Blackwater fishing

I stopped by the Blackwater Conservation Area this morning. They've been working on it! A nice concrete walk, a pier, benches, and an outdoor shower have been added. An area of the bank has been mowed. Protective stakes and wrappings have been placed around young cypress trees. I pulled out the rod that lives behind my truckseat and made a few casts. The brim were hungry and slapped my bug all around. I didn't try to set the hook on any of those stinking things, but most hit like small fish.

Swamp summer

The swamp trails become almost "green tunnels" as summer progresses and the trees fill out. This ol' turtle seems to be enjoying his spot of sunshine. What I thought was a B-29 flying through the swamp, turned out to be a big click- bug... I like their "eyes"

Skeeters in the swamp

Wow, it was warm and humid in the swamp this afternoon. And the mosquitoes were getting bad… they kept me moving. I would have dawdled along watching for critters and admiring flowers, but there was too much buzzing and biting. Those dragonfly perches were being well used, but those guys should have been hunting along the trails… there were lots more mosquitoes in the shady areas. Maybe we need some additional perches. The old turtle seemed to be enjoying a bake in the sun.

I hadn't been fishing in a long while

Well, I don't know whether that qualified as "fishing". I sneaked off to the lake to test a rod.... that's my testing laboratory, ya know. I found a short spinning rod and wanted to see whether it would cast a fly line... I want a fly rod to fit in my backpack. The experiment failed, but the morning was pretty. The ducks and turtles were busy, the green heron was also fishing, and the brim were biting on every cast... all small ones.

Hot afternoon in the swamp

It's getting pretty warmin the afternoons. In the swamp, humidity builds and makes it even more sticky. Even this little cottonmouth sought out a shady spot to coil up for siesta. Wildflowers were smiling at the heatwave, however.

One Sunday in spring

There is a beech grove in the “hills” that front the Bluebonnet Swamp. It was a lovely afternoon for a walk; it was cool, with low humidity and a nice breeze. I saw few critters, but the birds made the woods ring with their songs. I had only a quick hike, as I didn’t have time to tarry.

Hot now, summer in the city

The box turtle was out for a stroll, yesterday. The afternoon was quite warm and animal activity included much of the two- legged variety. I saw a few critters, despite all the people blundering around; I get spoiled at having the Bluebonnet Swamp all to myself. There were a few birds and squirrels; the snakes had already gone into hiding; and the tree frog I often visit ducked into his hole as soon as I rounded the bend. This skink was not much calmer. I’ve seen a lot of the shiny green bugs, this year. I think those are “tiger beetles” and wonder if that is the adult phase of what I call a doodlebug.

Visiting the swamp

Yesterday afternoon was beautiful in the swamp, cool with low humidity. That snake was a visitor, too: the grey- banded king snake ranges out Texas, New Mexico way. Lots of critters were sunning, wherever they could find a few rays shining through the thickening canopy. I was particularly entertained by the baby turtle being perched just above the water; he found a knob to sit on.

In a previous life....

I rember visiting a dear friend in this cute little house. Out for hiking- therapy this morning, I stopped to snap a picture. Amazing, how trails can diverge. I guess mine turned left at this intersection, as I eventually lived halfway down the block.

“This figurehead from the battleship Louisiana is erected in memory of the soldiers and sailors who served the flag in the Spanish- American war 1898- 1902 – erected MDMXXXIX”

A walk in the park

I hiked over to City Park this morning, trying to loosen some joints… must be another cold front coming. I also wanted to see what progress was being made on the park renovations. There was construction proceeding on buildings and the golf course had added some nice cement walkways (or driveways for carts?). The bayou (Duplantier?) which flows into City Park Lake seemed wider. Maybe it has been worked; high water was unlikely, as the lake, itself, seemed low. Water quality still looked pretty good, but murkiness was growing with the warm weather and sunshine. I need to come back with my fly rod! I circled back the long way, and passed by that ship’s bow display. A few years ago, Little Sister and I liked to climb the back side of that concrete form… quite a few years ago.

It's gettin' hot in the hills

I abbreviated my trip after seeing this guy! Note that diamond- shaped head. That old cottonmouth was having the life of Reily with the high water blocking the creek flow. He was sipping something small from the water surface; just hanging there, feeding in the slow current. Ticks are crawling; I found 3 hiking around on me; and mosquitoes are getting worse... a few in the shade, and they got bad at sunset. Pigs are rooting the creek- bank again. One of them leaves a big track, and deep! The track, itself, must weigh 40 pounds. I sat in the reeds until nearly dark, but the pigs didn't show. I did, however get to see two deer headed down to water. The woods are thickening and getting shady. There are still lots of wildflowers; don't know this one but thought it was pretty... maybe wild verbena?

It’s getting’ warm in the swamp

The critters are out and busy; got youngsters to feed, I guess. The birds are everywhere, squirrels and rabbits are hopping around. A pair of wood ducks paddled into the weeds before I could get my camera out. This skink was particularly colorful. I wonder if that makes him more attractive to the girls… don’t know much about skink courtship. Snakes and tree frogs are out. Bugs are getting more numerous and zipping around, but the mosquitoes haven’t been around much.

How high’s the water?

I haven’t seen so much flooding in a while. The Mississippi’s backwater is pushed all the way up the creek to my property marker. I just came back from the hills… gotta work tonight. The water at Thompson’s Creek seems almost up to the Hwy 61 bridge… looks like a big lake. Several feet of water also under the Bayou Sara bridge, on Hwy 66.

It's Spring some more

I guess that was the last cool snap; soon be complaining about hot and muggy. Sure was pretty again today, though. I tried setting my camera for action photos and was able to stop those buttercups from waving in the wind. I have been seeing more bugs. No mosquitoes in the swamp; I guess the mosquitofish are doing their part. I noticed a patch of jack- in- the- pulpit, today; they seem very exotic... I never saw many before this year.

Nice weather to play outdoors

A cool afternoon, and this fellow found a spot of sunshine to warm- up in. Plenty goings- on in the swamp. Critters are busy; lots of wildflowers; trees, shrubs, and vines are leafing out in earnest; more dragonflies are out; and spiders are building their webs. I tried to video a swarm of bees; got the buzzing, but the picture was poor.

Dayhike Burden Research Center

Whoopee! I finally got to attend another outing with the Louisiana Hiking Club. Since my work schedule (alternate weekends) clashes with the monthly calendar, there’s only a 50: 50 chance for me to join the group’s second- Saturday hikes. Looks like I’ll be free for the 2nd Saturday in May, but foiled again after that. I tend to be a loner, but really enjoy the camaraderie of this bunch, and we had a good turn out… about 30 of us. It was a nice morning… started out cool enough for long sleeves, there was sunshine and light breeze. The Burden center has fields and research plots, of course, and the terrain is mostly flat, but there are some lush wooded areas with various tree species and lots of understory growth. They are considering development of public- use walking trails on the Burden property, so the Hiking Club got special permission for a visit. I hadn’t been out there in years… in a previous life. It’s a lovely and very interesting place. The Rural Life Museum is there, there are gardens and ponds, flowers and shrubs, old cabins and farm implements from bygone times. I was particularly enthralled by an old hay baler that looked like my grandfather’s. It was driven by a broad belt stretched from the tractor. I remember catching bales from the back end as hay was being forked into the top of the machine. I was probably less of a help and more in- the- way, as the bales were nearly as big as me. We had a nice hike; there is a lot of territory there, scenery, and many points of interest. I hope they go ahead with the trails idea; that’s a pretty place and public trails would be great use for some of their untilled acreage. I took a few pictures, but there was so much "stuff", I could have spent a week there with my camera... and, by then, weather, crops, and seasons would change and I would have to start a new round of picture- taking.

Follow this link for a slideshow.

Swampflora on yesterday's walk

Swampfauna on yesterday's walk.

Spring has sprung and geocaches are hiding

Spittlebugs were doing their thing, tulip poplar buds will soon open to full flower. Songbirds were trilling, owls hooting, and hawks keening. I noticed that the pecan trees are leafing out, sure sign that winter is over. I played a new game called geocaching; it’s a hi- tech version of Easter- egg hunts. There’s a hidden “treasure” (actually there are thousands of them all over the world). Latitude and Longitude coordinates and some hints are obtained from this website. Sign- in logs are the usual “treasure”, but there are sometimes trinkets you can trade or trackable items which want to be moved to another cache. Finds can be recorded on the website. Enter the coordinates into a GPS unit and let it lead to the hiding place. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, maybe I’m not that smart. I found one and signed the log at the Bluebonnet Swamp. However, there is another cache at the swamp that I must try again. And there is one at the library that I could not find… I stood at the point where my GPS said zero, but I couldn’t locate anything. Maybe I should stick with nature; dragonflies were zipping around. Muscadine vines were budding… they were loaded with fruit last year.

Louisiana iris

I needed a smile in my life, yesterday. This guy was trailside, waving at me in the swamp. I wondered whether it was native there or someone transplanted it; figure it must be a Louisiana iris, but I'm mostly ignorant about such things. Lately, my flower pictures are often blurred. I hate to start dragging a tripod; maybe it is more the wind than me... must study this situation some more.

The hills are alive with the sound of … insects

I think this was an early bloom of a dogwood but couldn’t get close enough to be sure, and most of them were not flowering yet. It looked like a little white cloud floating over Panther Creek. Lots of things were blooming in the hills. The mayapple blossoms were getting large, blue phlox were still in their glory, red buckeye, wild salvia, various clovers, and countless other wildflowers were everywhere. I’m just back from a few days in the hills and springtime is coming on strong. As usual, I couldn’t find turkeys (it’s hunting season, now), although they walk, fly, roost, scratch, cluck, yelp, and make a general nuisance of themselves during my autumn deer hunts. I took my bow and scouted for sign, even tried calling a bit, but found no turkeys. I did find bugs, however. The mosquitoes were still numerous and hungry; even with bug dope they drove me to distraction with buzzing. I found several ticks crawling on me and felt one bite… brushed him off before he could latch on. And now, the aggravation of gnats has been added… those tiny little no- see- ums that have such a burning bite. Deer flies were out in swarms, and were chasing my truck on the road through a pasture. Fireflies were putting on quite a light- show, so that tempered my disdain of some of the nasty bugs.

Ahhh-chew!

Lots of stuff blooming in the swamp, now. The cycle turns some more and the sense of re- birth is all around. Birds are nesting, spiders spinning webs, springtime leaves are filling in the longer views. I also noted a downside… some little guy didn’t make it across the trail. I guess Mama Coyote has to feed her babies.

Soakin' up rays

Poor little snake was out sunning, the weather was much cooler than recent days (actually, he was a rather large water snake). There was some excitement in the swamp yesterday: a tree blew over and made a big mess of the trail; looks like they were prompt about getting it sawed up and moved out of the way.

Blue phlox are decorating the woods

These were really pretty, scattered all through the creek bottoms. The wildflowers were difficult to admire, though: mosquitoes kept me hopping and swatting; they were hungry and there were lots of them! They were out day and night, even in the wind, high ground and low, in the bushes or in the open. Bug spray stopped the biting but not the incessant buzzing. When dark came, there were plenty fireflies flickering in the treetops… I always enjoy watching the lightning bugs… simple pleasures for simple minds. I didn’t see any turkey sign or hear any gobbling; the season opens next week. As usual, I don’t find them in the spring but the turkeys walk all ‘round me in the fall, when no hunting is allowed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I was in town and managed to take in the parade. Here's a picture of one of the drum & pipes groups. There were lots of floats and several marching bands, and I never saw so many beads! The weather was lovely, warm and sunny. Everyone seemed to be having a great time; maybe they still are... there is usually music and green- colored beer wherever the parade is disbanded.

Amazing... everything is leafing out so quickly

Spring afternoon

It was nice in the swamp this afternoon, but I had to check the time often... that change keeps me confused for several days. I saw wood ducks, squirrels, crows, turtles, but no snakes or mosquitoes. The picture is mostly a test- shot. I wanted to test a full- size pic with lower resolution, rather than compressing a higher- resolution one to save file space. It's a shot that interests me, though. Most of that lush growth is stinging nettles, but I see a trillium blossom peeking through the tangle. Nettles are said to be edible, but I haven't tried them; gotta use gloves to pick them.

Edit: Ja, that works OK; click the pic and it comes up large. It's lower resolution to load fast and save disk space. And it is still good enough for my show- and- tell purposes. I'll probably continue using that format.

Fishing report

My boy went with me and we rolled into the campground with some daylight still left. I was able to stretch my trotline before dark, but had to cut out snags and tangles that were in the line. I’d repair that when I got back to town, but not now. Some of my buddies camped there, too. They cooked up a big pot of Crawfish Etouffe on Saturday night. Oh- boy, was it good! I hadn’t had crawfish in a year or more. I checked the line twice Saturday night and picked it up Sunday morning. We only caught four catfish and didn’t have time for flyfishing, but that large helping of crawfish, alone, was worth the trip. It was cold and damp during the night, and hard to get moving Sunday morning. My boy had some condensation issues with his tent… need to ventilate better in cold weather. His gear was soggy, as was his mood. There was mist on the water and sunlight in the budding trees, but my camera was too cold to take pictures. I tried warming the camera in a pocket, but had to change batteries to make it function. Lots of birds Sunday morning! Egrets, herons, gros- bec were flying and squawking. Redbirds were fluttering around. Redwing blackbirds were in the bushes (tic… tic… crrrrick). Wood ducks were whistling and landing on the bayou. The crow was arguing (unh- uh).
Back in town, I had plenty of time to get to work; I visited Bluebonnet Swamp on my way. Spring has definitely sprung over there and is days ahead of the Atchafalaya area. I was amazed at how much the flush of leaves and buds and blooms had come out in the Bluebonnet Swamp… it had only been four days since my last visit. Even their mayapples were starting to bloom (I learned that those had, as I suspected, been transplanted to that location).

Made it to Butte La Rose. Set a line. Gotta get away early, though.

Edit: These cell- phone posts are handy for updating my location and activities. With fancier equipment, I could include more text and even pictures, I guess. That is beginning to sound like work: more effort and committment at the expense of my outdoor playtime.

Highlights of sunset

My tromp in the swamp was very pretty yesterday evening. Lots of plants were coming out of dormancy and the waters were still and very reflective. Recent rains and cloudy weather have made me appreciate blue skies. Low angle of the setting sun gave a dramatic lighting display in those budding treetops. When they start chasing me out of the park on Daylight Savings Time, those views will be unavailable. Jim's post over on Riverlogue has me fired up about fishing; and I need some fish in the freezer. This time of year is always super- busy, but maybe I'll soon work in a quick round of fishing.

Cyber- hiking Bluebonnet Swamp

Click here for slideshow

Those rains interfere with work and play

The creeks were high and the hillsides were slick, but there have been some beautiful, warm afternoons lately. Lots of birds were busy through the weekend, and that was time for one of those “backyard bird counts”. Had I known more about identifying those critters, I might have submitted a count… it would be fun... maybe I’ll work on it. Many of the common birds are familiar, but I rarely ken them down to the species level; and differences can be subtle.
The weather was tricky, but it never got cold enough to crank up my wood stove. Saturday morning, the rain woke me, so I made coffee and crawled back in the sack to sip it and listen to the radio. There was some thunder, rain started pounding, and wind was whipping. It didn’t last long, and just turned to a drizzle. At about 6:50 am the radio announced a tornado warning… a funnel cloud had been sighted in Morganza at 6:39 am, headed west. That’s right at me. Oh, well, since I’m hearing the belated warning, I guess it didn’t get me. I got out after another cup of coffee and the weather prettied- up quickly. Everything was wet and muddy and the creek was up and roiling so I stayed close and did some chores.
Saturday afternoon, I visited Cousin to share a genealogy tidbit I had found. We took a drive up the old Board Hollow Road that skirts the back side of their place. It was so called, because there had been a sawmill back in there. I hadn’t been back there in years. It was a steep drive, but the parish keeps the gravel in good shape. “Sugarman” lived up on that tall hill. At spots we could see all the way to the Mississippi River, we were so high. Actually, I have since checked it on Google Earth, and they show an elevation of 235 feet. Well, it seemed high. Back in camp, I watched the sun set and the birds go to roost, a fit ending to a lovely day.
During the night, a heavy rain hammered the tin roof and woke me up at 2:30 am; I don’t think I ever did get back to sleep. The rain soon slacked and it still wasn’t cool enough for me to enjoy a fire in the stove... that was the second frontal passage in as many days. I eventually made coffee and got up, but daylight showed puddles scattered around and the creek was high again. Again the weather cleared to a very pretty morning; I got dressed and went to church with the cousins. It warmed up considerably by midday… must have been mid- 80s. Wet ground and high water limited the projects I could work on, so I sat on the stoop and cracked pecans… simple pleasures, they say. Maybe I'll do some work next trip.

The swamp is awakening... this early

There were lots of birds singing and fluttering around the swamp today; maybe they were preparing for that 6- more- weeks- of- winter. There had been some turtles out sunning recently, but today, I saw my first snakes of the year. I also spotted a lizard and a box- turtle.

Strange birds in the back yard

I went with the birding group this morning, at the Bluebonnet Swamp. When I got back, I discovered this strange pair. Since my end- of- season hunt got rained out, I've stayed in town for chores. Gotta work Sunday, but maybe can escape after that and Mardi Gras will give me an extra day off. The nutria (Pierre C. Shadeaux) saw his shadow today, so winter is not over yet. It was frosty this morning, but sunny, and it warmed up pleasantly. There were lots of birds about; I'm learning a little more about spotting and identifying birds.

Seasons are changing again

Well, it’s a bitter- sweet time for me when the seasons change. On my calendar, the transition is observed as being from hunting season to fishing season. I saw my first trillium of the year; they’ll soon be peeking out all over the hills. Trillium is the harbinger of spring that really speaks out to me… a pretty splash of green against the drab leaf- litter. Even this armadillo was out scrounging for some lunch. Maybe our recent warm days interfered with hibernation; I dunno. Monday morning temperature was 34 at my cabin door, and it rose to a very pleasant 65 by the afternoon. I finally got around to replacing my broken thermometer; it’s kinda fun to know the temperature, although that knowledge doesn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things. I seem to have the woods back to myself, now, It looks like I’ll get in one more bow- hunt on Thursday; the last day of the season. Then I’ve got to get on with some cleanup and repairs and get some timber thinning done before the bugs and hot weather get here.

Energy independence: that smoke signifies home- grown heating.

January heatwave

This is hard to believe! A few days ago it was cold and drizzly here, it snowed at my cabin in the hills, and now I’m prowling around the swamp in short- sleeves. The turtles are lined up, sunning; they must think it’s springtime.

And it snowed!

It rained all night, never very hard, but the ground was mighty wet, with puddles standing. The creek was too high to cross for hunting and drizzle was still coming down, so I didn’t get out. I just lazed around the cabin, made another cup of coffee, and watched the birds hopping around, grateful for the seeds I had left them. I built up the fire and was enjoying being stuck in the cabin. And it started snowing! What a treat! But it was too warm for it to stick. First it was just spitting little flakes mixed with rain and sleet. Then it turned to big, fluffy flakes, and a constant fall of them. There was a little snow accumulated on the old picnic table… I remember some long- ago times, only a very few times, that we made snow ice- cream and threw some snowballs from that surface. I had great wishes for a tracking snow, but knew it couldn’t be. Even the slight dusting that accumulated around protected edges melted quickly. Nevertheless, it was pretty to watch the big flakes flutter down, and me all snug by the fire, peeking out the cabin window.

Sun- Day afternoon in the park

It warmed up to short- sleeves this afternoon and was really pretty in the swamp. A lot more green is beginning to show. I still think it's too early for that and frost is gonna get 'em.

False Spring?

Old Brer' Turtle had crawled out on the bank of a swamp island, thinking Spring had sprung.... Sounds like a good start for a fireside tale (click the pic to enlarge). It was a pleasant stroll through the swamp. The rain had cooled things from the sultry temperatures we saw yesterday. That mid- winter heatwave has fooled a few critters, and some plants are leafing out, too. They might get a bad surprise, however; my busted hip tells me that another cold wave will be here in two days. We'll see how much of a chill we get this time.