A Menagerie of Nature
View Album: A Menagerie of NatureThis post is made up of a harbor sunrise, and a drive up to Ward Bayou Wildlife Management Area. Spring Migration is starting and will be our focus for a while. Ocean Springs Harbor Sunrise Click any image to view full size and browse the gallery. Ward Bayou Wildlife Mgt Area Click any image to…
Our Back Yard
View Album: Our Back YardBirdfeeders It is mating time of the years and birds are coming into their breeding colors; so beautiful! It is always a new experience to take a drive to another locations, to explore something new or different; then sometimes it is nice to just sit in my little blind and enjoy our yard’s residence. Click…
Osprey’s Catch – Biloxi Back Bay
View Album: Osprey’s Catch – Biloxi Back BayMullet for Breakfast These are a few photos I took in Biloxi at the Drain Pipe back in January 21, 2026, sitting forgotten on a memory chip. I ran across them yesterday and thought them worth sharing. I do love the Osprey, and they do love the Mullet!Story Click any image to view full size…
Sunrise from the Ocean Springs Harbor Pier
View Album: Sunrise from the Ocean Springs Harbor PierI’ve never met a sunrise I didn’t appreciate. A mug & thermos of coffee; a 15 minute drive to the harbor, and a fresh start, Click any image to view full size and browse the gallery. Wake up early. Take a shower. Grab a coffee. And open your heart to Nature’s ultimate sign of life.…
Mississippi Coast Sharing Her Wonders
View Album: Mississippi Coast Sharing Her WondersSister Jo’s visit Saturday, we took the Bird Barge out of Ocean Springs Harbor, toured around the western tip of Deer Island to the Oyster Farms, on the way back we received an escort that you need to see. From Deer Island we headed up Davis Bayou Coastal Preserve into Simmons Bayou to the The…
Monday morning: Lake Mars & Ocean Springs Harbor
View Album: Monday morning: Lake Mars & Ocean Springs HarborI can always depend on either of these locations to be pleasant to visit, and for images, whether sunrises, sunsets or the local residents. Click any image to view full size and browse the gallery. “The most important element in fostering a sense of place is to teach ourselves… to see with fresh eyes the…
Mississippi Coast Sunrises
View Album: Mississippi Coast SunrisesEvery sunset is also a sunrise. It all depends on where you stand. Karl Schmidt Ocean Springs Harbor Pier March 14, 2026 Ocean Springs Harbor Pier March 20, 2026 Gulfport Harbor March 21, 2026 “May I mindfully appreciatethe diversityof every being I encounter,who, like flowers,brings beauty, variety,and sustenanceto our world.” Jean Smith in Now!: The Art…
Sunday Morning
View Album: Sunday MorningMarch 1, 2026 Heading to breakfast Sunday morning, we chose Phoenicia restaurant because it was too chilly to eat outside with the dogs, besides, their pancakes are always the best. It was 47° F (8.3° C) when we went in, and 67° F (19.4° C) an hour and a half later when we arrived at…
Back Yard Birdfeeders
View Album: Back Yard BirdfeedersMy One Person Blind Patty has identified all the birds, and I see she has also added a bit of commentary; cool! I have had some issues with locking in on a good focus lately. Turns out I have missed several firmware upgrades, and it appears to be an improvement. “We make a living by…
Back Yard Birdfeeders 2/1/26 Audubon Coastal Bird Count & Ocean Springs Inner Harbor 2/2/26
View Album: Back Yard Birdfeeders 2/1/26 Audubon Coastal Bird Count & Ocean Springs Inner Harbor 2/2/26Our day started off at a crisp 18°F(-7.8°C). We had Sunday-morning breakfast at Fat Spoon Cafe in Ocean Springs. After breakfast, we birded our way down the coast to Biloxi, then went in search of the Golden Eye, and Patty found it in Biloxi Back Bay by the shrimp factories.
Sunday Morning Drive Home
View Album: Sunday Morning Drive HomeThere is a cold spell coming! Driving home, thinking of the frigid weather coming to us and much of North America. I watch two cars speed through a red light, and I think about how we are becoming, more and more, a ME society, and I mourn how we are treating each other and how…
Our Backyard Bird Feeders
View Album: Our Backyard Bird FeedersFeathered Friends Good morning, world! Last year, while birding Clower Thornton Park in Gulfport, MS, we ran into several other birder friends. Steve pointed out that Charlie was in the brush in a blind. With some effort, I was able to locate him in his one-person standup blind; very cool. Talking with Charlie later, I…
Biloxi Back Bay, Drain Pipe
View Album: Biloxi Back Bay, Drain PipeIn Search of a Common Goldeneye Patty heard from birding friend, Steve, that he had seen a Common Goldeneye in Biloxi Back Bay near the Drain Pipe, so we headed to Biloxi on Friday morning. As hard as Patty searched, no Goldeneye, but there were plenty of the regulars. There must have been runs of…
The First Week of January, 2026
View Album: The First Week of January, 2026We still have several rare hummingbirds visiting our feeders; fortunately, we have had, or perhaps because we have had a mild winter. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is our usual migration visitor, but it is unusual for it to remain in the winter. What is rare are the Broad-tailed and Black-chinned Hummingbirds; they belong much further west…
Rufous Hummingbird at Charlie’s house January 4, 2026
View Album: Rufous Hummingbird at Charlie’s house January 4, 2026Rare Sightings You met Percy, Patty’s name for our visiting and rare Broad-tailed Hummingbird, we also have a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, common in our Spring and Fall, but very unusual during winter. Well, it turns out that a fellow birder and friend, Charlie in Gulfport, has two rare hummingbirds, the Rufous hummingbird and the Buff-bellied Hummingbird,…
Welcome 2026 from the Ocean Springs Harbor
View Album: Welcome 2026 from the Ocean Springs HarborHappy New Year Happy New Year Friends and Family, Birders, Photographers, Nature Lovers and Mississippi Coast wanderers. Patty and I plan to explore new and old areas this year, with hopes of a few new Live Birds for Patty and me continuing to grow my photography knowledge. Let us all make this the very best…
Percy the Broad-tailed Hummingbird 11/29/25
View Album: Percy the Broad-tailed Hummingbird 11/29/25Who is the Broad-tailed Hummingbird Meet the Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) — a hummingbird built for mountain meadows, pine-oak woods, and high-altitude life. Think of a small, sleek “zoom-bird” with glossy green upperparts and a long tail that sticks out even when perched. What makes Broad-tailed Hummingbirds special Good Sources for Further Reading “Broad-tailed Hummingbird…
Hummingbird Banding November 28,02025
View Album: Hummingbird Banding November 28,02025Two members of Banding Coalition of the Americas, Kyle Shepherd and Emma Rhodes, PhD, came to catch, weigh, measure, take DNA, band, and let Patty release our visiting Broad-tailed Hummingbird, named Percy, by Patty. The Science of Bird Banding Bird banding is a vital tool used by scientists and conservationists to uncover the secrets of…
Sunrise from Point Cadet and a Little Biloxi history
View Album: Sunrise from Point Cadet and a Little Biloxi historyFishing Pier – History of the Biloxi Bay Bridges Point Cadet, Before Hurricane Katrina Before the 2005 storm, Point Cadet was home to several significant facilities and a tight-knit community of fishing families. After Hurricane Katrina Katrina’s storm surge devastated the Point Cadet area, destroying nearly all structures. Since then, it has been largely redeveloped,…
Sunrise and goodbye to my friend Jim
View Album: Sunrise and goodbye to my friend Jim“HEARTWORK Each day is born with a sunriseand ends in a sunset, the same way weopen our eyes to see the light,and close them to hear the dark.You have no control overhow your story begins or ends.But by now, you should know thatall things have an ending.Every spark returns to darkness.Every sound returns to silence.And…
Little Lake, Big Slough & Patty’s New Chair November 12, 2025
View Album: Little Lake, Big Slough & Patty’s New Chair November 12, 2025My most sought after, an Owl! Many of you may know that a vehicle makes a great bird or wildlife blind; I suppose animals have become used to them in their world. Our truck is good and bad as a birding vehicle; it is high, which is good, but the windows distort with both binoculars…
Beautiful Fall Weekend: Friends, Festival & Nature
View Album: Beautiful Fall Weekend: Friends, Festival & NatureUpper & Lower Rhymes Lakes, My favorite, and Patty’s go-to spot, Ward Bayou. On Friday, we drove up to Upper & Lower Rhymes lakes (1) in George County, MS. This is one of my favorite locations within 55 minutes of home. It is absolutely beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. These are oxbow lakes, previously part of…
Halloween 2025
View Album: Halloween 2025Story Celtic origins: Samhain Roman and Christian influence Modern Halloween Modern rituals: Today’s traditions like “trick-or-treating,” wearing costumes, and carving jack-o’-lanterns have roots in these ancient customs. Write Your Story Here Evolution of traditions: Over time, the pagan and Christian traditions combined to form the basis of the modern celebration. Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep. A Nightmare…
Clay Point Park 10/28/25
View Album: Clay Point Park 10/28/25Seeking birds in Biloxi Patty heard there was a Clay-Colored Sparrow sighted at South Clay Point Park, so yesterday morning, we headed across the bay and down Back Bay Blvd. It was a gorgeous Fall Mississippi Coast morning, with lots of birds but no Clay-Colored Sparrow. We also stopped by the Drain Pipe to find…
Clay Point Park – Biloxi Back Bay Blvd 10-23-25
View Album: Clay Point Park – Biloxi Back Bay Blvd 10-23-25Western Kingbird Sighting You have all heard me repeatedly marvel at our access to the great outdoors, the waterway, the national and state forest, then turn around and post photos of and tell of our discoveries right in town. Patty got word of sightings of the Western Kingbird around Clay Point Park in Biloxi, so…
Morning at Ward Bayou 10/17/25
View Album: Morning at Ward Bayou 10/17/25A relatively quite morning. Lovely Fall Morning at Ward Bayou Friday morning at Ward Bayou, and it started out great. At the entrance, Patty was seeing and hearing quite a few forest birds, mostly deep into the trees where it is difficult to photograph. Normally we have Ward Bayou to ourselves but it is hunting…
First week of October and signs of Fall
View Album: First week of October and signs of FallReady for Fall and a bit of Rain Patty is home, and Holly Berry, her dog companion, is so pleased! While getting settled, we have not done a great deal of exploring. We checked out Clower Thorton Park in Gulfport the other morning, and Jones Park while we were there. Yesterday morning, after breakfast at…
Before Patty’s Departure 9/9 thru 9/15
View Album: Before Patty’s Departure 9/9 thru 9/15Between Patty’s Packing and appointments, we worked on a few birding explorations. Patty is off to meet up with her birding buddy Hap, with a brief stop to see sister Sally in Nashville, then up to Murray, KY, for the annual KY Ornithology Meeting, travel to South Carolina to another Birding event, and meet prominent…
Pensacola Beach
View Album: Pensacola BeachStopped at old haunts; The Dog Beach & Fort Pickens The kids and I dropped Patty off at the Pensacola International Airport for her trip to Nashville, Tennessee, Murray, Kentucky, and then on to Edisto Island, SC. Then we headed to Pensacola Beach. I love the beautiful white sand and clear greenish blue water of…
Old Shell Landing Road
View Album: Old Shell Landing RoadBlue Dog & Butterflies After our Sunday morning breakfast at the Blue Dog Bistro, the kids, Patty, and I headed to Old Shell Landing to see what we could find. Patty saw and heard a good variety of birds, but unfortunately, her photographer got a bit distracted. There are quite a few pictures, more than…
