Winter in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Many people who love Gulf Shores have never seen it in winter. Visit in winter, especially just after fall and before the snowbirds flood in after Christmas, and you will be practically alone on the beach. You will never have to wait in line at restaurants and your lodging will be cheaper than you are used to paying. The weather might be cool, and sometimes even cold, but it is possible than the weather could be very pleasant. High temperatures into the low 70s are common during the winter, and some years the Alabama Gulf Coast only gets a few days of truly cold weather.

All of the photos on this page were taken during the first few days in December.




This is the Gulf State Park area, just east of the pier. One lone walker has all of the shells to herself.




Fish do bite in the winter, but not many people fish on the Gulf State Park Pier when the weather turns cool.




Not a lot of footprints in the sand, but plenty of bird tracks.




If you enjoy taking photos, winter is a great time for it. The beach has a different look when it's uncrowded.




The east side of the pier and a solitary great blue heron.




East of the Gulf State Park Pier. Not one person on the beach.




As mentioned, fish bite in winter, but very few people fish compared to the numbers than do when the weather is warm. Speckled trout, redfish, white trout, whiting, and pompano are some fish that bite when the water is cool.




In the summer, the Islands of Perdido Pass are crowded with boats and people.




The tip of Bird Island is the most favored place to park a small boat on the islands, but on this day nobody was there.




If you like to shop, you will not have to look very hard to find a good place to park. This is the Wharf in Orange Beach.




You will not have to wait on a table at area restaurants.




The Cotton Bayou Public Beach Area of Gulf State Park is always a busy place during the summer. Visit during the a Gulf Shores winter and it is all yours.

Mobile Alabama Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras was first celebrated in  Mobile, Alabama . Yes, it started in Mobile although most think New Orleans was the scene of the first Mardi Gras. They are so wrong! Honestly, it started in Mobile three centuries ago. It was originally called Boef Gras, which means "Fatted Ox" in French.

Mardi Gras had been celebrated in Europe since the Middle Ages. In 1699, French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville mentioned Mobile Alabama Mardi Gras celebrations in his journal. This is thought to be the first record of Mardi Gras in America. The annual festivities continued when the British took control of Mobile from the French with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

The Origins of Mardi Gras As We Know It
Most historians believe that Mardi Gras as we know it today was started by Michael Krafft, a cotton broker, on New Year's Eve 1830. It was recorded that he was having a large dinner party on that evening and nobody wanted the fun to end. That night they left the Krafft home and broke into the local hardware store. There, they grabbed some cowbells and other noise makers and paraded through the streets, waking up all of the townspeople.

Shortly after, they formed the Cowbellion de Rakin Society. This was one of the first mystical societies established in Mobile. They hosted their first parade in 1840. They even created floats for the event way back then!

The Civil War left Mobile residents in a defeated and depressed state. Many did not want to partake in any festivities. Joseph Stillwell Cain (Joe Cain) felt the need to get people out of their depression. In 1866 on Fat Tuesday, while Mobile was still occupied by Union troops, Joseph dressed up as a Chickasaw Indian, Chief Slacabamorinicoco (pictured). Joe and several friends, who were tanked up on alcohol, went out to the streets and started decorating a coal wagon.

Joe Cain founded the society that holds the last parade of the Carnival Season on the evening of Mardi Gras-- the Order of Myths. He also helped to create numerous other parading organizations.
Our Mardi Gras Celebrations
Today we honor Joe Cain on the Sunday before Mardi Gras with "Joe Cain Day." Many residents of Mobile come out in costume with homemade floats and parade through the streets of downtown. This celebration recognizes the fact that Joseph Stillwell Cain brought the fun back to Mardi Gras Mobile, Alabama.

Mardi Gras is celebrated over several weeks. Our modern day parades show off elaborate floats and people wearing incredibly embellished costumes. People even decorate the horses that they ride horses in the parades. The parade participants often throw token gifts to the spectators on the parade route.

These trinkets are plastic beads, doubloons, stuffed toys, candy whistles and similar small items. Most of the "throws" are inexpensive, but people, both young and old, grab them like they are chunks of gold. It's as much fun to watch spectators jockey into catching position than it is to watch the parade.

Chief Slacabamorinicoco still marches in Mobile during Mardi Gras. 2013 marked the 27th year that retired pastor and Mobile historian Wayne Dean portrayed the chief.

There are numerous formal balls including those that are "invitation only" for secret mystical society members. Local pubs and nightclubs host their own special Mardi Gras events. Mardi Gras Mobile Alabama ends on the Tuesday night before Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the Lenten Season.

The Brown Pelican

The brown pelican is a large and mostly dark brown bird, with touches of white, and black legs and feet. This bird has a long beak with a large pouch underneath and a hooked tip.

Toes are webbed and their legs are fairly short, giving them a somewhat waddling gait when walking. Wingspan is more than two meters and they soar exceptionally well. Both males and females look alike.

There are seven pelican species living around the world. The brown pelicans' breeding ground runs from Anacapa Island, which is off the coast of California, all the way down to Chile and from Maryland in the East down to Venezuela and over to Trinidad. After breeding, their territory may cover British Colombia, and across to Nova Scotia. They only live within close proximity to water and never venture more than twenty miles out to sea or inland to fresh water. They love puttering about estuaries and at shallow bays.



Pelicans all dive down to fish then scoop up mid-sized fish into their pouch. Sometimes they feed on anchovies or sardines, but mostly consume non-commercial fish. Brown Pelicans are the only ones that dive so steeply. When fish are caught in a pelican's pouch, they force the water out by going to the surface. After that, they can swallow any fish caught. Young pelicans swim near their elders on the surface and learn how to fish that way. A pouch may hold up to three gallons of water. Sometimes, they also eat invertebrates.

Brown pelicans love to nest on islands that offer some protection. In the extreme Southeast, you can find them in mangrove swamps. Their nests are flimsy and they often build them on the ground. Because they breed in colonies, they can get disturbed by fishermen and tourists. About two or three eggs are laid in April or March. It takes a month for the chicks to hatch and both parents have parental duties. Regurgitation of the catch of the day feeds the babies. Chicks do not fly for about 75 days, after their feathers are sufficiently developed, and then they are on their own. They can breed after 2 to 5 years.

Brown pelicans were once very endangered in the U.S. due to pesticide poisoning. After DDT was banned, they recovered totally on the East Coast and are slowly climbing up in population numbers elsewhere. Some threats still exist -- overhead wires and discarded fishing line among them. Human encroachment into habitat and reduction of food source due to overfishing are also dangers.

It's great to see the recovery of this bird. Often, large flocks can be seen flying in a typical V formation. Some of these skeins contain many birds and it's heartwarming to know that nature can renew herself, if given a chance. Although any animal doesn't need a reason to exist, seeing these large birds wheel over the ocean as the sun is setting, gives human beings hope for the future.

You will not have to look hard to find brown pelicans in the Gulf Shores area. They are always flying over the beach and swimming in the coastal waters. It is easy to get close enough to them to take good photos. If you want to see them in a feeding frenzy, visit an Orange Beach marina fish cleaning station just after the charter boats come in for the day