Into Brandts lagoon the newly acquired limpkin stayed busy just beyond the hull with barely audible grunts of advice as he probed deep into the mud for his delicacies. “Go for the ones with at least 100 legs, they’re the best!” No clamoring ducks, no kestrel in the pine and not one peep from the osprey as she glided overhead. Even the kingfisher with his machine-gun fire chatter only sputtered a few notes as he worked frantically over a school of shiners.

Clam Bayou’s art gallery hosted yearly by the wintering pelicans is off to a slow start. No “poo-painters” on the wall today, but evidence of their smelly work is taking shape. Our recent warm weather likely has them soaking up the sun on a beach somewhere…can’t blame ‘em really…colder weather soon come. A casual paddler drifted by with her puppy pal tucked neatly in a chest pouch. Both seemed content with the stillness of the day and only offered minimal words as they tucked trash neatly into a sack…”Good form!” I say to Lady Rose. We can always use more ‘elves’ around here.

The traverse into Maggorie canal was reflective and serene. Night herons held tightly to their perch and stared at us through narrow, red-set eyes. We drifted within paddles reach of an American egret. Her brilliant white plumage pressed against grassy green mangrove will be as close to an image of snowfall that I’ll see this year. She was gracious to let us pass twice without so much as a neckstretch.

The slurping, sucking sounds coming from the muck in McIntosh tunnel were only audible if you listened closely and at that decibel range you could almost hear the throngs of spiders quietly nibbling on no-see-ems.

It was nearing darkness when we emerged from the hammock to see the sun melting far beyond the beach buildings shrouded in fog. Then the chatter began. It started low, then grew – The nightly migration of the fish crow passed overhead and in a Southern pessimistic drawl, “Uh Uh” (I do-wanna) “Uh Uh” (I do-wanna) reached a crescendo which carried through the silent corridors of the bayou. The aerial display of black depth stretched far beyond the borders of the bayou and continued on.

The kayak hull crunched the shells at the launch site just in time for my kind of holiday office party! Daily with the setting sun at the Gulfport Municipal Marina is a winged holiday celebration (and this year is bigger than ever). You can join the party to witness a huge flock of redwings, grackles & starlings. Scores of birds chatting away, milling about, vocally celebrating togetherness. If you watch closely you’ll notice the office hussy casually dressed as an ibis kibitzing with a finely dressed heron who’s visit to the open (oyster) bar has his neck craning and weaving….Ah, what the heck… it’s Christmas right? Up all at once, and at no one’s order whatsoever the turbulent swarm wing their way over the bayou. Like a black tornado the swirl of birds spins and spirals downward, settling, falling, squawking over a peaceful area nicely knitted with marsh grass and limb. After a short period of clamoring the party comes to a peaceful close, darkness sets in, and if your patience is as strong as your bug spray you too are welcome to come in and experience a “real” silent night.

AUDUBON’S  “CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR”

Kurt Zuelsdorf  grew up as a nature tour guide for over 20 years at Horicon Marsh Boat Tours in Wisconsin.  After living for 18 years in Gulfport, he dreamed of running a business that would provide kayak rentals and tours in the area.  His daughter led him to the perfect spot; Clam Bayou Nature Park, in his own back yard in Gulfport.
After visiting the Bayou, he realized it had a big problem – it was choked with years upon years of trash and debris.  But behind the trash, Kurt saw something that most people didn’t; a vision of a pristine ecosystem filled with birds and wildlife.
How could one person transform a trash dump? By inspiring others to share his vision.
In 2006 Kurt decided to offer a free Kayak rental to anyone who brought back a bag filled with trash from the Bayou. Calling his program “Bring Back the Bayou”, his creative plan created an ecosystem of its own – a “Green Machine” composed of thousands of moving parts, each part removing its bag of trash. Like a steady swarm of ants, his machine has removed over 100,000 pounds of human detritus from  Clam Bayou, including  shopping carts, lawn furniture, tires, bicycles, golf balls, and even motorcycles and sofas. One of the hardest things to remove was a 500-gallon automatic Dumpster.
And the Bayou is indeed coming back.  After years of preparation and delay, in 2010 SWFWMD will install a stormwater treatment system which should dramatically reduce the flow of trash into the Bayou, while offering land-based visitors improved wildlife viewing  opportunities.  But the Machine still has work to do.  “The volunteer effort is an important part of the overall strategy and management of Clam Bayou,” said Brandt Henningsen, SWFWMD’s chief environmental scientist. “Once the stormwater and restoration project is finished, maintenance will still be an important part of the overall plan because some new trash will still make it into the bayou.”
“That’s what’s going to keep the awareness up – the ability for people to see it. The more people that DO see it, the cleaner it can be” said Kurt.
Last year, Kurt was able to inspire 700 kids by either bringing them out to the Bayou or going to visit them. He’s constantly trying to encourage recycling including the use of reusable shopping bags.
His inspiration for the program is the birds that live and nest in the mangroves. “It’s all for the birds,” he said.
“After a major cleanup, I stood back and watched,” Kurt says. “The herons, the cranes, and the ibises were sitting up in the treetops waiting for us to leave. The pelicans were diving. The fish were jumping. It’s nothing short of a miracle to watch that happen.”
“What he’s done in Clam Bayou is exceptional. He’s brought a focus to that area, and he’s done it by bringing people together,” said Gulfport City Commissioner Michelle King.
Kurt’s mission is to “promote green living while educating people on the importance of preserving Earth’s resources”.

Kurt has already won several awards for his (and his volunteer’s) work, including:
·         2007 Field and Stream “Hero of Conservation” award.
·         2008 Tourism Award from Coastal Living Magazine.
·         2008 Creative Loafing’s “Best Environmental Outing”  award.

In 2009, for his Perseverance, Creativity  and the huge improvement he’s made to both Clam Bayou and the lives of people who might otherwise never experience it, we name him St. Petersburg Audubon’s Conservationist of the Year.

November’s weather snuck in nicely from the north carrying with it the “real” snowbirds. Willets, dowitchers and godwits are huddling on the south pass oyster bars. The local oyster catchers seem happy to have them back after a lonely summer with the gabby gulls.

Green and black-crowned heron nesting habitat in the upper creeks looks fabulous thanks to countless volunteer greenies that prepped the nursery for their return to nesting. One of this year’s late hatchers stuck around to take advantage of the fiddler crab crop on Brandt’s Island. This year’s crop seems a little down from last year, but the food source is alive and well.

Now 5 years in a row the pie-billed grebe has returned to the south pass—-always great to see him again. Since he is the only one, a name would be fitting…. Otis seems appropriate, unless you have other suggestions?

A brief glimpse of the black-crowned night heron and an encounter with the ghostly bittern keeps my spirits alive as the summer was slow here. A most exciting discovery in the upper creeks is a series of small teacup size nests (perhaps a palm warbler). I’ve always wondered what the purpose of the spiders is in the bayou and these nests have revealed that the web is being used to weave the twigs and bind the nest! In addition, they (the birds) have chosen a strand with a string of eggs on it. The baby spiders are said to eat the parasites that cause harm to the baby birds, then at some stage of growth the birds eat the spiders! Such amazing things in the place called Clam Bayou if you just adjust your eyes accordingly!

Black vultures are gathering in the skies about the bayou waiting for nature’s call to clean up when the temps drop and turn the tilapia belly-up.

Bald eagles are back in the area. On a recent photo tour with Denise from PA a huge male performed an aerial drop-swoop-grab on a mullet right in front of us, only to be shooed away by the osprey. Still no nesting activity on the osprey posts. The small nest that was built last year was blown away in a recent storm.

White Pelican migration is on. I was fortunate to witness three drop into the region on a clear blue sky over the bayou. (Please visit my website or my YouTube site for the video I shot of the pelicans at Ft. Desoto and other recent videos). Their bill can hold 3 gallons of water… it’s beak really can hold more than his belly can!

Kurt Zuelsdorf  Owner/Operator

by Kurt Zuelsdof 

I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; A tree that may in Summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain. Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.                   – Joyce Kilmer

So often a tree disappears without being recognized  for it’s accomplishments or what it may have stood witness to. As a self-proclaimed tree hugger I felt it necessary to honor the deceased -

Tony the Washingtonion Robusto Palm. Born 1800(something) -  Died 1-26-2009

 The life of  a tree must be so interesting and diverse. I often admire what they have witnessed both good and bad in our environment and seldom think twice about the visitors that have roosted in their branches, slept in the safety of the trunk, raised a  brood in their shade,  and see the world change around them.  . Many of you and scores more have passed by the Washingtonian palms on the small island along the South main channel of Clam Bayou.  These trees are a favorite roosting spot for the osprey and a hideout for the parakeets that play in the hallowed out trunk thanks to the woodpeckers. Born  as a fan palm his early days were spent watching the fishermen dry their nets and repair boats at Osgood Point. On more than one occasion Tony was threatened by peat fires that smoldered in the bayou and choked his  living branches. He was present when Al Capone bought a portion of the bayou and perhaps Tony  knows where J. Hoffa is?   He survived the hurricane of 1921 that wiped out the Gulfport Casino and several storms thereafter. Although I’m not sure when he lost his regal fans I know it has been at least 20 years.  

His partner, I’ll refer to from now on as Terry, stands alone on the small island in Clam Bayou… he will be missed.