Abundance
You will never guess what I found on the neighbor’s dock this morning. There was a blind just exactly like the one I “lost” last week (Ahh, senior moments). The waning moon was nearly half gone and beginning to fade in the dawn as I walked to the end of the dock and sat down in my slightly soggy seat. A frontal system had blown thru last night and the skies were clear and much colder. The temperature had dropped nearly 35 degrees and was in the 40s. I spot Old Man River just around the bend at one of his favorite spots. He didn’t fly off as I was far enough away not to intrude in his “space”. The tide was just beginning to fill the marsh, bringing with it a morning smorgasbord. I see a large group of Snowy Egrets descend upstream. Then I saw them.
Three Hoodies! No, not the suspicious character kind, Mergansers. A male and two females swim into view, heads bobbing up and down in the muck and having a feast. Hooded mergansers are one of the prettiest ducks on the Broward in my opinion. The male has a broad white hood trimmed in black on the crown, the females hood is reddish brown. When they alert and fluff it up it’s a stunning headdress. One that “Fergie” is envious of for sure. They only come thru in the winter months. I have been waiting for weeks for a close up. The water is still only about 3 to 5 inches deep in the small mud channel but it was just enough for three hungry mergansers. But not for the twelve Snowy Egrets that suddenly arrive jumping right on top of them, looking to snatch whatever delicacies the mergansers stir up. They remain a bit further away than I hope for but I nearly wear the doohickey out. It was a smorgasbord of opportunity for me. Something spooks the egrets and they take off like a rocket but the three mergansers, although alarmed, remain yet a while. Lucky me. I had hoped to get a shot of the male as he sits up and flaps his wings, but miss it when I let the heavy camera down for just a moment. Suddenly they start running to get airborne and are gone. But I catch the take off. The wind nearly picks up my blind also. Time to go for me too it seems. I can’t walk on water like they can so I pick up my blind and trudge down the pier to stow it away in the shed (none of those “memory-hoodies” going to get my blind again) and head for the house.
Abundance. That is what comes each day like the tides. There is always more than enough. But sometimes doubt, like the egrets, tries to snatch away our abundance and peace. They can’t take it all though. Just seems that way sometimes. Faith scares them away. And we have abundance and peace again. Enjoy yours today! Be blessed. Harry
The waning moon in the morning sky.
Old Man River, the Great Blue Heron waits for the morning tide.
Three Hooded Mergansers begin to feast on the morning tide
A hungry group of Snowy Egrets emerge from the shadows.
The Egrets pounce on the Mergansers tidal banquet
Something alerts the Mergansers.
The Egrets flee leaving the three Merganser at Alert!
The male Hoodie remains alert. Something is amiss.
The Hoodies decide to beat feet too!
And we have lift off!