Bonfouca.Org Environment

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Environment

The most cherished aspects of Bonfouca are the unique environments there. All within a couple miles of each other are lake, beach, marsh, bayou, swamp and upland forest environments. Each have their own indigenous plants and animals.

It's early fall and I was riding around in a pickup looking for things to shoot - with my camera. There were a bunch of bees and butterflies swarming around a wild flower bush.
Here is a short video that I put on You Tube to see if I liked it. With the wind was blowing and the crickets were chirping, it's pretty relaxing.

We see a lot of alligators here in Bonfouca. When we get too many or they get too aggressive, St Tammany Deputy Howard McCrea is called and he rounds them up.
They come in all sizes and the little ones are fun to watch.
Mostly they float around waiting for game or cruise up and down the bayou.
This gator did something a bit unusual and I was lucky to get it on video.

       When I got back after Gustave I saw some really strange looking large, gray kites flying towards Bayou Liberty. I was told that the old folks used to call them Storm Birds, because they came out only after a big storm. I guess Gustav qualified.
         Later I spotted them flying around with a bunch of seagulls at the Bayou Liberty Bridge, so I jumped out and tried to catch them on video.
         They were awesome looking, spiraling around gaining altitude over the bayou!

I like to go down to the Ravine off Bayou Liberty at sundown. Its a good place to see birds of all kinds.
On this night, right at dusk, two owls showed up. I was pushing my camera to its limits to get this video, making me wish for a better camera!

Here's a short movie of the ospreys that built a nest on Bayou Liberty Rd.
There were reports of young osprey sighted in the nest. The osprey deserted the nest a couple of weeks before hurricane Gustav came through and blew it away. Smart birds.

The spring after Katrina my brother and I took a hike down a logging road off Pacquet Rd. Eventually we ended up at Le Coin Branche, a small creek that ran to the marshes on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
I have to admit to its wild beauty and maybe you will to, after seeing this video slideshow.

Get a panoramic view of the marsh south of the Bonfouca Marina. This animated 170 degree slide show covers the area shown in the satellite photo on the left.
Click here to Pan Across the Marsh.

      The other day I was lucky to catch some pictures of a huge Blue Herron that decided to hang out on the other side of the canal.
       Bonfouca is a haven for a great number of birds. Dozens of egrets spend all day feeding in Lake Katrina and every evening fly to their roosts in the pines in the vacant canals of the Bonfouca Marina and Bayou Liberty.
        There will be plenty more photos of birds in the future, but for now enjoy the slide show : The Blue Heron