Early this morning, the hike to the pier was not the most comfortable. The storm from overnight was lingering into the morning so a drizzly rain made the hike be shortened. While on the pier, however, I did have the opportunity to photograph a pair of cormorants as they sat on the pier posts of my brother's pier. These birds have to do a good bit of "drying out" as their feathers are not "water-proof" like most waterfowl. The cormorants' feathers become waterlogged making it difficult to swim and to take flight from the water. This morning's drying session was rather a moot effort as the rain had to be saturating the feathers.
As often as I have photographed these birds, I actually never knew one point. While way up north on the river tug, Mark saw numerous nests in the trees on an island in the river. One of his coworkers told him that they were cormorant nests. The man went on to explain a bit about the birds and their use of the trees. According to him, the birds nest in huge colonies and the excrement from the birds can literally kill any plant life beneath their nesting sites. This included the very trees that the birds used as sites for their nests. The man said that whole islands were devoid of trees simply because of the birds pooping.
As I stated, I had never known this fact so a bit of research was in order. Come to find out, the story is true. The bird poop does kill the vegetation (even trees) when a colony of several hundred cormorants repeatedly use the same nesting site. This has even caused an uproar among people with different mindsets....those who wish to protect the trees and those who wish to protect the birds. Things have even gone so far as to have people shoot hundreds of the birds only to find themselves being arrested. Those shooting the birds were breaking the law since they shot migratory birds. All migratory birds are protected by federal law. Over the years, the illegal killing of cormorants has escalated to the point that thousands upon thousands of the birds are shot. Something had to be done as it was getting out of hand. Laws were passed to allow the killing of a certain number of birds each year if done correctly with permits. In some states, even the eggs are "oiled" to prevent hatching. All in all, about 40,000 adult birds are killed each year (that number is the reported kills) but this does not include the killing of chicks. This has some folks livid. "How can anyone condone the killing of 40,000 birds each year??" Well, when it comes to cormorants, that is about 2% of the population in the United States so it is an easy point to argue. Still, even with these "kills", the bird population is burgeoning.
I did find it interesting that the bird poop kills plants so I checked a bit further and it seems that the poop is high in nitrogen and phosphorous. When used in small amounts, these are nutrients that help plants grow but when thousands of birds roost in a small area, the poop piles up several feet deep. That extreme amount does the damage. (After having to clean the chicken houses back on the farm, trust me when I say it does not take long for poop to pile up.) To take this a bit further, being as the birds nest near water, those "nutrients" find their way into the waterways. This is being declared as having a adverse effect to everything! According to some studies, the excess of nitrogen causes extreme algae bloom which can be highly dangerous. The birds are not only killing plants, they are polluting the water! And let us not forgo the argument that as the cormorants are taking over prime nesting sites, other birds and wildlife are either dying out or having to move elsewhere.
My stance on this whole spat? It is hard to say. Perhaps if the cormorants were killing every bit of plant-life (and, therefore, all the critter life) in the back of the Bayou, I would find it hard to not condone the limiting efforts. As it is, we are in the "non-breeding" zone of the birds so the problem has not hit home. While I usually live by the mantra of live and let live, there has to be a solution that would please everybody (cormorants included) and it definitely seems that people are attempting to find the answer. This does make me appreciate the fact that these birds are migratory!
Across the Bayou from the Little Bayou House, "progress" is in the works. For the past ten years or so, huge houses have been being built. By huge, I am talking at least four to five times the size of our place. I have heard tell that most of the homes are being built at a price of over a million dollars. Hmmm...I sure hope they have good insurance since most are on "shaky" ground meaning, they are built on property that was filled in with red clay to make it meet the standards of hurricane recommendations. A lot of these are actually on a strip of land that, although was once connected, is now an island. A hurricane not too long ago ripped a huge swath out of the peninsula and left it inaccessible until a bridge was built. When Hurricane Katrina hit, there were only a handful of homes on the island and those were hard hit. Obviously, the codes for building were conveniently "overlooked" causing the houses to be weak. History has a way of repeating itself so I hope to goodness that the newer ones learned a good lesson from their predecessors.
While I am all for folks getting their dream homes, I hate that it has to come at a price payable by Mother Nature. The builders have no regard for the land, water nor critters. Our nesting pair of Bald Eagles were literally chased from a lot where the latest house is being built. Their nesting tree was cut down needlessly since it was on the outer skirts of the property and not where the house was to sit. That made me sad but, happily, the eagles relocated on a vacant piece to our west.
Now, with the low tides caused by the north wind, I have found other evidence that these builders have no respect. Short pieces of large PVC piping have just been tossed into the water. I pondered from where the pipes coming but the answer was obvious when a tractor pushed a huge mound of trash into the Bay. Now, the pipes are strewn along our shoreline making it an unsightly mess. Once the tide allows for the small skiff to be maneuvered, these will be retrieved and disposed of properly. Also, if the action is repeated, I shall try to be there with my camera to film the dirty deed. Perhaps with "proof" to the proper authorities, things will be remedied. My little Bayou is being torn to bits by so many unthinking people. Saddening...saddening. Mother Nature does not want your sewer pipes and neither do I.
I guess I am just tired. It seems as if this week has contained more attempts at wearing on my last nerve than the entire year. From losing the sweet old dog to being treated rudely, things started to pile up until the "ugly" was peeping close to the surface. At times like this, it is a struggle to keep the head level and mind gentle. "Speak softly, lady, speak softly" is a constant reminder flitting through my brain.
This morning, yet another thing irked me. This time it was not something that I can control other than to "clean up the mess". While Mark was motoring out from the pier in the small skiff, I noticed several bits of trash in the mud. The tide was low so everything was exposed. I am used to picking up the occasional beer can or water bottle. Those are bad enough as they create a total mess on our beautiful shoreline but, this morning, the trash was actually a danger. Someone had obviously discarded large beer bottle. This bottle had become broken (either before being tossed or after..who knows?) and could have caused a wicked injury to anyone swimming, throwing the net or cleaning up the mess, as I do. I was careful not to be cut by the jagged glass. A cut would have been painful but with the bacteria still lingering in our waters, a simple nick could be life-threatening.
I realize there are those who will find my dismay trivial and, like I said earlier, I guess I am just tired, but the fact that people throw their garbage in the very waters that are enjoyed around here really irks me. It brings to mind that adage...Only trash litter. Yep, only trashy people think to dispose of their garbage by littering up the place, however, when it comes to putting others in immediate danger (as this broken glass does), it is downright hateful! So, my day began with a bit of irritation. Once again, the speak softly refrain echoed among the cobwebs in the dusty corners of my mind. Speak softly.
One of the first things Mark and I do each morning is take a hike down to the pier. We start our day by looking out over the water and reflecting on how blessed we are to live on our Bayou. For some, it may not seem like the best life but, for us, it is our little piece of paradise. It is hard to imagine living anywhere else. This morning, the realization of those blessings increased dramatically.
Recently, the wildlife in the area has faced a terrible blow. The opening of spillways has released, not only river water into the Gulf, but an extreme amount of chemicals. Those chemicals wreaked havoc on the critters. Hundreds of dolphins and sea turtles washed ashore. They had huge lesions caused by the tainted water. Thousands of other sea creatures perished as well. This morning, a pod of bottlenose dolphins happily played in the waters of the Bay. Mark and I watched as these fine creatures feasted on the schools of mullet. As they chased the school of fish, they would breach the water and cause huge swells.
Seeing the dolphins at play gave me hope that soon things would be back to normal for my critter friends. We, as humans, cause so much tragedy for the other creatures of this world. It makes me sad to know that by human hands so many animals perish needlessly. It is good to know that Mother Nature can sometimes put things back in order.
I have this thing about people who throw trash in the Bay. It aggravates me and makes me think "not so nice" things. To me, the saying "Only trash litters" makes a lot of sense. It takes a trashy person to litter up a perfectly clean place. Why pollute the waters? I have also found that those same people who toss their garbage into the water are the very same ones who complain that the Bay is polluted. Well, la-di-dah...guess who made it that way??? Get real.
Early this morning, Mark and I made our rounds about the hillside then wound up on the pier. This is our usual morning routine. Once there, I spied something stuck in the marsh about half way to the mouth of the Bayou. For the life of me, I could not figure out what that thing was. It did not help that the rising sun was causing a blindspot right on the object. I knew that it did not belong there so it frustrated me. Someone had discarded some more trash into the Bay. Ugh! Mark, seeing how this upset me, decided to climb in the small skiff and go fetch the trash.
As he paddled the small skiff across the glass-smooth water, I kept yammering about the ugliness of some people, their trash and their disrespect. Mark reached down and pulled out a gasoline container. Why in the world would you toss your gas can into the water?? Then, he pulled out a broken child's lawn chair. Where did that come from?? We hauled both up the hill and properly discarded them. Now, just how hard would that have been to do in the first place?? Come on, folks, put your trash where it belongs!! And THAT is not my Bayou!!! Through all of this, I realized that Mark is my hero! Once again, he came to my rescue even if it was just to ease my mind about trash floating about in the Bay.
With the way things look at the moment, the Gulf of Mexico has received another slap in the face. Just nine years ago, we had to endure the oil spill that, not only killed off so many marine creatures, it also killed off so many lifelines of the Coastal families. We are a seafood based industry down here. Fishing is a way life. The shrimpers, oystermen, fishermen, crabbers, seafood factories, charterboat captains...you name it...were all out of jobs. Their boats and gear lay idle while the oil killed most everything within its reach. Many lost their boats. Others lost their homes. All lost their way of life. It was a hard time for the Coast. It was years before things began to return to any semblance of normality. Finally, the seafood returned and was deemed fit to eat. It took years after that for the industry to return to its profitable self but many folks had already moved on to be able to support their families.
Now, the Gulf of Mexico faces another tempest. While all Coastians are ready and eager to help those in the flooded zones of the country, opening the spillways has, once again, created a mess for the fishermen. The marine creatures are dying at a great rate. Countless dead dolphins, sea turtles and fish are washing ashore. Entire oyster reefs have died. Crabs have literally suffocated. Shorebirds are not to be found. Schools of fish and shrimp have moved further out in an attempt to escape the water pouring into the Gulf. Many folks do not seem to see the harm in what has been done. "It is just fresh river water so it cannot be doing any harm." is said over and over again. Sorry, that fresh river water wreaks havoc on saltwater marine life. They do not have time to acclimate before it kills them. That "fresh" river water is also polluted from runoff. Whatever has been flooded up north of us has now spilled into the Gulf. Fertilizer, sewage, any number of chemicals and...yes...oil is making a mess down here.
Don't get me wrong. We are not blaming anyone. We are not pointing fingers. We are not begrudging those who are trying to save their places and livelihoods that are flooded. We understand THAT whole scenario as we are subjected to hurricanes that flood our area and we are sympathetic to those that are suffering. We understand that something had to be done to provide some relief. However, there has to be another answer. Opening the spillways has done nothing but spread the devastation to another area.
All of that said, the fishermen down here are working frenetically to catch what they can before the waters get any worse. The boats are going out further to make catches of "clean" shrimp and fish. (The crabbers and oystermen do not have that option.) This plan is working as far as catches but puts a new strain on the fishermen. Fuel prices, boat upkeep and extra time spent are making it a struggle to "stay afloat". The fact stands that the wages they earn has not kept up with the current state of affairs. Many cannot afford to keep running as their expense outweigh their profits. It is a sad situation.
Mark and I were able to get shrimp today from one of our longtime suppliers. This shrimper had to go outside of the "dirty" zone to get a good catch. The shrimp are beautiful and we are thankful he made the decision to keep trying. It is our plan to buy as many pounds of shrimp as we can to help those struggling. We have been there and done that ourselves. It is also our plan to stock up on the seafood so that, if worse comes to worse, we will have a good supply on hand to ride us over until the Gulf cleanses itself. Our freezers will be filled to capacity within the next few weeks. To those in the flooded zones and to those struggling with the situation in the Gulf, we hope and pray that this is soon over for all of us. To those with the ability to help any in need, please do. There are so many out there that have been affected that need help. We are all in this together.
The Bayou is full of surprises. Some are good. Some not so good. Usually, I try to find some positive aspect about everything but, at times, there are things that just can't go there at all. It seems that the people on the other side of the Bay use the water as their personal dumping site. With the south winds and change in tides, guess where all of that trash collects?? Yep, in the Bayou. The way the Bayou is situated it is more or less like a giant funnel from the Bay. As the tide rises, items wash into the nooks and crannies of each little pass. They are shoved far to the back near the creek. Then, when the tide falls, everything that has been washed in...stays in. It collects in the marsh and becomes an eyesore for those of us used to the beauty of the place.
Recently, we had a stout wind from the southeast. This pushed the tide up over the pier and washed tons of garage up into the marsh. I reach what I can. Using a long handled scoop net, I try to retrieve any items that I can lift. Some are just too large or are too far out of reach. Nope. I am not traipsing out into the marsh to fetch some garbage tossed by disrespectful people. Years ago while spearheading a cleanup drive, my sister made signs that stated "Only trash litters". It made sense to me and stuck in my head. Only trash litter...trashy people toss their garbage into the water, on the sides of roads and in the woods. Oh, come on, people!!! Get real! It cannot be that hard to find a garbage can.
The aforementioned wind and high tide brought in a strange looking piece of something. I am not quite sure just what this barnacle-covered thing is but it sure is trashing up the marsh. The "whatever" is far too large for me to scoop in my net and far to heavy for me to roll ashore using a rod. Each time I near this area, I cringe at the thought of the "thing" staying there for eternity..or at least until the next hurricane. Then...this item will most likely be tossed further up in the yard and wind up battering the house. Not fun. So..I will keep trying to think of a way to retrieve the thing short of traipsing out among the gators, snapping turtles and moccasins. It is UGLY! And BIG! A BIG UGLY thing tossed out by trashy people.
I figure that we all should do our part, no matter how small, in taking care of this old planet. It is the only one we have so if we kill it, we kill ourselves. Not a happy thought, now is it? So, whenever I get the chance, I try to improve things a bit. This usually involves me picking up and properly discarding other people's trash. I have long gone by that mantra of leaving behind only footprints but it appears that others want to leave behind half of their belongings. It is my observation that these same folks are the first to complain about the fine fix the world is in. People whine far too much and do far too little to suit me.
That said, I also try to leave Mother Nature alone when it comes to the Bayou. She has a firm grasp on what is needed for the ecosystem to survive and thrive. Wildflowers, also known as weeds by others, grow where they will and I refuse to clear them. My gardens are filled with the volunteer plants as is the marsh and woods. The plants not only make me happy but play a huge role in Mother Nature's plan. Those "weeds" have a purpose.
Just this afternoon while out on a stroll with the old dog, I pondered that purpose. I watched as a small bumblebee was busy gathering pollen from the goldenrod near the pier. The bee was heavy laden but still went from plant to plant. Yes, it was gathering the pollen for the winter. While these bees do not overwinter in a huge hive, the queen needs sustenance to survive until spring. Sometimes, she is the only one to overwinter. Come spring, she, alone, will start the colony again. By allowing the goldenrod and other wildflowers to grow in the yard, I, in a sense, am aiding in the pollination process that is so important. Without the bees (of all sorts), the pollination of plants would diminish and, thus, begin to die out. Without plants, our food source will die out as well. So, by leaving the wildflowers, I am doing a tiny part in helping Mother Nature in her vast plan of our survival.
Ok, so I am usually pretty tolerant of people. (Notice that I did not say folks here. Folks do not bother me. People do.) I can accept their opinions. I can deal with their quirkiness. I am usually ok with whatever people choose to do as long as it does not affect me. You do your thing. I do mine. We get along fine. BUT....but occasionally, people irk me to no end and I have to call them on the error of their ways...even if it is a public plea that falls on deaf ears. I will have said my piece and then I let it go. This post is one of those public pleas.
The other day, Mark and I were trying to catch some hardhead catfish to use as crab bait. There is this unsaid rule about the Bayou that we do not kill anything that we cannot use is some way. The catfish are considered to be "trash" or "nuisance" fish by most folks but I still insist that they have a right to live...unless, of course, we use them for something. In this case, if you want to catch crabs, you need bait and it seems that crabs have a penchant for catfish. So, catfish are caught, cut and used in the crab pots. If you recall, I recently had a rant about someone putting a fish clip through the gills and out the mouth of a catfish then released it. The poor catfish was suffering so much with that clip attached to it that Mark worked diligently to remove the clip without hurting the fish any more than it already was. The fish was then released as we figured it had already suffered far more than it should have. But, another catfish brings today's rant. This one was being cut for crab bait when Mark realized that it stomach held something a tad strange. Something hard and blue was embedded in the fish's gut. He removed the object to find that the catfish had swallowed a beer bottle cap. That cap would have created just as many problems as the aforementioned clip. The fish could not digest food and pass any excrement due to the beer cap causing a blockage. The fish suffered. Yes, before someone throws it at me that we killed the fish, it is far more humane to kill things instantly to be used as food or, in our case, to catch food than it is to do something stupid that causes suffering. The blockage would have caused a slow, painful death.
Now, people! Use a bit of commonsense! Why pollute the waters with any objects such as this??? These are the same waters that you fish in, boat on and swim in so why would you toss your trash overboard? Are you that stupid that you cannot understand what you are doing? Sure, this was one beer bottle cap but it caused suffering. And, my (not) friends, you are probably one of the whiners that complains about the waters of the Gulf Coast being polluted yet you find it ok to toss your trash overboard. Not so smart. So...just don't. It is the law to have a covered container with you to hold your trash so it can be disposed of properly. Throwing it in the water is not proper disposal. Sometimes, I wish I could smack people up side the head and maybe knock some sense into them. Yeah, I know...I know...but things like this really irk me. Sometimes, I really do not like people.
At times, I have little faith in the intelligence of humankind. I ponder the smarts of folks that continually try to obliterate the very planet on which we all live. Maybe not obliterate but contribute to its slow demise. Folks, keep your trash where it belongs and not in the Bayou! Here is a novel idea! Why not put the trash in a TRASH CAN!!! Amazing that thought has not crossed the minds of certain people. There is not a day that goes by that I am not fishing something from the marsh. Bottles, cans, cups, grocery bags, jackets (yes, I have gathered several of those), broken fishing gear and a few "unmentionables" (disgusting but true). As tired as I am of picking up other folks' garbage, I will continue. This Bayou that everyone keeps trashing is my front yard.
We recently bought fifty pounds of shrimp for our son and daughter-in-law. We headed the shrimp and froze them so that they could get them the next time they visit the Bayou. Our younger son took the shrimp heads down to the Bayou to feed the fish but the large plastic bag was brought back to the house. He washed the bag, tied it up in a small bundle and put it in the trash bin. He then took the huge box, broke it down to a workable size and disposed of it in the same manner. Folks that is what you do with garbage...you dispose of it properly. You do not toss it in the Bay.
Later in the evening, Mark and I took our leisurely walk to the pier to relax a bit. Our relaxation was short lived. I became quite saddened at the sight. A similar shrimp box had floated across the Bay to become lodged in the marsh. Ok, so the box was not too bad...unsightly but not the end of the world. It would decompose eventually but what I saw a bit to the east made me sick to the stomach. There wedged in the marsh was a bag that obviously contained the heads and peels of either shrimp or crawfish. Geez! Whoever threw that over does not have a bit of sense in their head! EMPTY THE BAG!!! Just empty the bag and put the plastic in the trash! Critters will eat the foodstuffs but the containers just cause problems. Since the bag (and the box) were far from the pier, I could not retrieve them to dispose of them properly.
Later that night, the bag was ripped to pieces as critters tried to eat the contents. Bits and pieces of blue plastic floated about on the waves until it was scattered about the place. While I know my griping will never solve the problem, at times, it irks me enough that I have to vent. I guess I will forever have to pick up after people who don't care much about Mother Nature. Grrr!
Years ago after Hurricane Katrina washed huge ruts in our hillside, we were told that refilling them was a no-go. "Any fill dirt would only wash down into the Bayou and Bay. It would pollute the area and be detrimental to wildlife." All fill dirt had to be kept "1000" feet from the marsh edge to assure that we would not muddy up the Bay. Sounded rather stupid, if you ask me. So, we had to find other means to level the ruts left by debris and tidal surge. It was hard but Mark scraped things level with the tractor and I moved dirt around with a bucket and shovel. Finally. we succeeded in getting the hillside somewhat even and after the grass grew over the spots, no one was the wiser.
Now comes a problem. With all of the torrential rainstorms that we have had lately, runoff from nearby construction sites is filling the Bayou and spilling out into the Bay with each change of tide. Today when I meandered down to the pier between rains, I could see a vast splotch of orange water rushing out of the Bayou. This coloring was from the red clay that was hauled into a site across the way. New houses are being built and red clay seems to be the foundation of choice on which to pour a concrete slab. Dump trucks haul the mountains of clay to the homesite and there it sits while homeowners wait on the construction crews to build their house. The crews are waylaid by the rains but, in the meantime, the rains wait on no one. The downpours pelt the mounds of clay and eat away at the mountains. The runoff spills down the hillside and into my Bayou. My Bayou runs orange.
All of this is in the name of progress. While I do not begrudge anyone the right to build a home, I do find it strange that this runoff is not considered "pollution" if my meager fill dirt was. Soon my Bayou will be nothing more than a bog. The red clay is fast filling the low spots and making the water flow less and less. Beyond the road where the creek that feeds the Bayou originates, things have vastly changed and not for the better. The flowing creek has been filled to make space for more houses. That creek is nothing more than a small trickle now compared to what it was when I was a kid. Soon, my critters will have to find new homes....and perhaps I will have to do the same. Sad.
