Beauty Before A Storm

   Some pretty bad storms hit the area tonight but, earlier in the day, it was relatively nice.  The sun was shining and it was warm despite the stiff winds coming from across the Bay.  Several times, I went down to the pier to check the small skiff.  Son (even with his broken toe) and I had spent an hour last night trying to secure the skiff in the small inlet.  We finally managed to get it over the marsh and then tied off to the posts.  There, it could ride out the storms without bother.

  On one of the walks to the pier, I noticed a lovely egret wading in the shallows.  The bird was hunting breakfast and there was plenty to be found in the muddy waters of the Bayou.  Since there was not much else to do at the moment, I sat and watched the bird.  Snowy Egrets are stalkers.  They either stand motionless and wait for hapless fish to swim past or they slowly wade near the shoreline and catch fish when they become startled.  The dagger-like bill gives a deadly jab when the bird strikes.  This egret was snatching mullet with ease.  

  It always marvels me that these snow-white birds can stay so clean while sloshing about in the muddy shallows.  Nary a speck of mud nor debris could be seen on the showy plumes.  If that had been me out there, I would have been one muddy mess!  Not the bird. The feathers literally gleamed! I might have been a tad envious...maybe.

Not an ounce of truth...

  It was a grey morning here on the Bayou...grey and chilly.  As I grow older, the winter's chill gets to me.  I feel it now whereas cold never bothered me in the past.  Perhaps it is a rite of passage.  When you are young and full of energy, even the weather does not stop you but as you age, lingering a bit longer around the old woodstove is necessary.  You deserve it. I deserve it.  So...I did linger...but not before a quick run down to the pier.  That comes without thinking...just do it.  Every last morning after the first mug of coffee, the stroll down the hillside and to the end of the pier is a necessity.

  This morning, only a young raccoon was found out and about.  The little fellow was putting into practice all of the hunting and fishing skills he was taught last year.  Belly deep in the cold water did not seem to bother him at all as his front paws skillfully swished around in the mud.  This lesson was taught by his mother and, obviously, he learned it well.  Swish!  Swish!  A tiny crab was caught and the coon had a bit of breakfast.

  Oddly enough, most of us were taught that raccoons wash their food by swishing it around in water.  After watching the critters, it is easy to see that there is not an ounce of truth in that lesson.  Raccoons have a very highly established sense of touch.  Water heightens that in the coon's paws.  When you see one "washing" its food, it is actually "feeling" it.  A raccoon knows exactly what it finds underwater or in the mud and has no desire to cleanse it.  This is its hunting technique.  A coon does not "look" for food...it "feels" for it. When you think about it, the method is spectacular.  Since the raccoon "feels" for its food, it can keep its head up and be alert for predators.  

  The little coon worked the shallows for a while before scampering into the marsh.  It was bedtime for the little one.  Either it would hole up under some of the marsh mats or work his way up the hill to burrow down in a hollow tree.  Come nightfall, he will be back on "active duty" hunting for enough food to fill his belly.  Me?  I headed back to the Little Bayou House for another mug of coffee and the warmth of the woodstove.

Not So Friendly Critter

   If there is one thing the Bayou has it is plenty of mud.  Not "pretty" mudpuddle mud but stinky, slippery, staining, mucky mud.  People often ask me if I ever swim in the waters here and that is met with a huge "No!" but that is not just because of the mud.  It is what hides in that mud and murky waters.  Aside from the alligators and cottonmouths, there are the snapping turtles.  Usually, gators and snakes are relatively easy to see but those turtles blend so remarkably well with the mud that it would only take one misstep before you would receive a nasty bite.

Yesterday, I was on the pier and noticed what seemed to be just another mound of mud in the shallows.  Sometimes, the otters slide around enough that mud will mound up in piles.  Seeing the mound, I had an inkling that this was not mud but a turtle and, sure enough, when I got closer, I could see the outline of its head beneath the water.  Yep, there was that old snapping turtle stalking bull minnows.

  I sat on the pier a short distance from the turtle and watched.  After a bit, the turtle started moving around.  Its head came out of the water and I was able to photograph our grouchy critter.  Snapping turtles are known to not be the friendliest of critters so I kept my distance.  The turtle soon moved on through the marsh in search of more breakfast.  The "mud mound" was gone!

Stealth Fishing!

   Earlier today, I gathered together a bunch of table scraps to put out for the critters.  With the cold, rainy weather we are having, the critters are extremely appreciative of the easy meal.  I only wish I had enough to set out a buffet for all of them.  While I was scattering the pecan hulls, fruit peels and other goodies, a flash of white caught my eye.  Down by the pier, a gorgeous Great White Egret was working the mudflats.  That bird was smart!  The tide had been pushed far out from the marsh leaving only tiny puddles on the flats.  Thousands of tiny bull minnows had become trapped in the inch deep puddles.   They would have been fine had they not come out to bask in the few moments of sunshine.   Normally, these tiny minnows can hide in the soupy mud and escape the certain death that awaits at the whim of the bird.  That sunshine and its warmth lured the minnows to clear water and that meant their demise. 

  The Great White Egret is a stealth hunter meaning that it can stand motionless until the minnows are within range.  Then with precise aim, the daggerlike beak is plunged down and the bird enjoys a fishy lunch.  This afternoon, the bird could be seen catching minnow after minnow.  Its belly will be full tonight and that will help ward off the cold.  After snapping a few photos, I scurried back to the warmth of the Little Bayou House and left my critter friends to enjoy their meals.  

The Busy Morning

  It was rather chilly out on the pier this morning.  With the temperature in the upper thirties, I had to watch my step for fear of slipping on the frost-covered pier planks.  I was fully not expecting others to be out on the water but, to my surprise, the place was quite active.  The north wind had pushed the tide far out exposing the mudflats for some distance.  Those mudflats and the shallows were teeming with activity as all sorts of critters were hunting breakfast.

  A group of mottled ducks were the first that I noticed.  It seemed that they kept their heads under the water more than above.  They were shuffling the bottom to muddy the waters.  This allowed them to confuse the small mullet and bull minnows swimming there.   Along with the mottled ducks was a pair of hooded mergansers.  These, too, were busy feasting on the little fish.  I was surprised to see the two types of ducks mingling.  The hoodies are a much smaller type of duck than the mottleds but they had no problem working together to find their morning meal.  I watched  the ducks for a few moments before I noticed yet another critter joining the feeding frenzy.  A snowy egret flew in to the open diner.  This gorgeous bird stepped gingerly in the shallows and dipped its beak often.  It always came up with a tasty morsel!  Imagine my surprise when a tri-colored heron joined this motley crew!  This bird, too, caught its breakfast with ease.  The sight fully amazed me.  I was so impressed that each of these birds seemed oblivious to the fact that it was dining alongside of those different than itself.  The sole intent was to fill the belly on this cold morning.  But...I was being chilled to the bone and decided to head back to the warmth of the wood stove.  I rose from the bench, looked up and was floored!  Yet another critter wandered to the area to dine.  A lone raccoon waddled out of the marsh and started scavenging the mudflats for trapped minnows.  After a few moments, the coon waded out to share in the bounty the others were enjoying.  All in all, six mottled ducks, two hooded mergansers, one snowy egret, one tri-colored heron and a lone raccoon feasted upon the minnows that had been flushed out of the marshes by the low tide.  It was definitely a busy, busy morning on the Bayou!