Egrets in the backyard

One of the neat things about living on the coast is the diversity of the wildlife. Seagulls are seen on a daily basis, along with terns, egrets and herons. In the winter, bottlenose dolphin are everywhere and whales are sighted just off the beach. In the spring, the whole place busts open with wildlife. Baitfish and jumping mullet fill the creeks, menhaden flip and shrimp skip through the water. One good cast net throw might yield 20 different types of saltwater species. Once up in Bell's Creek, I threw a net and pulled up mullet, shrimp, pinfish, croaker, small redfish, blue crab, menhaden and a surprised large turtle. The summer brings out the green tree frogs that attach to the siding of the house. After a heavy rain, frogs fill the water-filled ditches and their noises are deafening. When it rains here, it doesn't fool around-it not only rains several inches at a time but it often comes down with the force of a powerwasher. The land here is only inches above sea level and the water will quickly form small lakes all around. Once, I came home to the curious site of one of my neighbors standing in my water-filled front lawn heaving a cast net in an attempt to catch bullfrogs for his nieces pond. It was a surreal scene to me, but he acted as if it was perfectly normal. Now that I've been here almost five years, I now think that it is perfectly normal and would think nothing of doing the same thing if the opportunity presented itself.