Wildlife Abounds!!

The Great Egret Roosting Tree at Sunset

Cruising does a bit of catching up today on sightings:

Sunday afternoon: a dolphin very near shore at Front Beach in Ocean Springs.

Monday evening: two exceptionally handsome Black-crowned Night Herons and a stately Yellow-crowned Night Heron at the Inner Harbor. Dozens of Great Egrets settled in at sunset at Inner Harbor. These gorgeous birds croaked and fretted as they picked spots in the trees for roosting for the night. As the sun set behind the roosting trees, it was a most majestic sight!

Homemade Suet!

Cruising has always liked the idea of putting out suet for the birds, but seems like going to the store to get it, ordering it from a catalog or from an online supply store isn't always convenient.

We have learned from Audubon a way to make homemade suet. Here's the recipe:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups regular cornmeal

Mix all the ingredients. Though messy, it is much easier to mix with your hands. After it's thoroughly mixed, it helps to roll it into fist size balls and store in a container. It does need to be refrigerated. We recommend refrigeration for a time before placing the suet outside, as it's much easier to work with. It doesn't matter if you have a suet feeder. This suet can be pinched off in small pieces and pushed into small hollowed-out areas of trees, on pine bark, on pine cones or on rough surfaces that birds have access to, like the old piece of wood above. Hung on a rope from a tree, this piece of wood has dips and grooves on the surface and is perfect for holding the suet. Remember the little feathered folks this winter with homemade suet. They'll reward you with frequent visits to your yard!

Fall Is A Busy Time and Time for a Fly By

The creatures in the wild react to heat like people do - they look for shade to escape it. Today, the first day of fall, brings cooler weather, migrating birds and more activity of wildlife. A perfect example was last night, Sunday evening, and the last night of summer. Critters at Gulf Islands National Seashore must have sensed the change, based on their level of activity. Alligator eyes were seen reflecting our car lights down by the boat ramp, a raccoon moved swiftly across the picnic ground, a red fox darted across the park's road, and very near the park's entrance at Highway 90 in Ocean Springs, a family of four raccoons worked the sides of the roads. Size made it appear that it was Mama raccoon and three youngsters. The largest - assumed Mama - found something of great interest at roadside in the dirt. She dug repeatedly attempting to reveal the ground's contents before finally following her children into the grass.

If you are in the area, don't miss the opportunity to drive into the Davis Bayou area of Gulf Islands, particularly late in the day or at early dusk. You can never tell 'who' you may see!
Also, don't miss "Fall Fly By" offered at Pascagoula River Audubon Center each Saturday beginning September 20th through November 19th. The Pascagoula River is oft used by migratory birds as a "fly way". Large numbers of migrants can be spotted as they make their way to winter homes. The Audubon Center offers vantage viewing points and even has binoculars on hand for bird spotting. Assistance will be available to locate birds and identify them. The "Fall Fly By" is free, and river tours, operated by McCoy's, will be available for a fee. Tours leave at 10 am and 2 pm. Interested? Click here to get more details!

Lastly, Cruising can't let the day pass without heralding the return of the Double-Crested Cormorants. Having returned for the fall and winter, they can be spotted on posts drying their wings and preening, and diving in coastal waters in search of a meal. What a pleasure they are to watch!

Eagle on The Pascagoula River

Captain Benny McCoy spotted a Bald Eagle in the Pascagoula River area while conducting a tour. This eagle was in the general vicinity of the Audubon Center, where there is a nest. Eagle pairs have nested at that site the past two years, so it is hoped that the spotting yesterday is indication that they are in the area and, hopefully, will nest there again. McCoy's River and Swamp Tours leave from the Audubon Center at 10 am and 2 pm each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, weather permitting. The link for booking information is below:

http://www.msaudubon.org/prac/includes/Mccoy%20tour%20schedule.pdf

What's That Sound??

Yesterday, as Cruising was parked...on the internet, a strange sound could be heard. It went on for some time, faint, yet slightly familiar, until attention was diverted from the precious world wide web. What is that? It...is....it's Bob! A glance across the room confirmed that Bob, at seventeen, now a little old man, was deeply, deeply asleep, and snoring - loudly. What was he dreaming of? His daily bite of tuna, a cool saucer of milk, or the good old days when he ruled the old neighborhood? Only he knows. And, he's not telling.

Frigatebirds Still Here

Though Ike has passed by us now, the Magnificent Frigatebirds remain. Eighteen of them were floating above East Beach in Ocean Springs about 6 pm today. Somehow, as the wind blew in from the water they managed without flapping a wing to remain almost motionless in the sky. What do they sense, that they remain here over land? While we humans rely on Doppler radar to tell us what weather lies ahead, the Frigatebirds need no such thing. Cruising believes that the Creator Himself whispers to them, telling them when to seek safe harbor and when to return to their flights out over the sea.

A Few More Ike Photos from Biloxi, MS and Ocean Springs, MS

Shrimp boats moored behind the Biloxi Hard Rock ride high, as water at this particular time was into the first floor of the parking deck.

Victims of the flood? This poor fish and several others were floating near the Biloxi Hard Rock.

What happened to them is unknown. It is possible that the high surf, and subsequent push onto nearby shore and into debris may have caused their fatal injuries.

Pelicans off Front Beach in Ocean Springs, MS watch as the waves swirl.

Ike In Ocean Springs

Swinging over the ocean, East Beach, Ocean Springs, MS

Flooded intersection at Washington Av and Front Beach Road, Ocean Springs

Flooded roadway at Ocean Springs Inner Harbor

Laughing gulls in the flood waters at Front Beach

Snowy Egret in the flood water on Front Beach

Front Beach, Ocean Springs, MS - September 12, 2008

More Ike Photos

The photos above were taken around the Ocean Springs and Biloxi areas on Friday, September 12th. Bottom photo is the entrance to the Gulf Hills area near Ocean Springs and St. Martin.

Second photo from the bottom is taken from the Hard Rock's parking deck looking east towards the Isle of Capri. Notice the marina there by the Hard Rock is under water.

The Good and The Bad of Hurricane Ike

Sadly, Hurricane Ike is likely to have left death and destruction in its wake. We here feel so for our neighbors in Louisiana and Texas. Having dealt with Hurricane Katrina, we do know what lies ahead...and the road will be difficult. That said, Cruising would ask all who are able to assist in any manner that they can, either financially via many of the worthy agencies who provide disaster assistance or by volunteering of time and energy. Please see "After The Storm" at http://www.hurricanewatchdog.com/ for a partial listing of those type agencies. You can link directly to the agency websites from that page.

Ike did not pass by the Mississippi Gulf Coast and leave it untouched. Streets and houses flooded in a number of areas, most particularly in Hancock County. Here in Jackson County, there was flooding on the beach areas and on the bridges over bayous. The Inner Harbor area also flooded over the roadway. Cruising took a trip around the area here in Ocean Springs and over the I-110 Bridge to Biloxi yesterday and took a few photographs. We didn't attempt to approach any closed streets, but were able to view much from various vantage points. Photos are above.

Among them are Magnificent Frigatebirds. These huge and gorgeous creatures came inland ahead of Ike. They were first spotted in the area over and near Ocean Springs Road around 6 pm Thursday evening. At that time more than a dozen were circling, riding the winds. Another group of them were over Biloxi's Back Bay about mid-day on Friday. These we would consider the "good" of Hurricane Ike. Frigatebirds come inland when the weather becomes dangerous for them offshore, and it is a thrill to behold them. Their wingspan can reach 90 inches across!

Among the bad of Ike is the suffering of creatures. A photo above shows either a muskrat or young nutria Cruising found at East Beach late Friday afternoon. Completely exhausted and nearly drowned, this poor creature rested to recover from a near drowning experience. Where he washed in from, we do not know. What we do know is that he survived. We watched him for some time as he eventually did move nearer to the grassy area at the University of Southern Mississippi Research Lab. 'Twas a helpless feeling to watch this fellow knowing there was nothing we could do to help him. We are grateful, that despite our inability to help him, he managed to survive. Perhaps we prefer not to think, at times such as these, of the suffering of humans and animals alike. But, think...and pray, we must, for we know that such thoughts and prayers are so desperately needed now. So, let us not forget in the days ahead as the news media moves on to other topics and away from the plight of the suffering.

Snakes, Pigeons and an Obstacle Course

The Pascagoula River Audubon Center has its regulars. Some are human, many are not. Take the pigeons, for example. No, they aren't in the parking lot. They are in what Cruising would have expected to be an unlikely place to find a pigeon - in a tree overlooking the bayou. This is where they were seen the very first time we set foot on the property to volunteer. It was a windy, rainy, foggy March day. A number of birds were roosting in the tree - the very same one they roosted in today. We were surprised to grab our binoculars and discover they were rare...pigeons. Well, maybe not rare, but surely unexpected.

Other regulars at the Center are the snakes. Actually, they have to be regulars. They live in an exhibit, so leaving, for them, is not an option. There are four of them. Two are pictured above - the Gulf Salt Marsh Snake (second from the top photo) and the Broad-Banded Water Snake (top photo). None of the snakes in the exhibit are poisonous. Today, Cruising assisted in the weekly tank cleaning. While not too popular with the tank residents, they surely do seem to like the end result of clean water. The Broad-Banded Water Snake seems to particularly like the bubble bar in the tank. Perhaps its like a relaxing massage. He's often seen resting in the bubbles for long periods of time. Both of these snakes eat fish. Whichever snake goes for the fish first, you can expect a fight. As a matter of fact, the other snake will express no interest in the fish until the other grabs it. Fear of loss, perhaps?

One not-so-ordinary sight today: the lubbers in the road. The very large black grasshoppers which are seen from time to time were out today - in various spots in the local roads. Cruising travelled the obstacle course around them so as to cause them no harm as they ventured to parts unknown.

Fly Overs

Cruising travelled outside the local areas on the coast this weekend. Desire to see the University of Alabama play Tulane led to a trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and, subsequently, rides through some unfamiliar areas. In Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denney Stadium, a decorated war veteran was saluted with a fly over by the aircraft he piloted in World War II - a P 51 Mustang. The Mustang was immediately followed by two F-16 "Fighting Falcons" flown by pilots from Montgomery, Alabama. The sound of the two F-16's screaming over the stadium brought chills to this observer. Seeing our pilots in action makes us ever grateful for our men and women in service and the sacrifices they make for us all daily.

Today our return to our coastal home led us down an unfamiliar road - US 45 in Mississippi. A beautiful drive, it affords one the opportunity to see some of the state's less populated areas - well, less populated with people. There were no less than three dozen vultures spotted along the route. Some were Black Vultures and some were Turkey Vultures - all so very graceful in flight. While not certain of the reason for the high number of the birds in the area, a guess is that it is a good nesting area and with the highway and various fields and farmland....well, food is plentiful, too.

While most of the vultures were airborne, several groups were spotted feeding. In one area, between a half-dozen and a dozen of them were feeding on an unknown type of carrion.

Many find vultures very distasteful. However, one must remember that without them, diseases of all types would spread from carcasses. While also not considered attractive birds, to watch them ride thermals higher and higher into the skies is a magnificent sight. A view up close reveals a head with no feathers - perfectly made for the type of feeding that they do. Seeing these creatures on the ground reveals to the viewer how very large they really are!

Vultures weren't the only birds on the route. Cattle Egret were seen not only hanging out with the cattle in the fields, but on one cow resting in the shade near the road, the egrets surrounded her and perched on her back. She was clearly unfazed by their presence, nearly dozing in her spot by her tree.

Cruising's ever so brief trip and the various fly overs by man and fowl made for an interesting weekend, indeed. US 45 will be on the list for a return visit in the future. Oh, and the football game was pretty good, too!

A Balancing Act - Followed By A Trip Out On A Limb

Late yesterday was a first - a Great Blue Heron who thinks he's green, a Green Heron, that is. Green Herons can often be see sitting on the ropes that tether the boats to the dock. They are not as large as other herons, and the perch there is just right to get them out over the water allowing them a really good view of fish below the surface. This Great Blue Heron must have witnessed his smaller friends before and decided to give it a shot. He landed, wings flapping, on a rope at the Inner Harbor. As he did, his weight forced the rope to begin to swing. At last view, he was trying to remain upright on the rope by flapping his wings and balancing. A best guess would say hunting for him is out of the question there. Any fish watching that spectacle from below were long gone.

Gulf Island's Davis Bayou area has an abundant raccoon population. In posts before, you may have read about the young raccoon in the persimmon tree. We were hopeful that he'd done well during Hurricane Gustav. The vigorous shaking of the persimmon tree was clear indication that he was alive and well. We watched him as he literally went 'out on a limb' to the point we feared it would break. Apparently, he's a better judge of the limb's strength than we are. He worked it over until he'd reached his chosen morsels and moved to another limb. Many persimmons remain on the tree as a number of them aren't yet ripe. This little fellow can probably be found here regularly until he pulls the last bit of fruit in the fall.

Egrets In The Trees

Cruising did a ride at dusk which included a fine latte' from Coffee Fusion. Coffee Fusion and Java Jo'z can do some coffee up right! Only stiff competition they have might be a Cafe Au Lait from Cafe' du Monde in New Orleans' French Quarter - with a sack of beignets, of course!

An unexpected find was that the water at the Ocean Springs Inner Harbor has returned to its natural level. Many boats are back in their slips, and other than very slight damage to some of the boardwalk by the fish cleaning station, the harbor itself is looking good.

A very pleasant surprise was to look up and see nine great white egrets roosting in two trees behind Inner Harbor Park. What graceful creatures they are! Even at night under the fluorescent street lights, their stark white feathers against the darkened trees seem magical to this observer. Though gone to roost, most had not yet bedded down for the night. A great deal of preening was taking place.

As it is assumed that East Beach and Front Beach Roads aren't ready for through traffic, a loop back around and over the bridge overlooking the main harbor confirmed that things are returning to normal.

On many posts rested Brown Pelicans. Most were dozing with heads tucked. Cruising calls them "footballs", as that is what they resemble with heads tucked under a wing, and feet tucked under the body. (Surely years of watching University of Alabama football would not play into this mental image.) Most were youngsters with fully brown heads, but a more mature white head was among the bunch. One of the youngsters closely eyed Cruising's transport vehicle as it made its approach. Whether attention drawn to our presence was out of curiosity or annoyance could not be determined.

What a pleasure it is to be able to be cruising in the wild again!

Links to Photos Taken By The SunHerald Before, During and After Gustav

Cruising wants to provide a link to The SunHerald's photo gallery of photos of Hurricane Gustav during its approach, and the effects of the storm surge here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Go to:
http://www.sunherald.com/414/gallery/783371.html

While grateful that the area did not take a direct hit, we are saddened that flooding did occur in areas and that will be a setback for many who have either recently rebuilt homes and businesses or are still in the process.

Along with a call for help from the general public for those in southern Louisiana, which was devastated where the eye of Gustav came ashore, we ask that you remember all affected areas along the Gulf Coast who have been affected by the storm. Please see http://www.hurricanewatchdog.com/ and go to "After The Storm" for a list of links to various groups who provide assistance after a natural disaster. Here you can get information about how to make monetary donations and how to volunteer your services to assist. Thank you.

A Sad Find

As stated in another post, humans aren't the only ones affected by hurricanes. Sadly, we found a baby bird that appears to be a young Mourning Dove here. We suspect the strong gusts from Hurricane Gustav claimed a young victim by blowing it out of its nest. As young as he was, the fall from the force of the gust alone would have been enough to have instantly claimed his life.

While it is an incredibly sad find, we realize that it is the way of nature.

Cruising Still Hanging In There With Gustav

Cruising is grounded at the time from any outside adventures. We continue to watch as Gustav's winds and rains from feeder bands come ashore. This section of Ocean Springs continues to do well with no trees down or debris in the immediate area. We must still wait several hours as the system continues its northwestward movement.

The "home" cats here are dismayed by the continual rain and wind causing an inability, or should we say lack of desire, to venture out into the elements. The seventeen year old, Bob, seems perturbed, but his mood mellowed some upon the offer of a bowl of milk.

It is 11:43 am. now, and we hope by late today for a break in the action.