Wild things!
One of the best things about living on the Fort Morgan peninsula is the visiting wildlife from the
photo of coyote from the deck
neighboring Bon Secour Refuge.
This is a coyote who stops by regularly and wanders around the front yard like someones’ pet (much to Sophie’s dismay).
The enormous rabbits here are also fearless visitors (much to Sophie’s frustration).
And the birds here obviously feel they will share their habitat with us if we provide food or entertainment.
Hungry doves
Hawk watching the bluebirds
The flock of blue birds now roosts in the palmettos near my mailbox, and the doves begin to accumulate at sunup and glare balefully from the telephone lines if the feeder is empty.
And we see either an osprey or a hawk almost every day.
Now there is news that manatees are living in the bay!
An article by Katie Miller in The Islander reports that 200 manatees have been spotted since the Dauphin Island Sea Lab established their toll-free hotline two years ago (1-866-493-5803). The DISL website states they have had several recent sitings.
This exciting news is a good reason to hike back through the trail across the highway this weekend!
Their informative website is
And of course there are my wild neighbors!
Gearing up for Mardi Gras.....
Gearing up for Mardi Gras.....
A Skiff of Ice
It’s cold here.
I asked one of my elderly patients about the unusually tall ant hills and he said it was a sign of a ‘bad winter’.
I think he was right.
On the surface...
Last nite we broke some 6-year records and I was sleeping with my tomato and basil plants.
If you look closely at this photo you can see a thin skiff of ice on the little pond west of my house.
Maybe I’m being acclimated for my trip home?
Editor’s note: this post was also delayed because CenturyTel’s service was unreliable the day before I left for Kentucky. Will they acknowledge their failures and credit my account?
Don’t hold your collective breaths!
Cat’s Pause
In preparation for my trek north to Kentucky this weekend, Sarah’s home was changed to protect the innocent (from the hungry). I don’t think the crabs will starve in one week, but if they get hungry the roommate might look attractive – and not in a good way! It’s safer to put Sarah into the crab protection program than to try to devise a way for her to hide from Blue…
So I moved Sarah into a bowl with sand, driftwood, and seashells and relocated her to the glass table where she seemed to be very comfortable – until Isabelle caught a glimpse of something moving.
She watched patiently while Sarah made herself at home in the new bowl, then she pounced and discovered, to her surprise, that Sarah lived under water… darn it.
Crab Cocktail
So she investigated a little further and decided she would try to drink her way to the crab (that’s my girl!).
But I forgot to add tequila to the salt encrusted on the rim of the bowl, so she gave up after only a few minutes.
I was busy packing, so I put the camera down and left the room for a while.
When I came back in and saw her, I realized suddenly that my Isabelle was truly an ‘old soul’ who understood advanced spacial concepts and the value of a good crab dinner. She had decided to try an ‘underground’ attack through the pane of glass. Even Sophie was laughing with me!
A radical approach
Isabelle didn’t get crab that night, but she did have several steamed shrimp for dinner!
Editor’s note: I tried to post this repeatedly before I left for Kentucky, but CenturyTel was having another bad day…..
Happy Trails
And Happy New Year!
I started out my New Year as I always do, with a new Exercise and Health Resolution… Because the weather was beautiful, I decided to expand my horizons and try the trail suggested by Arthur and Diana at Thanksgiving.
Satellite image of Three Rivers
Across the street from the entrance to this ‘community’ is a trail I had not noticed in the five years I have owned this house, and it leads across to the bay. It is the eastern boundary of another section of the Bon Secour Wildlife Sanctuary, and it’s called Three Rivers.
View of the Bay from trail's end
We saw some Monarch Butterflies who missed their flight south this fall, some lizards and skinks, and this old fellow enjoying the sunshine.
Bon Secour Box Turtle
He was a sweetheart, but it made me wonder what other cold-blooded relatives might be out sunning today, too?
The hike was easy, but longer than expected. As the trail narrowed I noticed the rustling in the palmettos as we passed and I began to think I should have told someone where I was headed…Pot holes make the going tough, even on foot.
If the trail had been shorter, I would have collected some driftwood for the garden… but I think I’ll leave that to Betsy when she comes down this winter!
But parallel to the highway, in the Bon Secour refuge, is a wide untility easement used by four-wheelers and golf carts.
I think we’ll be exploring that more this winter when the jellies are too thick on the beach for Sophie to walk safely (she doesn’t believe me when I tell her not to step on the blue things – she is too intent on the birds she is stalking….) There have been thousands on the beach this week, of every size. I hope this means fewer this summer?
I wish y’all could join Sophie and me for our morning walks…. It is an amazing adventure!
Happy Happy New Year!
Along the bay trail into Three Rivers
beach hazards this week
