and looks nice.  Tomorrow will see me, once again, out at daybreak pushing that mower.

  However, my hike down the pier was eventful even at the late hour.  About half way down the pier, I noticed the otter slides in the soft mud. They looked recent so I started looking for the playful pups.  After about five minutes of staring at marsh, I realized that the four pups were right beneath me!  All four had taken refuge under the pier and were terrified to move.  The monster (me) on the pier was too frightening!  Now I was in a fix!  I was so very close to the pups but still could not get the coveted photograph! After a couple of attempts, I eased my way down the pier a bit further in hopes that the pups would come out to play.  No such luck!  From my brother's pier, I heard a desperate cry.  A loud squeak from Mama Otter told her babies to stay put and that she was coming. She hurried through the marsh trails until she was sure that I was not between her and the pups. Her squeaks changed tones and all four little ones dashed to her side and the family slid under the thatched marsh that hid their nest.  Safe!  But my chance at the elusive photo was gone.

Young otter pup was too close for a clear photo!

  Then a barking sound came from behind me.  Papa Otter had heard the commotion and came to help Mama.  He took the more direct approach of trying to scare me.  He barked, dove under water, barked and then made his way under the pier.  The distraction was enough to let his little family nestle down under the thatching.  He soon slipped into the marsh and from a different direction entered the nest.  All were safe and sound!  

Papa Otter coming to the rescue!

   I enjoy the little otters and hope they always nest near the pier.  Their antics amuse me and it is good to know the marsh is healthy enough to support life. I will ease down early in the morning before cutting to see if I can get another glimpse of my little friends.

The Growling, Hissing Marsh Monster!

Sometimes things can be a bit eerie down on the pier in the late evening.  Then, again, sometimes things are not what they seem.  When the sun is setting and the night critters are starting to stir about, what normally would be a cute, furry friend could be misidentified as something downright creepy!  Take this evening for instance.  Ms. Ez, the dog, and I were fully enjoying our trek to the pier to watch the sunset.  We did not stay long as there was heavy cloud cover and the sun seemed to have disappeared well before nightfall.  On the way back up the pier to the Little Bayou House, she and I stopped dead in our tracks!  Something was hissing at us!  Then.....growl!  A low gurgling grunt of a growl but still a growl!  What was between us and the shore?  Ms. Ez tensed!  The hair on her back bristled!  Yep...must have been something unseen in the marsh!  I peered into the reeds.  I saw nothing.  Perhaps it was my imagination?   My hand reached for the comfort of Ms. Ez.  She was there but nervous.  I started toward the end of the pier again.   Hisss....grunt....grunt...grunt!  Ok...maybe I should wait a minute!  It sure was getting dark....FAST!   Ms. Ez returned the growl this time.  She moved in front of me.  Her head was held low and the muscles in her body were rippling.  I had never seen her in this stance!  Alrighty now...this was getting a tad curious!  Not knowing what was growling and hissing at me, I decided to sit down and wait it out.  The pier is high enough that not too many critters can get up on it from the mire below unless one has wings!  So...I sat and waited..camera in hand!   Hiss...grunt...grunt...grunt!  The noise did sound familiar but my brain was just not wanting to recognize it.  Ms. Ez again returned the growl and looked as if she wanted to jump into the marsh and attack whatever was there.  I held onto her collar not wanting her to leave.  I quietened her.  She did not make another sound but held her stance.  We waited...and waited.  I wanted to see just what was angry about my presence.  After a few minutes, a weird crunching sound came from the spot where the hissing started.  My critter was eating!  Perhaps that is why it felt threatened! Maybe it thought I wanted its supper!  Then...a few squeaks?   Crunch, crunch, squeak, squeak.  What a strange critter!

Mama Otter glaring at me with her eyes glowing red with the camera flash!

After about ten minutes or so, I heard a rustling in the grasses.  Whatever was there was now on the move!  The reeds bent this way and that.  Ms. Ez was beside herself with curiosity..as was I!  We watched the movement and listened to more grunts and squeaks.  Then Ez leapt to her feet....her fur bristled again!  Growl!  She let out a loud growl and the critter answered with a hiss!   Much rummaging in the marsh let me know that the critter really was not happy!  Then about twenty feet from us, a head popped up through the thatching..then another and another and another!  Grunt! Grunt!  The three smaller heads disappeared under the marsh again! I snapped a picture and noticed that the flash from the camera made the eyes of my beast glow red!  OOOOH!  Hehe...my family of beasts had taken cover...afraid of me!  All that was left visible was Mama Otter!!!!  Wow!  Mama Otter evidently did not want Ms. Ez nor me to get too close to her pups!  She grunted again and again.  Then grabbing a half-eaten fish, she led her pups a bit further away.  They hid under another thatching and started eating their supper again.  Munch, munch...crunch..crunch!  I giggled!  My growling, hissing monster was Mama Otter!  Ms. Ez looked at me questioningly!  "Should I chase them?"  No, Ms. Ez, you did well...they are gone.  I patted her head and we, once again, started our trek back up the hill.  The lights in the Little Bayou House beamed brightly..welcoming us back up the hill and away from all of the monsters of the marsh!