Swamp Monster's Bedtime Story
Adapted from Field Journal Entry of Swamp Monster
(a.k.a. Operation Migration's Brooke Pennypacker)
St. Marks NWR, Florida

I was starting to settle back into my off-season life of rolling around in the muck and scaring all the little frogs and salamanders when I got a 911 (HELP!) call from Brooke and Bev over at St. Mark's. Sheesh, can't a Swamp Monster get a break?

Apparently my favorite victim-crane-kids have become just a tad too independent and were creating havoc around roosting time. My favorite kind of misbehaving youngster: one who won't go to bed at night and wants to stay in the swamp and play. Yumm!

On Wednesday night, so Bev told me, the chicks decided to take off out of the pen right as the sun was setting. They went back where they had spent the morning to poke around in the mud some more. This gave Brooke and Bev fits as they as they tried to get the naughty birds back to the safety of the pen to roost. So I responded to their 911 call. I went to help them out. (After all, just because I'm a Monster doesn't mean I'm a bad guy.)

I took up my position out on the flats surrounded by all my favorite things: stinky mud, mosquitoes, and sand flies. You know, I felt almost at home there! Anyway, sure enough, out came the 7 chicks just after sunset. Boy, did I put on a show for them. Jumping, growling, snarling, blowing my horn, waving my tarp — all the usual things I do.

And do you know what? The little stinkers kept flying. They kept flying alright, but right back to the PEN. Darn right they did! When I scare something, it stays scared. They flew right back into the pen and almost knocked Brooke down in the process because they were so glad to see him. Then they marched right onto the oyster bar to roost like the good little chicks they are, and they didn't budge for the rest of the night.

I think I'll go have some more fun with them tonight. I really love that swamp they live in. A Monster could retire there!