The tax-man has been paid. After I “rendered unto Ceasar" there is nothing left. Time to go fishin! Fishin is a prime pastime on the Broward this time of year. Fishin is a just a relative term you know. It is a lot different than catchin. Some birds (and people) spend a lot of time fishin. They look for just the right place, the right time of day, the right tides. Some birds are better equipped at fishin than others. Don’t get me wrong. These things are all important. But they mean nothing at the end of the day if you are not catchin!

I sit on the dock in the early morning and evening light. Below me in the shallow marsh waters are various herons and marsh birds. When they are busy fishin they could care less if I am there pointing the camera and pushing the doohickey. Because if they are successful at fishin, then they are a catchin! And after that comes their favorite part of fishin….and that is eatin!. The herons all hunt about the same. At low tide they either sit and wait for the fish to come to them in an incoming or outgoing flows or they stalk the shallow banks and look for a school of tasty minnows, bait fish, shrimp, or crabs. They use those keen eyes and long necks to peer into the shallow pools. Sometimes they use their feet to stir up the bottom dwellers. Sometime they use their wings like a shade to help them see or scare up minnows. Then comes the swift snatch or stab using the beak. Like a sage old Chinaman with chopsticks, they can use their beaks to deftly pluck, flip, and then swallow fresh caught tasty minnows and shrimp from the tidal flow of the marsh. Seldom does the poor fish fare well in this sport. But that is the way it is on the marsh. Eat or be eaten.

"See the birds of the air, they neither reap nor sow yet your Heavenly Father feeds them." This is the lesson I learn each day I sit on the dock watching the birds fishin! The promise is that the Father is going to take care of my needs too (even if the tax-man ate all my fish). Be blessed. Harry

Reflections on Broward is now "Mountain Musings"

Gone fishin!