Leanne Murray and Joel Lawhead, the coaches behind the newly formed Bay St. Louis Running Company, want to take the stress out of working out and get more people moving.
 
- By Lisa Monti

Birds need three things to survive – and if you provide these things, they will come! Here is a primer on food, feeders, and how to create a safe haven for backyard birds.

- by Dena Temple

At the Waveland Ground Zero Hurricane Museum, it will be a year focused on storms and how they affect everything around here: our local culture, our ecology, even our art.

- by John Dumoulin; photos by Ellis Anderson​

Counting shorebirds for an hour may be a nice diversion, but it’s also a building block for global shorebird studies.

– by Dena Temple

September is officially National Suicide Prevention Month, but at the Veterans Administration, every month is Suicide Prevention month.

- by Wendy Sullivan

Although the island itself is currently closed to visitors, the ever-popular Ship Island Excursions offers dolphin-watching and sunset cruises for memorable family experiences.

 - by Wendy Sullivan

One of the fastest-growing sports in the country, pickleball is a hybrid of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Fast-paced and fun, it's sweeping the nation.

- by Wendy Sullivan
​

Created after Hurricane Katrina, BSL’s Depot District duck pond has something for everyone. 

- Story by Wendy Sullivan
​- photos by Wendy Sullivan and Ellis Anderson
​

There’s something exciting going on at our bird feeders this winter. Read our story to find out what surprise visitors you might find just outside your window!⁠
 
- story and photos by Dena Temple
​

Are you nursing a case of cabin fever? Here is a fun way to get rid of that “Quarantine 15” while enjoying nature and the outdoors close to home.
 
- Story by Dena Temple, photos by Dena and John Temple

With some thought and advance planning, you can prepare for the next big storm and protect what’s most important to you. We've got a complete list of resources to help. 
​
 - story by Dena Temple
​photos by Dena Temple and Ellis Anderson

Least Terns are the new celebrity neighbors on Beach Boulevard… but will they be allowed to nest here, or will they be evicted from their chosen home?
 
- Story by Dena Temple

The folks at “Keep Waveland Beautiful” aren’t afraid of big ideas – and they were determined to beautify the Waveland beach, one tree at a time.
 
- Story by Dena Temple
​- Photos by Dena Temple and Valerie Fitts

​Take a quiz to see if you can identify some of the sounds you hear during a nature walk in your neighborhood.
 
- Story by Dena Temple

More campsites, improved trails and an amphitheater are a few of the improvements slated for this hidden gem.
 
– Story and photos by Dena Temple

Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count paints a one-day portrait of bird populations – and you can help!
 
- Story by Dena Temple, photos by Dena and John Temple
​ 

​As gruesome as this sounds to today’s conservationists, this was the standard for the hobby at the turn of the 20th Century.

 
In 1900 Frank M. Chapman, an officer of the fledgling National Audubon Society, organized a new event to counter the sport-killing tradition, calling it the “Holiday Census.” The first census involved 27 counters and 25 count circles, and a total of 90 species of birds were counted. In the winter of 2017-18 a record-breaking 77,000 people participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count, tallying birds in 2,585 count circles, also a record. And roughly one-quarter of all species of birds in the world were tallied, yet another amazing feat!
 
Celebrating its 120th year, the event is still sponsored today by the National Audubon Society. “The Christmas Bird Count is a great tradition and an opportunity to be a part of 120 years of ongoing community science,” said Geoff LeBaron, Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count director, who started leading the community science effort in 1987. “Adding your observations to twelve decades of data helps scientists and conservationists discover trends that make our work more impactful.”

​ 
Here’s how it works: A circular area 15 miles in diameter is defined. This “count circle” is divided into territories, and teams of volunteers scour those territories and count every bird they see or hear. Common or rare, every single bird is important on the Christmas Bird Count!
 
After spending an invigorating day scanning fields, ponds and beaches, the teams get together for a “roundup” to compare notes, brag about interesting finds and commiserate about “the ones that got away.” It’s a great way to meet people who share your interest in the outdoors, and maybe learn a little something in the process.

​ 
There are 20 count circles in the state of Mississippi, including one in our immediate area, the Southern Hancock County circle. Counters have been tallying birds in this territory since 1976. In 2018, the 32 counters in the Southern Hancock count circle tallied 142 species of birds over the course of the count day – very impressive!
 
Participation is fun, and free. Birders with intermediate or better identification skills are particularly welcome. Beginners are usually paired with a more experienced participant, so you don’t need to be intimately familiar with your territory in order to enjoy the event.
 

 
This year, the Southern Hancock County CBC will be held on Tuesday, December 17. If you would like more information, contact the compiler, Ned Boyajian, at nedrbo@gmail.com.

After the Bonne Carré Spillway opening closed Mississippi beaches for three months this year, statewide opposition grows against a plan to make diversions permanent. 

- by Lisa Monti

 George Cavignac, executive director of nonprofit Gulf Coast Resource Coalition, told the Bay city council the plan is currently in the Corps of Engineers permitting process and is being fast-tracked. He called it an impending crisis.

​ 
“The time to act is now,” he said. “This is something that literally will wipe out the culture that is Southeast Louisiana and South Mississippi and our recreational and commercial fishing industries and tourism. It’s definitely worth fighting for."
 
The push in Hancock County to oppose the river diversion effort comes just days after Mississippi’s beaches were cleared for swimming. They were closed by the state Department of Environmental Quality because of toxic algal resulting from the opening of the Bonne Carre spillway for 123 days this year.
 
The spillway released 10 trillion gallons of Mississippi River water which GCRC says inundated Mississippi’s coastal waters, causing massive harm to the economy, fisheries and marine mammal population.
 
The proposed Mid-Breton Project is designed to release 33 million gallons of Mississippi River water per minute, though the amount can vary. The minimum flow would be 5,000 CFS (cubic feet per second) - which is 2,250,000 gallons per minute.

 
Mid-Breton backers have taken a couple of legislative moves to give the project a better chance of getting approval, but that would negatively impact marine life. Cavignac said the Louisiana group got a waiver to the Marine Mammal Protection Act passed and is now trying to amend a bill to remove the essential fish habitat environmental review that is part of the required environmental review.
 
“The project can’t sustain an environmental review. If it can’t pass the environmental impact study process, they need to either not do it or mitigate for the fisheries and tourism dollars. That would drive project out of its price range,” he said.
 
One councilman called Cavignac’s presentation “very informative and alarming.” The council voted unanimously to ask the state Congressional delegation to oppose the project and to ask the governor to oppose the issuance of a federal permit to construct the project. The Hancock supervisors took similar steps at their meeting.
 
Wendy McDonald, a candidate for Mississippi House District 122, lists opposition to the diversion plans as her number one priority in Jackson. She told the Shoofly Magazine, “We celebrate the reopening of the beaches but we’re going to have to work to keep them that way. It’s going to take all of us pulling together.”
 
For more information, go to https://gulfcoastresource.org.

There are many Fido-friendly establishments in Bay St. Louis - and we've compiled a comprehensive list for our furry friends.

- story by Denise Jacobs
​

 While Mississippi coast is not known for its dog-friendly beaches, the beaches of Bay St. Louis and Waveland are an exception to the rule. Enjoy your romp in the water. Then, when surf time is over and Rover has shaken the salt from his coat, simply snap a leash on your canine companion and enjoy a walk along our sandy beaches, where dogs are welcome, day or night.
 
When you’ve exhausted the surf and sand, and your ice bucket is empty, head into town for some refreshment, and bring Fido along.
 

 
At the Mockingbird Café, a favorite watering hole at 110 Second Street, guests can enjoy Coast Roast coffee specialties, extraordinary biscuits, the award-winning Mockingburger, or hearty pub fare — all on the shady outdoor wrap-around porch and patio. Dogs are also welcome in the outdoor stage area, home of the Atticus Finch Night Market, nestled between the Mockingbird Café and Smith & Lens.
 

The back patio at the Parrot Head Bar & Grill (inside Bodega at 111 Court Street), where beloved chef Rickey Peters serves up Cajun favorites, is another favorite hangout you can share with your pooch.  Pop Brothers (111 Main Street), the go-to place for gourmet popsicles, even makes pops for pups.

The Buttercup on Second Street (112 North Second Street), the popular local breakfast/lunch eatery, welcomes dogs on the porch and patio, and your server is always happy to bring a bowl of fresh water for Fido. At 200 North Beach, patrons can enjoy food, drinks, and a beach view while dining with their dog on the deck.
 

The motto of the historic Sycamore House Restaurant (210 Main Street) is “Come casual, we supply the elegance.” “Casual” includes your dog at this fine dining establishment if you sit on their oak-shaded patio in back, where you can order up gourmet pizza.
 
Lulu’s on Main (126 Main Street) is a breakfast and lunch spot with a large screened-in side porch that welcomes dogs; The Ugly Pirate (144 DeMontluzin Avenue) and The Blind Tiger (119 North Beach) are also dog-friendly, with outdoor seating and, at The Blind Tiger, a lovely marina view.
 

When in doubt about a shop’s openness to dogs, it is best to poke your head inside and ask if it’s alright to bring your dog inside. In my experience as a dog owner here in the Bay, most shops try to accommodate.
 
In fact, while shopping for antiques, art, home decor, apparel, or gifts, beachcombers and landlubbers alike will most likely be pleasantly surprised by the welcome their four-legged friends receive.
 
Gallery 220 (220 Main Street), keeps a full bowl of fresh water on hand for the pooches. If you’re lucky, Egypt, the shop dog at California Drawstrings (216 Main Street), may greet you at the door. In December, California Drawstrings offers photos with Santa and your dog as a benefit for the Hancock County Animal Shelter.

​Just across the street, The French Potager (213 Main Street) welcomes pups, while at Social Chair (201 Main Street), doggie treats are kept behind the counter and shared with canine customers.  Magnolia Antiques (200 Main Street) is dog-friendly, with two local dogs and their owner dropping in each day to visit, making their daily Old Town rounds. 

Thirsty pups can always count on a bowl of fresh water at The Shops at Century Hall, 112 South Second Street. Janice Guido, shopkeeper at Bay Life Gifts, is one of several pet-loving proprietors within Century Hall with two shelter cats at home. JoAnn Saucier, The Porch, also at Century Hall, owns four shelter puppies.
 
“We love our pets at Century Hall,” she says.
  
Bay Town Inn (208 North Beach Blvd.) comes highly recommended as a dog-friendly place to stay. The realtors at H. L. Raymond Properties, 529 Ulman Avenue, let dogs weigh-in on the properties considered by prospective buyers (owner/broker Holly Lemoine Raymond is known for her work on behalf of the Hancock Animal Shelter).
​

 
Bay Hide Away RV Park and Campground, 8360 Lakeshore Road, recently installed a fenced-in dog park for its campers.
 
Not everyone appreciates the dog-friendly trend. With that in mind, I include this Chicago Tribune article for the rules it provides for shopping with Fido. Good behavior can be a dog-lover’s best defense.
 
One of the best pieces of advice I ever found on the topic of dogs in traditionally human spaces — source long forgotten — is to always remind our pets to keep their voices down while talking on cell phones.

​While 16 species of hummingbirds breed in the Northern Hemisphere, there is only one species that regularly inhabits our area, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The male is an iridescent green with a white underside and a red gorget (throat). As light is reflected off the gorget, it appears a fiery red; out of direct light, it appears dark.

​With wings that beat about 70 times per second, hummingbirds can indeed hover as well as fly backwards and upside down. They are interesting to watch and worthwhile to attract to your yard.
 
There is no trick or special formula to attract hummingbirds. You just need to understand that all living things require three things to survive: food, shelter, and water. If you provide those things for hummingbirds, they will visit your yard, too.
 
First, let’s talk food. Hummingbirds subsist on a combination of insects and the nectar from tubular-shaped flowers. While you probably won’t be able to set up an insect diner for the hummers, supplying nectar is as simple as putting out a hummingbird feeder.
 
The feeder needn’t be fancy, or expensive; most wild bird stores and many garden centers have inexpensive feeders available. When selecting a feeder, be sure to choose one that is easy to clean, because you’ll be cleaning it often. My personal favorite is the Aspects Mini HummZinger (shown). It is extremely easy to clean and fill, and it comes with a lifetime warranty. 
​

​Fill the feeder with a nectar solution made from one part sugar to four parts water. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to boil the mixture; just stir until the sugar dissolves. Mix only as much nectar as you need at that moment.

And please, don’t use commercially available nectar formulations from the home center. They cost a fortune and include red dye and other unnecessary chemicals that may negatively affect your little lodgers. Hang your feeder in a semi-sheltered location such as under the eaves of the house, if possible, to keep rain water from contaminating the nectar.
 
Clean your feeders often – at least once a week in cool weather, and more often in warmer weather. If the nectar looks cloudy or shows any mold growth, it’s past time to clean.
 
The usual reason for lack of success in attracting hummers is setting out the feeder too late in the spring. Reports are already coming in from neighboring communities that the first hummers are back!

​Males return first to stake out breeding territories. If they find your feeder and the area looks safe, one may take up residence. In a week or two the females will return, looking for love – and an attractive territory.
 
The right food plants can also make your yard more attractive to hummers. If you are planning on adding to your landscape, you might want to keep these plants in mind. (See list at the end of this article.)
​

​Shelter is the second requirement for attracting hummingbirds. If you have numerous trees and shrubs on your property, the birds have plenty of places to construct a nest or hide from predators.
 
Water is the third requirement. A simple birdbath can be constructed from almost anything – a plate, a trash can lid (clean it first, please), a shallow plastic bowl. Again, be sure to keep the birdbath clean and shallowly filled.
 
In our area, your first guest should appear in early March. You may not see regular activity at your hummingbird feeder for quite some time while the birds establish their territories.

​Once you start seeing the birds, note how territorial they are: One male will not allow another to use “his” feeder. If you hang more than one feeder, try to locate them so that they are not in direct view of each other, so one male cannot monopolize two feeders.
 
Do not be surprised if your “guests” disappear several times during the summer season. When their favorite flowers bloom, they will feed only from the flowers, rejecting your finest offering. Don’t worry; they’ll be back.
 
Also, breeding activity may keep them from being active in the garden. But just wait: if you provide them with suitable nesting habitat, you can enjoy watching the young hummers cavort around your hard all summer long, until they begin their southbound migration in September. Their games are enchanting to watch.

As autumn approaches, you will see less and less of your guests as they begin their long migration to the tropics. You have helped make this trip possible by supplying them with the energy they need for this arduous trip. Do not be sad at their leaving; if all goes well, the same birds may reappear next year.

Fall is the time to double up on your feeders; you will probably need to refill them daily to keep up with demand.  Then, as hummers migrate south from the rest of North America, get ready for Invasion of the Migrants! An entire continent’s worth of hummers will stream past, pausing before making the arduous trip across the Gulf of Mexico.

​The amazing video above was taken at a Waveland feeder in mid-September. Keep your eyes open for rare migrating Western hummingbirds that occasionally lose their way and end up along the Gulf Coast.
 
Hummingbirds make an attractive and interesting addition to any summer garden. It is well worth your while to invite them to spend their summer vacation at your “resort,” where they fascinate and captivate. All it takes is a few pennies’ worth of sugar – and a little patience.

A giddy newcomer and seasoned bird-watcher finds a wildlife bonanza here on the Gulf Coast.
- story by Dena Temple

Black Skimmer feeds by dragging its lower mandible through the water, trolling for fish.
​

“Tu-a-wee!” A flock of Eastern Bluebirds frolicked in the front yard.
 
Yes, we are birders. Bird-brains. Bird nerds! In fact, our fascination with feathered fauna helped drive our southern migration. And as birders, we weren’t looking for a home so much as a “habitat.”

​​The pretty brick house on the tracks in Waveland fit the bill perfectly – lots of land bordered by dense woods, near a bayou. We signed the papers just before Thanksgiving, and by Turkey Day we were unpacking our binoculars and setting up feeding stations.
 
We’re also a little competitive. And by “little,” I mean very. We compete with other bird nerds to see how many species of birds we can ID in our yards. We re-started our 2018 list when we moved to Waveland – and by the time the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve, our list stood at an astounding 52 species. In five weeks!

​While all seasons along the Coast provide excellent opportunities for wildlife-watching, perhaps the best kept secret is the diversity here in the winter.
​

Joining the resident species of the Gulf are thousands of birds that spend their summers breeding farther north. As lakes and bays freeze over, species that rely on aquatic habitat are forced to head south.
 
In addition, land birds that eat insects must migrate to follow the food source. So, while spring and fall offer the best variety because of the migratory birds passing along the Mississippi Flyway, winter birding delights savvy Gulf Coast residents who are “in the know.” 
​

​​Gulls, terns and particularly shorebirds flock to the Gulf beaches, much like our snowbirds do, for the Gulf’s agreeable climate and excellent dining. Everyone eats seafood along the Coast!
 
Ducks, too, migrate south for the winter. Many only go as far as necessary to find unfrozen water, so they can find food. Some, however, make their way to our coastline and local ponds.
 
Commonly seen from our beaches are Bufflehead, tiny black ducks with white bonnet-like caps, and Common Loons, looking drab in their “basic” winter plumage.
 

​One of my favorite places to look for birds is the Washington Street Pier in Bay St. Louis. What makes any location excellent for birds is habitat diversity, and this spot has it.
 
Along the beach you’ll see lots of terns, gulls and shorebirds. Try to pick out the Willet, a large shorebird with drab, brown plumage – until he flies, revealing a distinctive and brilliant white wing stripe.

​​Walking to the end of the pier, scan the water for the aforementioned ducks, along with Horned Grebes, which are common in the Sound in the winter, and Red-breasted Mergansers, ducks with a distinctive dagger-like bill. 
​

​​Next, scan the rocks at the pier for Ruddy Turnstone, a medium-sized shorebird with orange legs and an unusually patterned chest. Perhaps you’ll get lucky and spot a Purple Sandpiper in the rocks, a rare visitor from the North.
 
While you’re out there, scan the distant skies for the beautiful white Northern Gannett, a large, graceful booby-like bird that nests on island cliffs but spends its entire winter over the water.
 
Back on land, patiently check the dune grass for birds like Marsh Wren, sparrows and Scaly-breasted Munia, a non-native, pet-shop escapee that has been spotted here recently.
 
There are many places along the Gulf Coast where beginners and pros alike can enjoy looking at, and learning about, birds. 
​

​A great source is the Mississippi Coast Audubon Society, which hosts mostly free field trips to various locations in the area. Attending one of these trips is a great way to meet like-minded people, increase your local knowledge, and learn about conservation and habitat protection.
 
If you’d rather strike out on your own, you can find information on the website for the Mississippi Coastal Birding Trail . The website identifies more than 40 prime birding locations in the six southern counties of Mississippi. It’s a great resource, and I’ll be working my way through that list myself.
 
If you are the type who likes to volunteer, there are opportunities through both MCAS and the National Audubon Society for winter shorebird monitoring.
 
Also coming up February 15-19 is the Great Backyard Bird Count, which encourages individuals to count birds in their own backyards (or a local park or hotspot), then report your findings online through a special website, www.birdsource.org. The event is held over Presidents Day weekend, which may give you an extra day to venture out and enjoy what our area has to offer.