Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Note for Nov. 8, 2006

My duck has gone south with the coming of the cool blast that arrived here with yesterday's torrential rain.

The duck was in the yard last evening, but gone this morning. On Sunday morning, I discovered him walking around on the screen enclosure for the pool. I suspected it wouldn't be long. I will visit some of the ponds and gathering spots for his kin later today. In my neighborhood there are probably several thousand Muscovy ducks on the ponds. Many of the ponds hold Mallard, drakes and judies. There are also a great variety of less common call ducks and a few of the domesticated, white variety. In those same ponds are to be found, wood storks, a variety of egrets and cormorant.

Yesterday just before the rain, I saw a great vee of white pelicans arriving for the winter. The Canadas will arrive soon and also the brackish water ducks that winter over on the bays. The Harris hawks and the wintering over red tails are also marking territories and screeching at each other.

This is also the beginning of Sheephead season. They are an outstanding food fish, tastes like oysters, but they are either caught quite by accident or by careful technique and great skill.

I can't think about that now- too many other deadlines and commitments to go fishing now.