Adventure and Nature Photos on the Gulf of Mexico
Adventure on the Gulf of Mexico Are Fun
Adventure and nature photos on the Gulf of Mexico. Let me take you on a tour of the Gulf Coast, Mississippi. You probably know that the Mississippi Gulf Coast is covered with swamps, and nature is abundant with animals and plants. The Gulf of Mexico is famous for its oysters, shrimp, and many other types of sea life. However, you will only see many species in habitats near the coast. Mississippi has a large variety of animals, and on this adventure, you will see some of the diversity of these creatures.
My former home was located in Pass Christian Isles, a country-type atmosphere, and our home was built several blocks from the Gulf of Mexico. I will take you there to start our adventure. Although hurricane Katrina took me home, many animals and plants have returned. On my property, we have a few acres on this small island where the bayou snake along property lines and give easy access to the open water. Many people lived here before the storm and very few since. So the animals watch over my property and have well-worn pathways throughout the property.
In the tree are several herons, a large bird that remain relatively quiet for the most part. I seem to come across them sitting in their hidden resting areas, and they usually scare the tar out of me as they fly off, swooping past me too close for comfort. They are large white birds with long legs; when they fly, they straighten them back toward their tails. They stand about 3-4 feet in height, and when they pass by, they create a trail of wind behind themselves.
A Pelican on the Bayou - Adventure close to home near the Gulf of Mexico
This is a pelican sitting and waiting for a fish to go by so he can get it for his supper. This one appears young; he doesn't have the scares that many older ones do. Several pelicans on the coast sit on the piers and the docks near the beach. You can see them swooping and diving into the water, retrieving fish, shrimp and crabs.
Crabs and shrimp are the mainstays for the animals and humans in the Gulf of Mexico. Seeing them in the water is easy when you stand on a pier. Some of the locals in the area make a habit of putting down crab traps for a continuous supply of crabs. The fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico is the livelihood of many people in the deep south. Of course, everyone's heard of Bubba Gump's Shrimp, made famous by the movie Forrest Gump.
During the winter months near the Gulf of Mexico, there is much more biodiversity since many birds make their way to the deep south for the season. We see quite a few species of waterfowl, such as Canadian geese and a wide variety of seagulls. Songbirds are also abundant, as well as a massive variety of hummingbirds. Mississippi is a piney forest combined with a swamp. Much of the Gulf of Mexico area is at or below sea level. Our homes are pilings, and where I lived before Katrina now requires a 23' tall one to build houses on top of them. That is why we moved to the other side of the Bay of St. Louis after the storm.
A Mother and her baby drinking from the bayou off the Gulf of Mexico
It's so warm the squirrels are sun-bleached - Nature Adventure on the Bayou
Squirrels are abundant, and we have many pecan trees, ancient oaks, water oaks, and other trees which produce food for them. Unfortunately, there are also many animals you don't want to see on a nature walk here. Some include venomous snakes, alligators, possums, raccoons, and others that can get aggressive toward people. We don't feed the animals since it keeps them too close for comfort.
Once we got to the end of the nature walk adventure, I was hoping we could see some dolphins playing near the beach. They are very friendly, and sometimes when we swim in the gulf, they come to investigate. My husband once had one look him eye to eye while we were swimming one day.
I think we are lucky to have nature so close to us, and as a science teacher, I have enjoyed seeing it daily. Some mornings when I would get up to go to work, a raccoon mother and her babies would be playing in the tree in from of the house. Other times I have seen opossums with their babies looking for food.
Sometime in February, armadillos come out for the mating season. Unfortunately, it seems as if it makes them suicidal since they all try to cross the road and end up on the side of the road and road kill. Also, during that time of the year, we have the hatching of tree frogsāthe little tiny kind with sticky feet. One day when I came home, they had come in through a cracked open window and covered my bedroom wall clinging with their sticky little feet.
A preserved armadillo on a pier out on the bayou
The end of our adventure a perfect sunset over the boats in the Bay of St. Louis marinas
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