Rub a dub dub?

Starting out on a fishing trip on a chilly morning with the mist rising from the bayou.  These three men, sailing out from Mandeville Harbor have great hopes of a good day of fishing.

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Shadows for the Night Heron

The lighting was a little hard for this young Black-Crowned Night Heron at New Orleans' City Park.  I ran into this fellow is a shady part of the bayou shore a while back

--steve buser

heron, City Park, New Orleans

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City Park waters reflect memories

Old Bayou Metairie lies still and somber in New Orleans' City Park.  It once carried water from the Mississippi River, but now seems just nothing more than a water for the grand-fatherly oak-laden play land.

It's whiskery Spanish Moss, and tannin-darken waters meander around the 1,300 acres, tying the golf course, sleepy oak trees, playground, Pan-Hellenic buildings and more, together.  I remember the first time we canoed and labored paddle wheels boats around the mirror-like waters back in the 60's.  Those memories are like the reflections in the bayou -- gloss-filled images that are easily lost in the waves of time.
--steve buser

City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana

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Pavement pounding in the park

Audubon Park is one of the urban oasis perfectly made for excercise. Located between historic St. Charles Avenue and the Misissippi River, the park offers plenty of space and scenery for the walker, jogger, biker etc. The scenery includes these Spanish moss draped oaks scatter about, the antique "street lights", bayou that is favored by huge herons and egrets and more.

--steve buser

Audubon Park, New Orleans, St. Charles Avenue, Mississippi River

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The great getaway

I was shooting away at my friend here when something spooked him, and he decided to relocate.

It's a shame, we had a lot in common. He can fly and I can dream about it. He is a Great Egret (Ardea Alba)with a wing span of about 5 to 6 feet -- just a wonder to watch glide across the water.
--steve buser

Great Egret, Ardea Alba, feathers, birds

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Perch with a view

Up Bayou Castine in Mandeville, LA. you will find this tree which is a favorite perching place for birds because of its high view over the marsh. This cormorant takes a gander. Will it be food or socializing. He's waiting to find out what the day brings.
-steve buser

Basyou Castine, Mandeville, Lousiana, Cormorant, birds, nature, perc

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A poorly-picked perch

This Egret wants to show off its plumage as it grabs hold of a branch in the bayou at Audubon Park in New Orleans. Understand, I am a perfect stranger to him. But somehow, I feel guilty I didn't tell him he could have picked a better place to land. Nonetheless, this tail, er... I mean tale, had a happy ending. The gator finished baking his belly full of food in the sun and the egret joined some of his friend for an aerial view of the park.

--steve buser

Technorati Tags: Audubon Park, New Orleans, birds, egrets, alligator, nature, bayous, feathers

Grace is in the eye of camera

You know how those airplanes shoot out of the airport and then make a sharp turn to avoid making a lot of noise over a residential area. That's kind of what the Great Egret on the left is doing. After taking off, he is trying to bank away from the dock and out over the water. Of course, noise is not an issue for this 10-foot-wing-span bird -- they move as noiselessly through the air as a feather moves down a stream.

The fellow on the right however, is trying to look as graceful as he can, clinging to a boom. I suppose he can't hang on by facing perpendicular to the pipe because it its too slippery to hold on to. So he chooses the parallel method, bending both knees out to try to get some opposible pressure to keep him up. Luckily it was near night fall with little wind.

The Photo is from the area of Des Allemands -- a community Southeast of New Orleans in the bayou country.

--steve buser

Bayou Des Allemands fills birders needs

Bayou Des Allemands is a birder's paradise. The bayou flow from Lac Des Allemands through the town of Des Allemand and into Lake Salvador. I pulled off at Des Allemand and cross back over the Old Spanish Trail bridge, winding my way over the rail road tracks to Up the Bayou Road. (Down the Bayou Road looks like a good birding spot, also, but I didn't have time this trip.)

Along the road, houses on one side and the bayou and fishing piers were lines on the other side.

Large Great Egrets and Blue Herons gracefully swept down the bayou from one perch to another as night fill began to descend. This Great Egret seem curious as to what I was doing, but not curious enough to hang around. He looked as though he were announcing the imminent arrival of the moon.

The moist smell of the bayou and the cool are of a passing warm front made a perfect time to sit by the side of the road and shoot.

It is a time of day when the birds return to their roost, bellies full and in no particular hurry.

--steve buser

Water flying (Great Egret -- Ardea alba)

Look up flying in a Thesaurus. You'll find "quick, expeditious, fast, hasty, speedy."

Now look at the real thing. A Great Egret at City Park in New Orleans, pushed his wings out, leaned into what little wind there was and pushed the air back most unhastily. Having caught enough air to keep him suspended above the obscure bayou below, he set his sights on the tree lined shadowy realm on the other side. His silvery phantom sailed beneath the rippled surface as if it were boat of air holding him up into the sky.

Tell me again why flying is a an synonym for fast, hasty and speedy?

I can't hear you.

-- steve buser

Bayou Boogie

The sun is setting. Not much time left. One last fishing spot to check out before boogeying back home. Bayou Lacombe sparkles in the dimming light of dusk. Maybe it will be hypnotic for the fish that have been eluding you all day.

--steve buser

Lagniappe ( a little extra)

They live separate existence. Neither aware that their fates are intertwined.

Today on Pixel Eyed

Butterflied shrimp

Butterfly nets
Another shrimp boat from the Bayou Bienvenue area, out east of New Orleans. Note the nets hanging high on either side of the boat. Those are butterfly nets. They hang out and down just below the surface of the water. The purpose is to catch shrimp swimming along the surface, usually with the help of a out-going tide.

That's opposed to the other kind of nets which drag along the bottom of the lakes, scooping up the delicacies.

In 2006, Louisiana shrimp landings totaled 135 million pounds (heads-off weight) and were valued at $144.8 million dockside.

--steve buser

Lagniappe

Today on Pixel Eyed I'm in "High Cotton"

So, I looked around the Daily City Photo pages and came up with these photos that seemed to capture that "high cotton" feeling.

Detroit Marathon: And the Winner Is... -- St. Louis Daily Photo
Did you notice? -- Sydney Daily Photo
Man and his dog. -- Selma Daily Photo

Bayou Bienvenue

This slip flows out into the Bayou Bienvenue area in St. Bernard Parish -- east of New Olreans. You can see the shrimp boat in the center with its net up. The area of swamps, marshes and shallow lakes outside the levee system is an abundant source of shrimp and seafood.

This area along Paris Road also has an assortment of small boat repair yards. Note the house far out in the distance. It's either well built to have survived Hurricane Katrina, or its a new house.

-- steve buser

Other boating scenes on City Daily Photo Blogs today:

Berowa Waters Car Ferry -- Sydney Daily Photo
Guess Who Was Happy -- Joensuu Daily Photo
Reflection -- San Diego Daily Photo
View From My Window -- Rabaul Daily Photo
West Pier Brighton Photo -- Brighton Daily Photo