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The Daily Bucket - My East LA. visit (Mandeville, Louisiana) [1]

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Date: 2023-05-02

Google map of the Gulf Coast

A six hour drive south to visit the “Sun, Surf and fun of the Gulf Coast” was a better decision for us than the same number of hours cooped up on a jet, renting a car and not speaking the language (just a hunch) of a California journey. The wife and I opted for the easier week of leisure to celebrate our 20th (corrected by the wife) 19th anniversary. We headed to Louisiana for our “May Day” - “Making Hay Day”.

There was one place the two of us could enjoy without the price of a meal. We spent a few hours at the Mandeville city park before checking into our hotel.

My wife is not a birder but enjoys the open water (even if it is Lake Pontchartrain) So we were able to lounge about and pursue both our interests. As she walked in the soft sand and searched for shells, I looked around for things to photograph. Here are some of the sights at the public park.

Spanish moss draped on a Bald Cypress.

There were wild flowers along the untrimmed edges of the yards across the street.

Grass flower tops

I believe this is Was Myrtle taking root inside a rotten piling along the channel’s edge

A ditch held a few swimmers.

Turning toward the water, I saw some fliers. An Osprey was the first bird to catch my eye. This mighty hunter was perched over the channel that led out to the lake.

As expected, I was able to catch new species for my life list. The first (and most fun creatures) were the Royal Tern.

Adult Royal Tern — with the best hair style on the shore.

Many of you know I wear a bandana to tame my (used to be lush) ponytail. The bird above shut my style down because I also don’t fly. I realized I was just a tourist at that point; because the natives have a pulse on living large.

1st year (non-breeding adult) Royal Tern resemble old men fresh from the barber shop.

There were also Laughing Gulls. These are curious and loud birds.

adult Laughing Gull

1st winter laughing Gull

I was even able to get a juvenile Laughing Gull in flight.

juvenile laughing Gull

The last flier I saw was much smaller and near the car.

Slaty Skimmer

Folks, it was a long day and we needed to rest before our trip to the Zoo. I expect to cover a lot of things during our visit to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans on Tuesday May 2nd. Look forward to another diary soon.

Ps. The wife and I have been together since 2000 but married for 19 years. She had 4 years to reject my advances (yet, still said yes to matrimony) so I round up on the anniversary number. These little differences keep us happily conflicted and together.

The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.

What wonderful things do you have to share today?

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