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| Osprey chicks high in a nest |
Last March we drove all over Gulfport one hot afternoon , looking for Clam Bayou Nature Park (Where in the Heck is Clam Bayou?). I couldn't find it on the GPS (maybe cause it seems to have various names including or xcluding the words "shell", "park", "preserve" etc.), so we settled on viewing it from behind a fence across the water.
Yesterday we tried again, and got there -- not difficult at all, really, and close to the Gulfport Pier that we enjoy so much. I was happy to find the Gulfport Marina right next to the park. The pelicans were lounging around on the water's edge and one couple set out for a late afternoon sail, while a green-shirted guy rowed out to a sailboat anchored in the bay.
We went for a little walk through the park, crunching the shells on the path. A young fisherman and his girlfriend were throwing a net out for bait on one of the docks jutting out from the shore. They told us a dolphin had been jumping "a few minutes ago", but it didn't show up for us. Instead, we watched a great blue heron fish in the shallow water.
The real prize of the day was an osprey nest (high on a telephone-like pole, well into the park. I took a couple of pictures, hoping that my zoom would catch what my eye couldn't see. I didn't realize until yesterday evening that a pair adult ospreys were caring for two chicks. The little creatures look prehistoric and demanding. It's not easy being an osprey parent.
We ended the afternoon with a beer at Manatees on the Bay. Facebook page, no website. Vince the bartender is professional and friendly. The patrons were noisy but they were having a good time, as were we.
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