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Daily Bucket - Morning in a Mississippi marsh. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-07-17

A muggy July morning in a Mississippi marsh offers magical moments, mythical beasts, mysterious melodies and mosquitoes. I can give you a glimpse into that wonderful world. Here are the condensed findings I encountered yesterday.

I was hoping to catch some new species (Bittern, Rail, Sora or any marsh loving bird) but the best laid plans usually have odd results. My destination was best for expectations and the gifts I did gather were great.

I faced south into the wetlands.

I was pleased that the air was full of Slaty Skimmers. I didn’t get a single mosquito bite.

A juvenile Little Blue Heron landed and spent a few moments hunting.

I was watching the swirl of dragonflies and noticed the Cricket Frogs were very near. I recorded a full mating repertoire. I didn’t realize (until I got home) that a Northern Waterthrush was singing at the beginning of my recording. I was thrilled at my good fortune.

I became aware of a bird movement and turned for a photo. I did get one (out of 8 attempts) photo and an awful video of the Waterthrush.

Northern Waterthrush

When I got home I compared the new bird to my old photo of a Louisiana Waterthrush.

Louisiana Waterthrush

Here is the video (sorry for the quality). I was trying to capture the behavioral markers to identify this species (but my camera doesn’t like dark or damp places.)

I remembered I had recorded a Louisiana Waterthrush in July of last year. Here is that video for comparison.

As the morning wore on, I was looking through the binoculars more than worried about getting a photograph. None of my target species were visible, then the magic happened. Here is that moment.



he 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.

My Bug of the Day (also seen the same outing) is a Cybister Diving Beetle ( Cybiser explanatus ). This inch long beetle is a predator of tadpoles and minnows. It is found in fresh water. The hind legs propel it along like a person rowing a boat and is often mistaken for a Water Boatman (Corixids).

NOTE: Cybister are non-toxic to humans. A fun note is the release of air (the white spot on the left of its body) travels along the underside of the wings to regulate the bouyancy of the bug.

Thanks for traveling with me into the back waters of Mississippi. What adventures have you had?

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