Learning From The Critters

  It is no lie that I spend a lot of time watching the critters of the Bayou.  I learn from them.  Critters are smart.  Their whole lives totally depend upon their survival skills and they have honed those to perfection.  People, on the other hand, have become lackadaisical and soft.  There are many who could not survive a week without some assistance.  By studying the critters, I have discovered so many useful ways and have been applying them, in a lot of instances.  These are all things that have made life easier for me.

  This afternoon, the sun came out for about an hour so I took full advantage of it and stacked yet more firewood.  With the two wood-burning stoves going full tilt, the pile dwindles quickly.  Stockpiling during nice weather sure helps.  It was then that I noticed someone else stockpiling.  A beautiful Red-bellied Woodpecker was helping itself to the birdseed that I had strewn on the ground.  The bird had eaten its fill and was stashing a good number of seeds in the bark of the nearby oak tree before moving on to the hickory tree.  Red-bellied Woodpeckers are known to store up to four times as many seeds and acorns as they need to survive.  In fact, they can (and do) stash thousands of food items in nooks and crannies and have an uncanny sense of finding them again when needed.  The bird was stockpiling food for hard times.  

  People need to be more like the critters and not expect handouts.  My pantry shelves are lined with hundreds of jars of home-canned food items and the garden is producing a fine winter crop.  This is all fine and dandy as it keeps me from having to go to the store for items.  My pet peeve is to hear visitors to the Little Bayou House exclaim "We know where we are coming if things hit rock bottom!"  Nope.  Everyone has the same opportunity to fill their own pantry even if it is with "store-bought" goods.  We are not playing the "Little Red Hen" game here.  Folks, just use a bit of commonsense.  You do not have to go to extreme but having a few things on hand never hurt anyone. Or, perhaps, commonsense has gone the wayside.  

Who Makes Up These Things???

  It is sort of humorous how tales change from person to person.  I am supposing a lot of it has to do with cultural backgrounds but a lot is hearsay.  My interest in the critters of the Bayou leads me to do a lot of research.  Not only do I delve into the lives of the critters but into their symbolism as told by folklore.  Many times, a critter is pretty much universally recognized by one idea of what it represents.  Owls, the world over are seen as a representation of wisdom.  The same with eagles (all sorts) as they are widely seen as "strength".  Cardinals are a symbol of a connection with the "afterworld".  And so on.

  Today's critter research involved the woodpecker.  This fine bird should be the symbol for preparedness.  When times are plentiful, they store seeds and nuts for later use and build several exits to their tree hole nests as an escape from predators.  They are prepared to face what may come.  But...this is not what they symbolize!  According to research, woodpeckers represent a balance between goodness and vigilance.  They are letting us know that we should be aware of our surroundings but not let caution keep us from doing good.  Another source stated that a woodpecker sighting is a declaration that we should protect what is dear to us.  Yet, another says that a woodpecker's drumming is a heralding of death.  Finally, one source proclaimed that a visiting woodpecker brings good luck.  It seems that the symbolism of a woodpecker sighting changes with whoever sees the bird.

  There is a Red-bellied Woodpecker that visits the feeder (also known as an upside down table top makeshift feeder) each day.  The bird loudly announces its arrival before dropping in to scare off most other birds.  Only the cardinals will hold their ground and eat alongside of the woodpecker.  The Red-bellied will eat a dozen or so seeds before carting off dozens more.  The seeds are being stashed in the bark of a pine tree down the hill  Whether or not this bird will retrieve those seeds this winter is questionable.  A wily squirrel has been watching the bird's every move and may just be crafty enough to steal the seeds.  

  Whatever the woodpecker represents, I am happy to have it come to visit.  I love hearing the calls and drumming.  I love the fact that they nest nearby and bring their little ones to the feeders when the babes fledge.  Life is good/

Cleaning House

  The rains kept me housebound today so there was no hiking about the hillside.  My outdoor time was minimal.  I would step out the door just long enough to grab another armload of firewood for the old woodstove.  It was doing a fine job ob keeping the chill away but needed stoking often.  I was certainly glad that I had the opportunity to take a leisurely stroll yesterday because I would be a fine mess of stir-craziness today had I not.  Instead, I baked, wrapped gifts and cleaned house in preparation of Christmas.

  Yesterday, someone else was busy cleaning house.  A quick flutter in top of the old black gum tree told me that the red-bellied woodpecker was quite busy.  Without stopping to acknowledge my presence, the bird worked on her nesting hole.  No, she is not planning on having a brood any time soon but is clearing out and preparing her site for herself.  She will spend the cold, wintry nights bedded down in the snug nest.  Yesterday, she was pulling out old nesting material, hammering a new escape route and making general repairs to her hole.  New grasses, mosses and leaves were being brought in to line her own little home.  She was preparing her "she-shed" for the winter.  Come spring, if she decides to reuse the same hole, she will, once again, gut the inside and rebuild her nest.  Everything will be tossed as she remodels!  Out with the old and in with the new!

  I watched for a bit and thought of how thankful I am that this bird will have a snug, cozy nest to sleep in during the winter months.  With the cold rains of today and tomorrow, I am sure she is thankful as well.  A little work on her part will keep her well protected.

Enjoying The Bayou Life

  Early this morning, Mark and I headed out to the garden to pick tomatoes.  If we don't gather them, the critters haul them off.  It is frustrating to put so much work into a garden only to have animals ruin it but, as Pop used to say "They have to eat, too."  He would follow that up with a remark of "Next year, we will just have to plant more."  Well, Pop!  That may have been fine and dandy for us back on the farm because the fields could hold a lot more plants than my tiny garden plot.  There is simply no space to "plant more".   The critters need to find another food source.

  After filling our bowls, we decided to walk to the pier.  It was on our way back up the hillside when Mark pointed out a woodpecker in the oak tree.  It turned out that there were actually three birds in that tree!  A mama and two little red-bellied woodpeckers were busy finding breakfast.  While I photographed the birds, Mark was giving me a summary of what was happening.  "She found something and now both babies are fussing over who is getting it."  I continued snapping pictures in hopes of getting that "great" photo.  "They have moved to the pine tree.  Oh, wait.  No, now they are on the other oak."  I had the best guide leading me around the yard while I peered at the camera.  It made life a lot easier to have someone guiding my steps.  

  After a bit, the birds flitted off to a thicket and we continued our walk.  It is the simple things like this that make mornings happy, here on the Bayou.  The birds, fresh tomatoes, hikes or merely time spent together can make the day happier.  It also helped that these birds were not raiding the garden patch!

Just A Little Nip

  It is hard to think of woodpeckers and hummingbirds being similar.  Without even looking at the obvious difference in size, the birds seem to be total opposites.  The hummer is tiny, delicate and graceful as it flits from flower to flower.  But when thinking of a woody, the traits of a large, sturdy bird that has to be rough and tough to pound its head against pine trees come to mind.  These two birds cannot share a common thread...or can they?

  Out back, a red trumpet vine has about taken over the blackberry fence.  It has gone so far as to travel across the plum trees and up an oak.  Tomorrow, the thing will meet its demise as it is irritating me even though it is covered with its trademark red, funnel-shaped blooms.  Those blooms have attracted honeybees and hummingbirds in droves and this is where that similarity between the hummingbirds and woodpeckers was first noticed.  

  The hummingbirds use their long beaks and tongues to sip the nectar from the bright red blossoms.  Woodpeckers seem to crave that sweetness as well.  They peck a small hole in the base of flower and then lap up the nectar.  So...nectar is not just for hummers and bees!

  This afternoon as I was on a lubber grasshopper hunt, a red-bellied woodpecker caught my eye.  It was going from flower to flower on the trumpet vine.  I pondered at first if the bird was feasting upon insects that had crawled into the flowers but closer inspection revealed that the bird was indeed drinking the nectar.  It was fascinating to see something new...at least, new to me.  Nature is amazing.

Scared Stiff!

  Early this morning while I was outside painting the new screen doors, I heard a familiar sort of "cackle".  Ahh, yes, Friend Hawk was visiting.  It stands to reason that the hawk would be nearby because I had filled the squirrel...uh..bird feeders yesterday and a good dozen or so squirrels were munching the sunflower seeds.  Occasionally, a bird would get a chance to grab a morsel but, more oft than not, the squirrels would chase the birds.  A few birds had gotten smart and were searching the ground under the feeders for errant seeds from the squirrels' foraging.  (Squirrels are not the neatest diners.)  One smart bird was the Red-bellied Woodpecker.  The bird would hunt for a seed on the ground then poke it in a hole in the post to crack it.  

  Not only was the bird smart for finding food in this way, it was far wiser in another way.  As I heard the hawk cry, I turned to check the feeders.  I really did not want to have set the doves up for an easy massacre even though I love the little Cooper's Hawk.  Let that hawk catch a squirrel!  We have far too many of those rascally rodents.

  Nope, there was nary a bird in the feeder nor on the ground.  Even the squirrels had scampered to safety.  The only bird near the feeders was that woodpecker and it was playing it safe.  The hawk was on the south side of the feeders in an oak tree.  The woodpecker was on the north side of the post and was being as still and quiet as a church mouse.  I watched as the bird hunkered down close to the feeder's post.  Hmm?  I eased my way down the board path toward the feeder.  This movement made the hawk a bit skittish and it flew back toward the canebrake.  The woodpecker, however, was not moving a muscle!  It was scared stiff...or just being overly cautious.  If the technique worked against a hawk, perhaps it would work against this intruder (me), as well!

  I decided to let the woodpecker be and headed back to my painting.  After a bit, there was a bit of a skirmish in the feeders as the squirrels had returned and the woodpecker tried to chase them!  Smart bird.

Go Where You Can Thrive

  Yesterday, I spent the afternoon photographing birds and critters down in the creek behind the Little Bayou House.  I had nothing better to do or, at least, I had nothing I would rather have done than tromp knee-deep in the ferns and spider lilies.  It is just a great way to escape from reality for a bit.  As I was trying to get a photograph of a Red-bellied Woodpecker, I noticed something a tad strange about the tree in front of me.  The bird had flown from a black gum tree to a longleaf pine and it was that pine that seemed unusual.  The limbs were gnarled and twisted into what almost seemed like knots.  Pondering this, I checked the other pines and saw that a few were in the same condition.  Others, however, had "normal" limbs.  What was up with the odd trees?

   Looking at the trees, I began to realize that they were all more or less in a "row" and other trees in that "row" were just as twisted. Perhaps these were all damaged by storm winds years ago.  Hurricanes spawn lots of tornadoes which could twist and tangle the limbs in such a manner.  Regardless of the force that was put on this tree, it stood fast.  While pines normally have a tendency to "top out" during hurricanes, this one held its ground. The winds twisted and turned the limbs as the storm ravaged the area.  After the hurricane passed, the tree continued to grow.  Instead of succumbing to the forces around it, the tree survived.  Its limbs now a tangled mess, strengthened as it grew. 

  Tromping about in the depths of the creek can bring a lot of things into a clearer perspective.  Life is short and you have to make do the best you can.  When life throws woes at you, it is best to use those to make yourself stronger.  Don't let others twist and turn you enough that you cannot thrive. What you do with your life does not matter diddlysquat to others in the long run, so I say, do what makes YOU happy.  Personally, the bog makes me happy so I am heading back tomorrow.  

If Critters Had Cameras

  The hidden critter game that I recently created for my grandkids has proven to be more difficult for me than for them.  Finding and photographing critters blending in with their surroundings is not as easy as getting a clear picture.  My photographic skills have taken a turn for the worse, it seems.  The kids can spot critters a mile away and I cannot seem to get one to hide from the camera.  They all WANT to have their picture taken.  Perhaps this generation of "selfie" photos has gone too far.  If critters had cameras, I can only imagine what would happen.

  This afternoon, I hiked back down to the creek just for the purpose of finding another camouflaged creature.  While there were critters galore, none wanted to play "Hide and Seek".  It was rather like "Hi there!  I am a warbler!  Take my picture."  This was the thought as they nearly flew in to sit on the camera lens.  Then, I spied a red-bellied woodpecker.  Aha! The laddering colors on its back should help it to blend in with the tree bark!  It did......but that bright red head was a dead giveaway.  There was no way that the kiddos would miss that!

  After an hour of tromping in knee deep ferns, arrowhead plants and spider lilies, I aborted the mission and headed back to the house. Tomorrow is another day, I told myself.  Tomorrow, I will find the coyote crouching beneath the magnolia limbs or the fox hiding behind the palmetto fronds. Tomorrow, I will stumble across the alligator sunning next to a rotted log or a bobcat dozing between the gnarled, old oak roots.  Yep, tomorrow is another day.

Bad Karma?

  First, I owe you an apology.  Yesterday, I made the assumption that the Red-bellied Woodpeckers loud calls were their way of luring their fledglings from the nest.  Nope. I was mistaken.  The calls were obviously one of joy over the hatching of the eggs.  My mistake became clear when I realized that the little ones could not be old enough to fly from the nest.  This was obvious due to the fact that just in March, a different scenario took place.

  Back in March, I was elated to find that an European Starling was nesting in the dead Black Gum Tree.  While most folks would rather not have starlings in their yard, I am not most folks.  I was happy.  This bliss lasted just a few days as the Red-bellied Woodpeckers raided the nest and devoured the eggs.  I was horrified that such a dastardly deed could take place so near my front door!  But life goes on and since the woodpeckers nested in the same hole, all was seemingly well once again.  Then tragedy struck.  Karma came back to bite the woodpeckers in almost the same way that they had dealt with the starlings.  

  This morning, I awoke to the most irritating fuss being stirred up just outside my window.  The parent Red-bellied Woodpeckers were alarmed at something!  I opened the front door just in time to see a Red-headed Woodpecker attempt a raid on the nest.  Oh, my goodness!  Mama Red-belly was screeching and flapping her wings to ward off the attacker.  In flew Papa Red-belly.  The battle was quite fierce with the two birds actually falling to the ground from the force of their battle.  More Red-heads joined in the fight.  Mama Red-belly darted back into the hole to protect the little ones while Papa fought valiantly against terrible odds.  I counted five Red-heads in the melee.  Poor Papa was fighting a losing battle.  Mama, in the meantime, tried to protect the nest from being raided by the marauding Red-heads.  After a bit, the Red-heads retreated to the oak trees to regroup.  Papa Red-belly hurriedly checked on his wife and then raced to find food for his little ones.  The bowl of cat food was the quickest meal he could find so he took full advantage of it.  Back and forth, he flew.  Trying to feed the family before the onslaught resumed....and resumed it did.  This went on for the entire day.  Several times, Mama Red-belly was forced from the nest. I know for a fact that at least one of the little tykes was hauled from the nest.  It was not a pretty sight.

  This all made me rather sad for the Red-bellied Woodpecker family.  How cruel it was of the Red-headed Woodpeckers to attack and kill the babies.  Then, I recalled the previous family that had resided in the nesting hole.  Karma? Not really.  It is more like survival of the fittest or life in the avian world.  Raising little ones is never easy and sometimes it is the youngsters that pay the price for the adults' actions.  Poor baby birds.  And to think...there was nothing I could do to help.

Baby Day on the Bayou!

Today must have been officially declared "Baby Day" here on the Bayou! Being as it was so hot..too hot to work..I retreated to my "birdwatching" chair. Hubby decided to join me in the difficult task of sitting and watching the birds come to the feeders and birdbath. I guess he figured since I was working so hard, he would help me! I was glad to have his company because it made me feel less guilty about whiling away the hours staring at birds. He was the first to notice that it must have been Baby Day..the day that a lot of the little hatchlings took flight for the first time.

A baby Blue Jay was sitting in the fork of a large oak for the longest time. We had tired of looking at him after about fifteen minutes and as many pictures. It was then that we noticed he had moved. Where had the little tyke moved? We were a bit wary, since Ms. Put was on the prowl and baby birds always make easy targets for tired, old cats. I could hear the soft chirps of the little one but could not locate him. It was then that Hubby pointed to a small bush right near my feet. I had pulled a second chair in front of me to use as an ottoman and practically right against that was a crape myrtle bush. There in the bush, which was little more than a twig, sat the baby. I quickly swapped chairs so that I was within hand's reach of the itty bitty bird. I cooed softly at it..it responded. Not with a "happy to meet you" look but with a scared-stiff, deer-in-the-headlights look. It let out a panicked screech. The leering looks of the parent birds caused me to back off a bit. Still with arm's reach, I snapped picture after picture. The little guy was in no hurry to leave so I figured he must not have been too frightened. After about another fifteen minutes, he hopped to the ground and headed for the birdbath. It was there that the parent birds were calling softly to him. Once there, he hopped up on one of the benches and proceeded to flap his wings as if he wanted to fly. And fly he did! Not far but at least far enough that it made me feel confident that he would be ok. From there he headed to the oak tree near the marsh..Mom and Dad bird hovered around him until he made a painfully slow ascent high enough in the tree to be safe.

At the same time this saga was unfolding, the Red-bellied Woodpeckers brought their young one to the feeder. The little one was perched on one of the nearby oaks and evidently told to stay there! The parent birds would fly to the feeders, pick out a seed, fly back to the tree, shell out the seed and finally feed the hungry squirt! The tot would flap its wings and make all sorts of racket each time Mom or Dad would land on the tree. Eventually, they stopped visiting the feeders and started looking along the ridges in the tree bark for bugs. They would chirp for the little one to search, too. Finally, I think it was getting the idea! Bugs! This little tyke was one happy camper!

I did notice that the Titmice were busy introducing three of their brood to the feeders and one Redwinged Blackbird had two of her chicks out of the nest. Baby Day! Maybe with the temperature hovering near 103 today, the nest was just too hot!

Birds and Birders!

Today when I was taking a break from peeling the mountains of grapefruit to be canned, I wandered outside for a bit. It was a beautiful sunny day with just a light breeze..just the perfect day for a stroll. As I walked, I thought..pondered anything that popped into the head. Then..oh, my goodness! A redheaded woodpecker! This bird has to be my all-time favorite! It looks as if it is dressed in formal attire! A bright red hat topping off its tuxedo! I love this bird! It tickled me to watch as he would try to stay on the opposite side of the tree from me. He would peek around the side to check if I was still there then..rat-a-tat-tat..he would hammer into the tree. Perhaps he thought that Ezzy, the dog, and I might steal his grub worms! Yes..this has to be my favorite bird..but no..I do not want his grub worms!

Like I said..I pondered things while I was out and about. The redheaded woodpecker made the thoughts turn to birds. I remembered another bird that wears a tuxedo..the rose-breasted grosbeak. Oh, yes! Another lovely bird! I think perhaps the grosbeak is my all-time favorite bird! It is a bit early for them yet..but come the first part of spring, they will be here. They will only here for a short visit as they migrate through. I wish they would stay for a bit longer but I know they must be on their way. The male grosbeaks, too, wear the black and white formal wear but instead of a bright red top hat (their's is black!), they opt for the crimson ascot! A little patch of red on their breast..hence the name! Add a few splashes of white and their outfit is complete! They usually intermingle with the indigo buntings making for some pretty colorful gatherings at the feeder.

Then a flash of crimson..ahh..my all-time favorite bird..the cardinal!! Yeah..I know..this one does not wear a tuxedo, but it is just so pretty that I had to throw it in here! The brilliant red of the cardinal does something to brighten up an entire winter. It can be the most dreary, grey day out, but if the cardinal makes his presence known..the day does not seem so bleak. This one will devour every black oil sunflower seed in the feeders all the while tossing the other seeds to the ground. The doves do not seem to mind this one bit since they are ground feeders and with the cardinal above, they are literally showered with feed! I do believe this must be my sister's favorite bird..she has several paintings of cardinals in her house. What a gorgeous bird!

Well, now that I think about it, I have an awful lot of "favorite" birds! Perhaps all of them are favorites. Ones like the red-bellied woodpecker, the blue jay and the summer tanager..lots of favorites! This reminds me of a comical thing happened about a month ago. I have a cousin that is an avid birder. She prides herself on being able to identify most birds with just a glance. I stand in awe of her ability to do this and truly wish that I would take the time to learn a bit more about my feathered friends. She has all the trappings of a serious birder..the binoculars..birding scope..bird identification books..and much more..too much to tote! Anyway, last month, this cousin had a houseguest that she wanted to take birding. She called to ask if it was ok to visit the Bayou to view any unusual birds that might be around. I agreed and immediately set to making this visit a success. I filled the feeders to the brim, scattered a bit on the ground and filled the birdbaths. That should help. Then, since both of these ladies are in their 80s, I lugged two of my wicker lawn chairs to the end of the pier so they would have sturdy seating. No hard benches for my guests! Two lap-throws were added to the chairs to shield them from the icy winds. (Which I thought was a nice gesture!) All was set..birds were flocking to the yard..waterfowl had settled in on the bay..the ladies arrived. By the time we got them settled in to watching for birds..there were no birds. No birds..anywhere! It seems that every bird within a quarter mile had gotten wind that some one was there to look at them. They hid!

No ducks on the bay, no osprey in the dead pine, no chickadees on the feeders. Where had they gone?? The ladies did see on osprey in the distance and a beautiful egret but nothing out of the ordinary. The bird-watching trek was a bust! I must say that the house guest and I had quite the amusing time but my cousin was miffed. Then to top it all off..I was told that it was the lap-throws that scared all the birds away! hehe..It is funny how navy blue throws were deemed "too loud"! I can just imagine all of those fine feathered friends sitting in the bushes, giggling at their successful joke!