An Injured Tern And A Kind Brother

  I have decided that I have the best brother in the world.  The small tern that was injured during the recent hurricane needed to be tended and fed.  Hurricane Nate may not have ravaged the Coast as some storms do but it still took its toll on wildlife.  The little bird was in dire straits but was on my brother's pier this morning instead of ours.  Despite my constant coaxing, the bird would not fly to our pier.  I had a sinking feeling that things had taken a turn for the worse for the tern. 

  About an hour after I noticed that the tern would not fly, my brother came down to his pier.  We said our usual "hellos" then I asked if he would check on the bird.  I, also, asked if he could catch some minnows for the bird as it could not fend for itself.  My brother never thought twice about picking up his net and catching menhaden just to feed a bird.  Now, whether he actually did that for the good of the bird or to appease his little sister, I will never know but it sure warmed the heart.  Seeing this guy go out of his way to help an injured bird sure made me feel good!

  Sad to say, after my brother caught the fish, cut them and hand fed the little bird, the tern could not swallow.  The bird was just too ill to eat.  My little friend did not appear to be recovering.  Tomorrow will probably find the little tern released from its pain but not in the way I had hoped.  God speed, Little Tern.  Fly happy.  Thank you, Jimmy, for having a kind heart and trying to help.

Give To Those In Need

  Hurricane Nate came and went.  It blew through the area quickly and, once again, the Little Bayou House held strong!  We suffered no damage and the tidal surge left little debris.  We are good.  Others did not fare so well.  Some homes and businesses were gutted by the tidal surge, other places were flooded and still others lost their roofs to high winds. The damage to the homes and businesses will not make the national news. That is ok.  We are a resilient folk who have learned to take care of ourselves.  We are used to it.  But all of this is a different story for a different time.  

  Early this morning, Mark and I saw a small tern that looked a lot worse for wear.  The storm had been rough on wildlife and this tiny bird was no exception.  Its feathers were ruffled and it looked plumb worn out from being battered by the high winds.  The small bird sat on one of the pier posts and never made a move to flee our presence.  Since we had work to do clearing the debris line left by Nate, we headed back up the hill and forgot about our friend bird.  All day, we worked getting the place back in order.  This evening, we were exhausted as we headed back to the pier.  The little tern was still there.

  The small tern obviously had a few more problems than we first thought.  Now, it was ravenous.  Pure exhaustion had kept our little friend from catching food.  Well, that had to be remedied quickly.  Since I had caught plenty of menhaden to use for bait, I decided to offer one to my new-found friend.  The weatherworn bird readily accepted the minnow.  It had no fear that I would bring it harm.

  I fed the little bird all it wanted and then it flew to the pier post to rest for the night.  Hopefully, it will still be there in the morning and I can give it breakfast to help it heal.  I love my Bayou Birds.  They are sweet friends.

  Thank you, Mark, for taking the photo.