The Race Is On!

   With winter comes the low, low tides.  Often the water is far out beyond the marsh and even the reach of the pier.  This lack of water exposes the soft mud that hides clams, crustaceans and minnows.  The predators that normally have to stalk their prey are now able to feast upon the stranded critters.  A great number of birds, otters, raccoons, fox are out during the low tide.  The mudflats are alive with those seeking breakfast.

   This morning, hooded mergansers, egrets and herons were all making good use of the mudflats.  The ducks were busying themselves in the shallows while most of the birds stayed in the ankle-deep water.  At one point, the rush to get breakfast had me in a fit of giggles.  A tri-colored heron and a great egret seemed to literally be in a race to see who could snatch the most minnows.  If one bird snatched a morsel, the other would dart to see if there was another.  This race continued for nigh on an hour until suddenly something startled the mergansers.  As they skittered across the water, both the egret and heron took flight.  Breakfast had ended.  

  With the warming of the weather, the water will deepen and the mergansers will migrate back northward thus leaving the herons and egrets to fend for themselves.  Then, the stalking returns as each will stealthily patrol the shallows in hopes of finding a meal.  The buffet on the mudflats will be closed for another season.  

Neatly Folded Against the Wind

  When you think of herons, an image of a tall stately bird with long legs and a long neck comes to mind.  It is hard to imagine seeing one that does not fit that description.  It does happen, however, with the night herons and green heron.  Their somewhat squatty appearance does not seem to go with the norm.  It is hard to convince folks that these are, indeed, herons.  Then, there are times when our tall friends just seem to be squatty like their cousins!

  Since I still cannot get to the end of the pier due to hurricane damage, it is sometimes hard for me to identify certain birds.  Normally, I look for several traits and not depend on just one.  A visitor to the pier posts confused me a bit as it had that telltale squatty appearance.  I was convinced that the green heron had survived the storm and was resting between meals.  A quick photo session took place then I was on my way to find a better subject or, at least, one that was closer.    

  Once those photos were enlarged, I realized that I had made a mistake.  My squatty friend was just trying to conserve body heat during the chilly night and morning.  It was hunkered down against the chilly north wind with its neck tucked tightly against its body.  The bird was the sweet tri-colored heron that I dubbed as "Elvis" several years back.  The bird has hung around the Bayou all this time without leaving.  I should have recognized my friend!  

  It amazes me how the critters of the Bayou have all adapted their own methods of fighting the elements.  By tucking its long neck down next to the downy feathers of its chest, Elvis was able to block out a good bit of the wind.  Sometimes, the birds will do a similar thing with their legs.  Feathers all fluffed, legs neatly tucked, neck folded to the chest...the bird has this warming thing down to a science!  Hey, Elvis!  Stay warm, my friend!

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!

Getting to know the Tricolored Heron!

  Early this afternoon, a odd looking bird sat on one of the pier posts.  This needed to be investigated so I headed down the board path.  Once on the pier, I realized that this was not an unusual bird at all but rather one that was in an odd position.  A tricolored heron had been preening itself and I caught sight of it as its head was beneath its wing.  Well, there was nothing to do but take a few pictures then head back to the warmth of the Little Bayou House.  A cool spell has hit the Bayou and the brisk north wind was chilling me to the bone.  One last look proved that the bird was hunkering down against the wind, as well.  Let's get to know our birdy friend! Here are some facts that I find interesting!

1.  Tricolored Herons are the only dark heron that has a white belly!

2.  Tricolored Herons love to wade belly-deep to forage for food!

3.  Tricolored Herons were once called Louisiana Herons!

4.  Tricolored Heron males' breeding plumage is blue and their beaks turn blue, as well!

5.  Tricolored Herons prefer feeding alone and will defend their territory against others!

6.  Tricolored Herons are usually solitary birds except during breeding season.  Then, they nest in huge colonies!

7.  Tricolored Herons eat small fish, crustaceans, insects, frogs, lizards, salamanders, tadpoles and spiders!

8.  Tricolored Herons are one of the most abundant herons in the Deep South!

9.  Tricolored Herons try to disguise themselves if threatened.  They will often submerge their heads and necks in water as if to appear being a log or (if in the marsh) they will stand erect with their beak pointed in the air as if to appear being a reed!  

10.  Tricolored Herons do a "dance" during courtship.  They neck stretch, bow, bill click and do circular display flights!

  Now that you know a bit about our fine-feathered friends, search for them along coastal areas.  They prefer bayous, marshes, bays, swamps, streams and occasionally fresh water ponds.  They are easily recognizable by that white belly!  (The last photo is from 2012 but it shows the bird really well so I decided to include it today.)

One Legged Birds?

  If you ever wander about a bayou like I often do, you start to ponder the whys and wherefores of a lot of things.  Just this morning, a questioned rambled about in the brain for a while even though I knew the "scientific" answer.  The mind-boggling part had nothing to do with the question of why shorebirds will stand on one leg but had everything to do with if they actually like standing on one leg.  It is a well-known fact that the herons, egrets and cranes around here stand on one leg to keep the other one snug up in their feathers.  Their long, spindly legs lose a lot of heat on these cold nights and mornings so standing on one while the other leg is tucked up under the feathers conserves a lot of heat...but do they like it?  Are they comfortable standing there for hours?  How do they not fall over?  (Think about it...would you be able to stand like that for hours?  I would not!)

  This morning, there were two birds on the end of the pier.  One was a tri-colored heron and the other a snowy egret.  Both were standing in their "unipedal" position, both were staring straight toward my brother's pier and both were oblivious to my presence.   There was just enough breeze to make the birds wobble a bit, now and again.  This is when the all-important question of whether they were happy started squirming its way into my mind.  Oh, how delightful it would be to converse with my fine feathered friends.  But, alas, that is not possible so the answer will never be known.

  I sat on the pier watching the birds for a good while.  Only once did they change positions and swap legs.  In fact, they did this in sync!  It was almost as if a timer was set and it was beeping a loud alarm saying "Time to swap legs!"  Watching them, I had to think how nice and warm their feather must feel to that cold leg! Speaking of warmth, it was time to head back inside.  It was, indeed, a bit chilly out and I do not plan on standing on one leg while tucking the other up in my jacket!

Trading One Heron For Another

   Months ago, a young Great Blue Heron was a thrice daily visitor to the pier.  The young bird came to beg for handouts of menhaden or little mullet.  I was happy to oblige simply because these birds fascinate me. Their feeding habits, territorial disputes and nesting sites are all points of interest.  The bird was dubbed as Moe and he soon became a social media favorite as I posted plenty of photos of him.  He became almost too tame and insisted on being my "best friend"...as long as I was plying him with food.  Then Moe became a no-show.  I have no idea whether something dire happened to my friend or whether he just moved on to a new territory.  Either is a possibility.  

  Now, a new bird is in town!  This morning while Mark and I were on the pier, a very young bird flew in to pay us a visit.  This was not a Great Blue but rather a Tri-colored Heron.  I was impressed with the fact that the bird already has most of its adult plumage even though it is still rather tiny (as far as herons go).   This one was not sure about coming to dine but lingered up the pier from us.  I did, however, get rather close to it when I was leaving the pier.  The bird did not want to fly.  It just sort of side-stepped me as I passed it.  

  Hopefully, our new-found friend will come back in the morning to get a handout.  If it does, this bird, too, will receive a name.  I figure that all of our friends should be on a "first name basis" with us so the Tri-colored will soon have his own unique name.  (The only name that gets repeated is Old Gus.  This is the name of almost every Brown Pelican in the Bay!  With the exception of two named by our little granddaughter. They are Gus and Cinderella! Now, if only she was here to pick a name for our new friend but she is far, far away at the moment naming things on a tropical island!)  The Tri-colored Heron will be stuck with an unimaginative name, I suppose.

This is where I want to be....

  Every now and again, things seem to just fall into place and seem perfect.  The other morning, Mark and I made our usual hike to the pier just as the sun was rising over the pines.  On the west side of the pier, a lone Tri-colored Heron was fishing in the shallows.  The tide was low, the wind was calm and the sun was casting a golden glow on all it touched.  We watched as the young heron snatched up minnows for its breakfast.  The whole scene was simply perfection in all ways.  

  After taking several photographs of the bird, Mark and I sat back to watch the bird.  The Tri-colored Heron usually fishes by stalking.  The bird will stand motionless until small fish start gathering directly below it.  Then, with one swift stab of its sharp beak, a fish becomes a meal. Sometimes, the heron will slowly walk in the shallows while stirring the bottom with one foot.  This shuffling will muddy the water but will also uncover small crabs or shrimp.  While our heron was fishing in shallow water, it is not unusual to see them belly deep as they fish.

  The Bayou was an idyllic scene this early morn.  The heron, the stillness of the water and the soft glint of the rising sun made for a peaceful way to start the day.  Life just does not get better than this. Sorry, folks. You can keep all of your hustle and bustle and your stress.  I will keep my simple life here on the Bayou.  It suits me better.

Another Critter Friend

  I guess we truly are creatures of habit.  Mark and I almost never miss a morning hike to the pier.  More oft than not, this walk will take place with camera and a mug of coffee in hand.  There is nothing better than starting the day with a piping hot cup of coffee and a sunrise.  Things just always seem to go smoother after starting the day as such.  The camera is always with me just in case some fantastic critter wanders into view.  One (or more) usually does!

  On our way down the pier, we both noticed a rather large bird perched at the end.  While it was not as large as a Great Blue Heron, it was much bigger than the Yellow Crowned Night Heron.  This had to be one of two things...a Little Blue Heron or a Tri-colored Heron.  I was betting on the Tri-colored.  The stature of the bird led me to this conclusion.  I made mention to Mark that if the bird had a white belly, then the identification could be deemed accurate.  

  As we strolled to the end of the pier, the bird took no notice of us.  For the longest time, it sat without moving.  Then, when we were just a few feet from it, the bird flew to one of the pier posts. Yep!  I was right!  A white belly could clearly be seen when the bird was in flight!  That identifying trait could not be wrong.  Tri-colored Herons are the only dark heron in the Deep South with white underparts.  With its blue-gray upper parts and white underbelly, the bird can easily be identified.  This bird also has reddish plumes on its lower back and throat area during the breeding season.  

  It is good to see the vast variety of waterfowl around the Bayou.  As long as the birds stay, it is a sign that the Bayou and Bay are healthy areas with plenty of foodstuffs and nesting sites.  With the encroachment of housing plots threatening the very existence of the Bayou, it scares me to think that some day, the area will not be as I know it now.  I sure hope this never happens.  I shall miss my critter friends.

On the Wing!

It is nice to see the marsh so alive with critters!  This means that it is a healthy place and after the devastation brought on by hurricanes and oil spills this makes me happy!  While I was photographing Elvis, the Tri-colored Heron, Ms. Ez was focused on the marsh.  She could see something that I could not immediately see!  After getting my pictures, I turned to follow her gaze.

 Sure enough, in the marsh about thirty feet from us, there was a Great Blue Heron!  More likely than not, I find these wading in the shallows not hiding in the marsh!  Still, the bird seemed to be seeking a shield from the cold north wind that had picked up overnight.  When I finally spied him, he was hunched down with his feathers fluffed about him.  My first thought was that this bird was ill or injured but by the time we left the pier, he was out striding about the waters hunting breakfast.  Obviously, he had just wanted a bit of time in the warm sunshine before stepping into the cold water!

The Tri-colored and the Great Blue were not the only birds busy in the marshes this morning.  Coming back up the hill, I heard a loud ruckus up in the treetops.  Ahh...Redwinged Blackbirds!   It was not long before the marsh grass was dancing with their bustling and chirping!  These had come home to nest!  Spring must be here!  Hundreds of the birds were bobbing about on the reeds, looking for insects and nesting sites.  As aggravating as these birds can be when emptying the feeders, the group is always a welcome sight when they arrive back home.  The Blackbirds will not nest in a polluted marsh!  My Bayou has come a long way toward healing itself!

Yes, the birds are returning just as others are leaving.  It is a never-ending cycle of migratory birds!  Something always interesting pops in just as the seasons change.  No wonder Ms. Ez and I like our hikes!