Rattling Call, Incredible Speed...The Belted Kingfisher!

   Belted Kingfishers are rather skittish birds.  They are shy and tend to stay away from people if at all possible.  Add their incredible speed and you can easily see why the birds are notoriously difficult to photograph.  This makes the "hunt" interesting.  Sometimes the only indication that a kingfisher is in the area is its call.  The bird is usually solitary and only meets up with another during breeding season.  

  One thing that is a bit unusual about the Belted Kingfishers is that the female is more brightly colored than the male.  If you see one with an extra "belt" of rust color across its chest, that is the female.  Males lack this and are only blue and white.  There is some question as to why the female is more colorful since this is not the norm.  Usually, male birds are brightly colored to attract females and the females are muted as to stay hidden while on the nest.  What gives with the kingfishers?  

  One explanation that seems most logical is, that since kingfishers are highly territorial, the rust-colored band gives a resident male a clue that he need not defend his territory but should welcome the visitor.  When in the midst of many battles with other (intruder) males, that bit of color is sort of like a flag.  The male can easily distinguish the female as a possible mate instead of an interloper.

  This morning, I heard the rattling call of a kingfisher near the pier.  Determined to get my photograph, I plunked myself down and waited.  I was rewarded when a female bird landed on a tall pole on my brother's pier.  Ahh!  I had to be quick!  I snapped exactly one picture before the bird dove into the water, snatched a fish and flew to a nearby pine tree.  She was gone...but I had my picture!

Patience Is Everything

   Patience is a virtue that very few of us have obtained or, if we ever had it, we have forgotten how to use it.  The world is caught up in a rat race with people demanding everything they want, how they want and when they want.  It is mindboggling, to say the least.  Thankfully down here on the Bayou, things are different.  When you pull yourself out of that rat race, you start to enjoy life as it is and not how others think it should be.  Here, patience is not only a virtue, it is everything.  I have relearned that over the years in so many ways.  Patience is everything.

  This morning before the others were awake, I did my usual walk to the pier.  Since I was alone (even the cat stayed in the warm bed), I had the place to myself.  I sat in the middle near the wallowed out cut where we usually moor the old boat.  Now that it was out at the end of the pier, the shallows were filled with bull minnows and a lone Clapper Rail.  This bird is a friend that will come out to visit if I linger long.  The bird and I had an ideal "conversation" even though it was a bit one-sided.  I talked to the bird.  The bird ate bull minnows. 

  After a good twenty minutes of this, I heard the whirring of wings and, to my surprise, 5 Snowy Egrets came into the same cut.  There, not 10 feet from me, were the most beautiful birds!  I was almost afraid to breathe lest I frighten them!  After a bit, I slightly shifted my position so I could move the camera to their angle.  The birds did not fret.  After dozens upon dozens of photographs, I started gently talking to these fine friends.  This did not seem to bother them, either!  In fact, one flew up on the pier near me.  Goodness!  For the next hour, I sat on the pier watching the egrets.  I sat even though my legs were cramping from the cold pier.  I sat even though my fingers felt like ice.  I sat even though the morning was slowly slipping away and I needed to be doing chores.  I sat.  Patiently, I sat so as to not frighten the birds.

  After nearly 40 minutes (and 155 photographs), the birds decided it was time to fly to the back of the Bayou.  I was cold and achy but my patience had been truly rewarded.  Patience is a virtue.  Patience is everything.

"It's Ok."

   You know, folks, you never stop learning.  I do not mean school learning from books and teachers but "real" learning where you figure out life.  Not that I have anything against teachers.  In my eyes, they are lay the groundwork for future generations. But, learning to live a decent life and to be able to accept what is thrown at you without becoming a whiner, is priceless.

  A few days ago, Hurricane Ida skirted just to our west.  The poor folks of Louisiana got slammed.  We were fortunate enough to have very little damage.  The one thing that could be considered a major hit was Son's car.  A huge oak limb smacked the rear windshield and literally sent it into glass confetti.  Well, that happened early in the storm.  We all heard it but had no idea what had happened.  Hurricanes are full of explained noises.  The one thing we did get from the hurricane is rain.  In fact, we got over 14 inches of rain overnight.  You can imagine what Son's car looked like by morning.  When we discovered the broken glass, I told him how sorry I was that it happened.  He looked at me, put his arm around my shoulders and said "It's ok.  We are safe."  That was it.  That was the entire reaction to his car being broken and filled with water.

  When I spoke of learning, I am not too proud to say that I have learned much from my kids.  This experience with the damage and Son's reaction, taught me so many things that it is hard to choose which is the most important.  If asked, I would have to say it was a lesson in knowing just what matters.  Son did not fret over the car but was appreciative of the fact that we were all safe.  He knows material things can be replaced and should not be of our highest concern. It was a good reminder of what we all say but find hard to commit to when faced with calamity.  I am learning...I am learning.

The Link That Holds It Together

   I shared a photo of some wooden chains with some friends of mine and never dreamed that it would garner so much attention.  The chains are hand carved antique pieces that I acquired from the old farm place where I grew up.  As a kid, I remember being in awe of the handiwork involved in creating the chains and feel blessed that I have them now.  The wooden chains were a quirky addition to the a "museum" also know as our house.  The Little Bayou House has always been filled with oddities of this sort and I would not have it any other way.  I am, after all, the "Keeper of Weird and Wonderful Things" or so I have been told.  I feel it is one of my duties to protect items such as this simply because (at one point) they were nigh on tossed on a burn pile.  (We won't go there but I am glad I was able to rescue the chains.)

  These particular chains were given to Pop by some very sweet old ladies way back before I was born.  Pop took up handyman work to supplement the meager money he made as a farmer.  In fact, this was just one of his "other jobs".  He had many to support his family.  The chains stayed in the old farmhouse as long as I can remember before coming into my possession.  Granddad had told me that these were made by sailors of long ago. I figured he would know as he was a sailor himself!  He claimed that sailors needed something to occupy their time on the long voyages so they took up carving among other handcrafts.  Each chain and its pendant are carved from a single stick of wood.  The links are movable and the pendants have small carved balls in them that are also loose.  

  In this day and age where everything is mass produced and cheaply made, it completely awes me that folks had the talent and patience to create such fantastical works of art simply to make use of their idle hours.   Some will claim that the chains are useless but I beg to differ.  The are works of art.  These fine pieces are here to inspire.  They are here to make us dream of times when things were well-made.  There are here to make us realize that we should have patience and do things to the best of our ability even if there are those who think we are of no use.  Folks, take the time to really look at things and delve into the idea behind them before being too hasty of passing judgement.  

Patience, My Dear....Patience

  Yet again, I am bound to the Small Gardens but, since I am Queen here, it does not bother me much.  I was, however, bemoaning the fact that I can no longer visit my friends of the fauna ilk.  I miss the interaction that we shared.  It has been almost three weeks since I visited and I have fears that they will soon forget me.  That is disheartening.  This morning, Son and I were sitting on the steps in the first small garden when I proceeded to tell him of my fears. He was diligently trying to make repairs to my camera which seemed to break just about the same time that I did.  He assured me that my critter friends would not forget and that he would help me expand my realm shortly.  This elated me as I knew life was going to vastly improve!

  Just as he was searching for something to "test" his camera repairs, a beautiful swallowtail butterfly flitted above the zinnia patch.  With one deft movement, he snapped a photo and turned to smile at me.  "See, your critters have not forgotten you.  Instead of you going in search of them, they are coming to you."  He handed the camera to me.  "See if this is better."  Precisely at that moment, a black swallowtail settled on a leaf of the deutzia bush!  This time, I took the photo and reveled in the idea that my critters may remember me even though I know the butterflies were merely seeking nourishment from the garden flowers.  Perhaps, just perhaps, a few of the squirrels, birds and snakes would have a vague recollection of the crazy, old lady who talked with them.

  All in all, having the lovely "flying flowers" come to the Realm of Small Gardens brought happiness.  It is often hard to have patience to let things come on their own.  Life is not easy.  Being patient is harder.

Little Flame of Red!

  The old dog is still not doing the best so my limitations on hiking are still in effect.  We slowly meander about a hundred feet down the hill, he sits, I try to find something interesting to pass the time as he gazes at whatever is in front of him and then we return to the Little Bayou House.  This routine is ok as it is all he can muster but it does make for a lack of photographs.  Patience is a virtue.

  This afternoon while he spent ten minutes staring at Ms. Nycto (the cat), I stared at a single red leaf.  The tiny leaf was being back lit by the sun that was quickly sliding down to the western horizon.  In all of its one inch glory, the leaf fought back at the coming darkness.  It literally glowed!  It was a brilliant beacon in amongst the dull browns of the fallen oak leaves...a little flame of red!

  Thinking this little leaf was one that had recently fallen from a nearby tree, I tried to pluck it from the ground.  Nope, it wasn't happening.  This little leaf was the entirety of a plant.  With its roots firmly affixed, there was no pulling this plant!  A baby smilax vine had sprouted and was doing its best to survive the winter (or lack thereof.  Lucky plant).  

  Smilax vines are some of the most difficult vines to remove from the ground.  Their vines are covered with thorns which makes grasping difficult but it is the root system that causes it to be a nigh on impossible task to pull them from the ground.  Even this tiny two inch tall vine with its single leaf has a root tuber about an inch in diameter.  It seems that the root ball grows much quicker than the upper portion of the vine.  Once established, however, the vines can quickly cover anything on which they can grasp!  Tendrils reach out and wrap around twigs of other plants. The sheer tenacity of smilax is amazing!

  I really should have yanked the smilax from the ground and thrown it into the burn bin but something told me to leave it be.  Perhaps it being my bright spot of the day had something to do with that decision...one I may regret come this summer.  For now, however, the tiny red leaf can glow in comfort as I have no desire to remove it.  It whiled away a good ten minutes for me.

Short Post...

  It is well after midnight and I am exhausted so this will be a short post.  Tonight was the first running of the Sixth Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  It has been a long, hard go getting this hunt together as we have had several setbacks but tonight went off without a hitch.  Every prop worked remarkably well!  The first team was a group of lovely, young ladies who did extremely well working out all the enigmas that Son and I had set up.  At the end, they all claimed that this was the most difficult hunt yet but they each had a delightful time.  The best testimony??  They want to come back next year!  Tomorrow night will be the second running so time will be short then, too.  Have patience, friends, have patience!

A Little Bit of Patience

  Sometimes it can take a bit of patience to get what you want.  That said, patience is also a great virtue to have when it comes to fishing.  It takes a lot of it at times!  When Mark and I headed to the pier late this afternoon, we had no inkling that we might wind up fishing.  It just happened.  Off in the distance, we could see my brother casting his line from his boat.  Hmmph!  We could not let him fish without our trying! So, out went the lines.  With the first cast, Mark's line tangled and we spent the next ten minutes trying to unwind that bird nest of a tangle.  He made the remark that he hoped a fish did not bite while we dealt with the mess.  As soon as he uttered the words, his line started zipping out.  Well, now!  That was a problem!  He grabbed the line, jerked to set the hook and then looked at me like "What now?"  Poor fellow started pulling the line hand over hand  trying to battle the fish with no pole.  Needless to say right when he got the fish to the pier, it fell off the hook.  Drats!  It was a redfish!  Geez!  

  No more bites were felt for a while.  In the meantime, my brother paddled his boat near the pier and told us that he only caught three stingrays and a gar.  "Nothing good out there."  Hmm, that was not going to deter us!  Mark and I had all the time in the world just to sit there.  If we did not catch a fish, so be it.  It was not but a few minutes later that Mark got another bit...a wee nibble..but a bite. He reeled in a ground mullet!  Ok...so ground mullet are good.  Then we caught two more!  Nice!

  It does, indeed, take a good bit of patience if you want to catch fish but it is worth the effort.  Not only did Mark and I have a wonderful time just being together while enjoying the sunset, we caught enough fish for our lunch tomorrow!  Sometimes it pays just to enjoy what you are doing.

Wait, Ms. Ez, wait!

  I most likely have done horribly wrong by Ms. Ez, the old Bayou dog.  Ever since she was a wee pup, I would use the single word "Wait" as a command.  She learned patience....lots of patience.  I made her wait until I was down the steps before exiting the house.  I made her wait until I led before getting on the pier.  I made her wait until squirrels were nigh underfoot before she chased them.  I made her wait...a lot.  It is that last one that seems to have struck a chord with her. She still occasionally barrels out of the house or on the pier before me but she can out wait a squirrel by far.  Her patience is amazing when it comes to trying to snag one of those wily critters.  She has a perfect vantage point as she watches them try to raid the bird feeders.  The steps are just high enough to allow her to see over the gate and the jasmine vine is just full enough to conceal her whereabouts.  Once a squirrel is spied hopping up the board path, she quietly slips off the steps and stands just behind the opened gate.  From there, she eyes the squirrel as it comes closer and closer.  Once she figures that the critter is in the position of difficult escape, she makes her move.  She lunges out of the gate and down the board path.  The squirrel will invariably be startled enough that it darts to the first thing available that resembles a tree.  Sometimes this "tree" is the driftwood post that holds the feeders.  If that is chosen, Ms. Ez is in Heaven!  The squirrel is trapped and she bides her time.  After a bit, the squirrel will dart down the side and make a dash for it.  Ms. Ez will be hot on its tail all the way to the first tree in sight.

  There are several trees in the yard that stand far enough from others to make the squirrel be "treed".  Ms. Ez then plops herself down at the base of the tree and waits.  She sits and stares at the squirrel sometimes for hours on end.  The poor squirrel is in a frenzy to escape but all exits are blocked by this big lug of a dog! Finally, the squirrel will panic and race down the tree trunk.  The chase begins again.

  Ms. Ez never really attempts to catch the squirrel and both animals obviously think this is some grand game.  Neither seem to tire of the fun.  About dark, I have to call Ms. Ez to come inside and let the squirrel head back to its nest for the evening.  I believe she would sit there all night if I let her!  Wait, Ez, wait!

Patience!

Recently several people have asked my advice on cameras and nature photography. I could make up some really important sounding advice to give them but I am quite sure that would not help one bit. Not that they would not follow the advice.. following it would be the problem. I have no clue about cameras nor the proper method of photography. I just take pictures when I see something that strikes my fancy and hope to goodness that the picture turns out well! To my way of seeing things, there is no set method. There are only two things that come to mind that might help ..patience and well..maybe only one..more patience. If you grab the camera and set out with the big idea of photographing "wildlife" you better be referring to some frat party, bar-scene or college football tailgate gathering. That type of "wildlife", I am quite sure, would pose for you. You, as the photographer, would not have to worry about frightening your subjects (although some of those subjects might frighten me!). In photographing the true wildlife (nature), it is more happenstance. You have to be in the right place at the right time. In my case, I take walks every day so that my animal subjects become used to my presence. These animals soon began to realize that you are not going to hurt them so they allow you to get a bit closer. They are more or less my friends and I am sure you have noticed that I refer to them as my "Bayou friends". I must stress though that I do not make pets of them since that would so interfere with the eco-life of the Bayou. I do set out birdseed and do hand feed the Night Heron minnows, but nothing else. I want the critters in their natural setting..that is where I find the beauty of it.

As for the type of camera to use..I have no clue! My cousin takes phenomenal nature photos with her phone! I have a camera that my husband bought for me five years ago. It is a Sony Cybershot 5.1MP Digital Camera with 12x "Steady Shot" Zoom and I do have the Sony VCL-DH1758 Tele Conversion Lens. Huumph! Now, if you can make heads or tails out of that..have at it! I have no idea what in the world all of that means! After five years of ownership..I am still learning all the bells and whistles of this thing! I would love to say that I know what I am doing and I would love to be able to help anyone with their photography, but I honestly do not think my pictures are of any of my doing! I just have willing participants! My Bayou friends have come to know me and I believe they actually pose for the camera! I have no other explanation for the shots that I get! Take the little Rail in the shots here..she actually brought her brood out to meet me! I was just sitting on the pier when I noticed her come out not twenty feet from me. She stopped, looked at me and then called to her young to come out of the marsh. My son and daughter were there with me and I know the bird saw us as we were talking and giggling at the antics of the young birds.

So, yes, it has a lot to do with being patient, but also with making yourself known to the animals. I find if I "sneak" around to get shots..it never happens. I am relaxed, therefore, the animals and birds are relaxed. So definitely..patience and timing!