Ducklings on the bayou

I've waited 2-1/2 months for these ducklings to arrive. Once a week I walk along the bayou to see what has progressed. Two weeks ago I saw an old mallard male, the largest duck I have ever observed, with his young bride and her poor ugly duckling. Luckily, papa knew what he was doing, because young mama proved clueless in her parenting skills. Being a city gal, I have never seen ducks fly up close, because most of these city ducks have clipped wings. Not papa, he proudly spreads those wings and flies down into the water next to mother and child when they get a bit out of his comfort range.

This week I spotted another mama duck with 8 ducklings. Most were ugly ducklings, yet one fluffy yellow duckling stood out among the crew. I'm sure nature takes care of those ugly ducklings, by making them the color of the murky bayou water and giving them a respite from all the other creatures that would like a tasty morsel. Already a neighbor reports there are only 6 ducklings left. At my worksite, huge buzzards lurk near the young ducklings, waiting for some fresh meat. Here on the bayou, the neighbor suspects the large bass and other fish enjoy a rare delicacy. The neighbor reports bass, crappie, catfish, and other large species here in our little bayou and cove, although like me, he refuses to eat them because of the runoff pollution coming from our city streets.

Life in the Bayou City...beautiful in small ways!

Raining on the bayou

After weeks of no rain, it finally poured buckets on Friday night. It's great to see that after four inches of rain that our little tributary has only become murky and gained approximately one inch of new water. I was scared we would be flooding here.

We've seen a huge influx of birds this past week. Besides the crow I hear now, I've also discovered a new species of doves I've never seen before. They are not the regular mourning and Inca doves we normally have in Houston. They almost have a smokers-like hack if that can be described as a bird noise. They are beautiful and almost look like a gray blue jay.

Ms. Clare de Lune, my spicy tabby cat, is loving all of this bird watching. Birds fly through our vines and trees, while she spots blue jays, cardinals, robins, sparrows, and our Texas State bird, the mockingbird. (The mockingbird, an annoying creature, mimics all the other birds and also loves to swoop in on cats just like the bluejay does.)

Ms. Clare loves to watch the water. I think the bullfrog's mating calls freaked her out earlier this week, yet she loves to watch the tadpoles, small frogs, turtles, and fish hitting the top of the water. When she meditates the water, she could care less about the birds. Cat logic, who knows?