“Too Bad I Can’t Eat Oysters”

This white ibis from last week appears rather forlorn, or perhaps simply bewildered to be standing amid a huge oyster bed in the salt marsh. Although oysters are quite commonly consumed by humans… otters and even a raccoon may occasionally eat them. Sadly however, despite the abundance of oysters in the marshland, they are not something an ibis can eat.

But oysters are good for the environment and help keep the water clean. Oysters are filter feeders, and can filter up to 5 liters of water per hour as they eat. So even though they do not provide meals for ibis, the oysters are very useful because they give clean water to the fish, birds and the rest of us!

Ibis in Oyster Beds

36 thoughts on ““Too Bad I Can’t Eat Oysters””

  7. That’s a very urban looking oyster environment. They appear to live right on top of each other. I’m guessing those oysters indicate pollution free water. Great picture. 🙂

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    • Yes there does seem to be some verticle urban sprawl going on out there in the oyster beds.
      Like the old saying goes about people who live in cities…they must really like their neighbors to want to live so close to them. 🙂

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    • It’s funny, I have never seen any bird attempt to crack open and eat an oyster. Even the alligators leave them alone.
      Around here it would be mostly only people that would dig them out to eat.

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    • Thanks very much for checking out this photo Sylvia and I appreciate your kind words.
      Well the ibis knows that although it can not eat the oysters, tasty treats can often be found under and around them. 🙂

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  16. My goodness. It’s a variation of the old saw about “water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink”! He does look rather bewildered.

    I saw my ibis crew for a second time. They were in the same place, and they showed up after another light rain. I’m going to start keeping an eye out for them – whatever the rain is doing, it seems to be suiting them rather well.

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    • The rain could be bringing up insects or something they enjoy eating. I have seen groups of them in the grass along side a parking lot after a heavy rain all picking at something.
      This is right next to the salt marsh and the shoreline where they could be feeding, but there is something that pops out of the grass after rain that they like.
      This guy anyway went back to picking around and under the oysters after I took this shot.

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