Tag Archives: Laguna

What Was So Funny?

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Our birding trip through the lagoons near La Manzanilla yielded more laughs than birds. For Rachel and Gloria, who had never made the trip before, the hour and a half long trip down the mangrove swamps yielded more surprises than I had counted on. Click on the below photos to read the story as well as the photos:

After initial problems stepping into the muck to get into the boat, all started out smoothly enough.
The channel was wide,
Plenty of crocs were in evidence, but their swift emergences and disappearances didn’t afford much of a photo opportunity.
and more,
and a few more.
Due to extrememly high water levels, the banks were verdant
All was calm
and serene…..until
and caused this kingfisher to reel in shock?
What brought Gloria from her perch
and set Rachel to reeling with laughter?
With Gloria and Rachel in La Manzanilla, Mexico
Could it possibly have been due to a series of impossibly low mangrove limbs that because of the high water were only inches above the top edge of our boat? Yes, indeed, we went under at least four trees like this that extended completely across the channel, as well as a low-hanging footbridge. And then got to repeat the experience on the way back. For now, trips through the mangroves are definitely not for sissies. We earned our gin and tonics that night!!! (Look again, now. All of those low-lying trunks of trees pictured were ones we had to fit under!

The Day They Opened the Laguna in La Manzanilla

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In La Manzanilla, every year around this time, a trench is dug between the laguna that houses the crocodile and bird sanctuary and the ocean.  This allows the somewhat stagnant swamp water to run freely into the ocean, clearing out the still water and freshening the laguna.  For those of us on the beach, however, it creates a few days of foul odor and tides we have no desire to swim or fish in. It is a small price to pay for the freshening of the mangrove swamp, but still, a yearly process no one looks forward to.  Yesterday was the first day I witnessed the water running free this year.  I took a walk down the beach, and this is what I saw:

(Please click on first picture and subsequent arrows to see enlargements of photos and commentary.)

but when I neared the lagoon, it was obvious that it was now emptying into the bay.
The water ran swift and free,
but both yellow tape and a rank odor discouraged entry
and encouraged using the footbridge.
People crossed the swinging bridge over la laguna gingerly
and carefully negotiated the somewhat jerryrigged ramp from the bridge to the road.
The grackles watched from above, undisturbed by this merely human setback.
A few fishermen braved the laguna-scummed tide,
and two large logs continued their journey up and down the coastline.
Signs of Passage
A closeup shows the simplicity of the design which was actually large in scale.
And in spite of the yellow scum,
here shown in its own grander scale,