Bob and the Lubber

Bob is old, seventeen actually. For such an old man, he gets around. Age seventeen for a human denotes a youngster, but not for a cat. Bob is a black, half-tailed cat. He's a fine fellow, having mellowed in his later years. No longer does he regularly nail a finger that touches him when he's not in the mood. He now seems to relish the gentle touch of his human family. We suspect it feels good to his old aging bones.

Though he moves around like a little elderly man most times, we have learned not to mistake that as an inability to move faster if the need arises. Our other four cats test him from time to time, swatting at his half-tail - always a sensitive area, or just get "in his face" thinking he won't react. This never fails to result in Bob slapping the offending party with his "fish hook" claws. Anyone who's met with these daggers can attest they are much like a true fishing hook, sinking deeply into the flesh.

This week, Bob ventured outside to be warm. His aging bones seem to be more affected by the air conditioning in the house, so he often requests, by sharpening his claws on the carpet, to go "Out". Into the South Mississippi heat and humidity he strolls to look for a bit of shade to rest.

On this particular day, we glanced out the front window to find him facing off with a lubber. Lubbers are exceptionally large grasshoppers, often marked with red or yellow-green striping on the abdomen. The lubber seemed not to know what to make of this encounter and began to move away from the driveway to the grass. Bob saw this as a game - "Bat the Bug". As the grasshopper moved, Bob would bat it like a ball.

Seeing the danger to the lubber, I called out sharply to him to stop. A family looked at me strangely as they passed the house on their afternoon stroll. Out of embarrassment, I explained to them that I was shouting at Bob, a cat. They smiled and moved on, perhaps a little more quickly than they had been moving before. Bob, as he frequently does, completely ignored me and continue to swat at the lubber. Before he could do damage, I ran over picked him up as he squirmed, and returned him to his air conditioned house. The lubber moved off across the yard, no doubt grateful that this furry creature had been removed.

The old man has since forgiven me of my intrusion into his game. A gentle massage of his head was all it took.

Catching Up

Cruisinginthewild has been on vacation this past week on the Florida Panhandle enjoying the bright, white sand and emerald waters, hence the name "The Emerald Coast". Hurricane Dolly blocked us from the water beginning Wednesday, as rip currents were such that the double red flags went up to close the water to swimmers. As is human nature, apparently, rules just don't apply to some. One by one, they went out into the rough surf. Most worked their way back to shore, but some did not. Case in point: the two teenage boys who had to be rescued by rescue personnel on jet skis. One was responsive enough to give his rescuer a big hug at the shore. The other young man was nearly unconscious. We watched as they were taken away on stretchers. Another swimmer was not so lucky. The local newspaper reported that one man died from medical complications after being brought in from the water.

We must all accept that we have certain limitations. When dealing with nature's forces, never should we underestimate its power, whether it be a hurricane or rip current.

On a lighter note, today's beach ride was eventful. Two fishermen cleaned their catch at the Inner Harbor in Ocean Springs. They had quite an audience: numerous Laughing Gulls, 2 Green Herons, one Great Blue Heron and an alligator- a youngster about 3 to 4 feet long. All awaited any morsel that came their way.

On the road away from East Beach, a tortoise, head held high, was working his way across the road. We do not interfere with them unless the road is busy, as was the case today. He or she was obviously heading in a particular direction, so we chose to speed up his journey with an assist. As I approached him, he sped up. Surprised at how quickly he moved, I had to really work to catch up with him. Had cars not been approaching, I'd have let him continue on his own, but feared he could not move quickly enough. He was safely escorted to the road's edge, disappearing into the grass and shrubs.

Mid-day is a generally quiet time at Gulf Islands, particularly in late July. Most of the critters have sought shade. We decided to venture there anyway to see. A few birds and a grey squirrel were the only residents braving the heat, so we'll give it a shot later in the day as the temperature drops.

We were born in northeast Alabama in the shadows of Cheaha Mountain. It is a beautiful place, there in the foothills of the Appalachians. After 40+ years, it was time to make a change. After 4 years on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with its varied habitats of seashore, bayous, and swamps filled with so many sea and land creatures, we are certain that this was a most excellent choice. If you have never visited, do consider it. We think you will not be disappointed.

Loss of Another Friend

Sometimes, life is really pleasant, and sometimes, it's not. Maybe the "not" times make us appreciate the good times. Still, that doesn't make it any easier to deal with a death. Yet another good friend has passed from this life to the next. John Wesley Hawbaker, sometimes known to his friends as PawPawRedFox, graced Heaven this past Sunday with his humor, his wit. Heaven's gain of John is our loss. John was a gracious gentleman, never to be hurried in completing a task to perfection. Before I met him, he served in the Army, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. I have no doubt he was one of the best.

He loved, with all his heart, his children, John, Joel and Julie - something those who'd only just met him learned quickly, as his conversations were peppered with news of high school, and then college, progress. His babies are now grown, with babies of their own. I have no doubt that each grandchild born received much adoration from PawPawRedFox. I only wish he'd had longer to dote on each one of them.

We'll be seeing you, my friend.

A Ride On the River

After yesterday's Master Naturalist class about ecology, it was time for a ride on the river with McCoy's River and Marsh Tours. Captain Benny McCoy took us up through various habitats - mid-marsh areas all the way up to Whiskey Bayou. Whiskey Bayou is a beauty to behold with Spanish moss laden trees and water that reflects like glass. Mark LaSalle, director of the Pascagoula River Audubon Center, led the tour giving us details about types of marsh grass, floating plants, wild rice, trees like cypress and Tupelo black gum, and so many more.

At various points, Captain Benny would pull the boat over for Mark to give us an up-close view. As we neared each spot, fiddler crabs by the hundreds could be seen scurrying back. I had a few minutes to sit and watch the little guys as we sat in one particular area. After a few minutes of acclamation to the boat's presence, the previous receding group of fiddler crabs would inch back to the water's edge. Each tiny crab worked diligently with front claws stuffing little pieces of mud into one of their three mouths. Females, with their two tiny front claws worked faster than the males. Male fiddler crabs have a huge left front claw - primarily to wave and say "Hey, Baby!" when he finds a female attractive. The downside of that huge claw is he can't stuff his mouth with it. Mark explained to us that fiddler crabs eat diatoms - planktonic algae - that the mud contains. After each piece of mud has been completely cleaned of diatoms, the little crabs spit them out on the ground. These are feeder balls. The ground is littered with them.

Other critters who showed up, or were startled into view, were at least a half dozen yellow crowned night herons (most of them fledglings), three great blue herons, one great egret who repeatedly flew upstream thinking he was out of range only for the boat to slip up on him again, numerous ospreys - either in flight or fishing, and a gorgeous anhinga. Anhingas are the large birds you often see depicted on Indian pottery, drawn with wings extended. Anhingas and related cormorants both have no oil covering their feathers to waterproof them. After a dive in the water to fish, they find a limb or post and outstretch their wings to dry them in the sun. Last, but surely not least, there were two young osprey perched on nest's edge peering down with bobbing heads at the boat and its occupants. As one of my classmates said, "They're saying, 'Here comes Benny with the boat!'"

If you live in the area here or visit, please do plan a tour with the McCoys. Benny and brother, Lynn, know the rivers and marshes, including its animals and plants so very well. You will surely enjoy every minute of it. Tours leave at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, weather permitting from the Pascagoula River Audubon Center. The Center is located off exit 68 of I-10 (Moss Point). Head South off exit 68 and follow the signs.

Back Off!

Along with 6 others, I have been attending a Master Naturalist course taught by Mark LaSalle, director of the Pascagoula River Audubon Center. (I will be chronicling progress at becomingamasternaturalist.com.) After today's lesson about climate and weather, we headed out to Ward Bayou, near Vancleave, MS, for plant identification lessons. Much to our surprise, a rather large female slider turtle was just finishing up laying her eggs near where we were to enter the trail head. She eyed us suspiciously as we stood, snapping her and the yet-to-hatch eggs' photos. Whether she was finished with the process or not, I do not know, but she worked diligently to cover them with dirt. We moved on, so as not to disturb her any more than we had. She held her ground next to her precious unborn babies with a look that clearly said, "Back off, people!" We headed onto the trail to complete our original mission. When we returned to the trail's entrance, she was gone. One would wonder if she moved to a quieter area to finish laying, or if she moved off into the shade for a well deserved rest after having given birth to Ward Bayou's next generation of little slider turtles.

A Tribute To A Friend

A sad note today: amongst the joys in the world are surely its sorrows. In memory of Denise Reaves Kirby, age 46, of Oxford, Alabama...to some just an obituary in the newspaper, but to me the death of a precious friend. Denise was a just under 5-foot-tall ball of energy the first time I met her at the age of 17. This hilarious tiny little thing was driving her mom's car, what type I do not remember, but its size I do. The contrast in Denise's size in this huge vehicle only added to my amusement. She was funny, bright and could be mischevious, if the mood struck her. As she got older and married, born to her were two sons, now aged 17 and 13. They were her light.
Denise lost her battle with a disease she fought for years - rheumatoid arthritis. Yet, it was a drug used to treat it that caused her immune system to fail to do its job and caused us to lose her far too early - the same drug that almost took my mom's life a few years ago. So, as I pray for her boys as they struggle to go on without their mom, I pray for a cure - a way to treat this nasty disease in a safer way. And, as the sun rises here without her, I know that God sits and giggles at this tiny little lady who entered His gates. Heaven must be having fun with Denise today. I know I sure did.

Master Naturalist

An aside here and link to a new site I have created that I hope you will enjoy: BecomingAMasterNaturalist.com will chronicle the process to becoming a Master Naturalist.
The Master Naturalist course will be taught by Dr. Mark LaSalle. Mark, as he will tell you he is to be called, originated the Master Naturalist course for the State of Mississippi. An expert in the field of estuarian ecology, he also is the director of the Pascagoula River Audubon Center.

What I hope to provide to you with is what you can expect to learn in a Master Naturalist course, and provide links to you of pay-for and free courses including study of Watersheds, biology and the like.

Please check the site frequently for updates over the next few weeks. I hope it will be helpful to those interested in these types of programs.

Babies abound!

An update on the baby Green Herons at Gulf Islands National Seashore: All seem well and still await the continual feeding by Mom and Pop Heron. Near dusk yesterday, we checked the "heron tree" - our name for the nesting site by Miss Gator's pond. Parental herons were busy flying to and fro to feed essentially grown babies. The youngsters look like they are fully or nearly fully fledged, yet they hop and flap wings to attract a bite from their parents. Not unlike their human counterparts, it appears it's easier to let Mom and Pop bring it to you than to go get it yourself!

Another interesting find was an unidentified bird near the boat dock. He or she picked up the little crabs walking the boardwalk like pieces of popcorn. While it was clear this bird was a youngster, we weren't sure which youngster until we returned home to find a drawing in Sibley's guide. We have often seen adult Yellow-Crowned Night Herons, but never a fledgling. From all appearances he seems to be handling being on his own quite nicely.

Who Learned The Most At Summer Camp?

Summer is a busy time for humans and critters. As a counselor at the Pascagoula River Audubon Center's recent summer camp, I learned as much as the 1st - 5th graders who attended. Examples:

Barnacles have feathery appendages that rhythmically sweep out into the water to gather food - plankton.

The Pascagoula River and surrounding bayous are filled with microscopic life, evidenced by us under a microscope. For that, the barnacles are grateful.

Impervious surfaces like asphalt and hard concrete near our water systems are a problem. They allow oil, gasoline and pesticides to roll right off into the water. Pervious surfaces would be much better - they allow a firm surface, but are somewhat porous and absorb chemicals before they sink through to the soil or run off into the water.

We take for granted that nature can rebound from what we throw at it. It can to a point. The more of us who inhabit wilderness areas make it harder for it to rebound, though. For that reason, if we choose to live or spend time in these areas, each of us must be responsible for doing what we can to minimize impact - for the critters and for us, too.