April is for birds and Spring breakers

By Forest Riggs

There is no doubt about it, spring has arrived on the upper Gulf (of Mexico) Coast.

Locals know it is here when you hear melancholy call of the numerous Mourning Doves that thrive on the island. They start at sunrise and continue their haunting “coo” until dark. There is no mistaking their melodic cries to find a mate. (Once on Ellen, she went on and on about “Hoot Owls” calling all around her house.) Actually, they are not owls but, rather, mourning doves. They are everywhere around Galveston.

Galveston’s bold feathered pal, the grackle

The other loud bird that dominates with the onset of Spring is the grackle. They are loud, boisterous, brave, daring and crazy! The large black bird, resembling a trimmed-down crow, is something to see. Clad in black, shiny armor and peering out through white eyes, they put on quite a show.

Grackles especially put on quite a show when trying to attract a mate, much like humans. The whistle, they crackle and, with little effort, they can make the sound of a paper sack filled with air being crushed. They are not afraid of anything and will do a kamikaze, dive bomb onto the scene, reminiscent of Seinfeld’s Kramer entering through a door.

When around a female or competing with another male, especially when the female is being rather coy, grackles will strut, scratch the ground and walk in circles with their heads held forward and their landing-gear wings dropped and extended from the body. Strutting in this mode, they make quite a display. You can hear them before you see them as they make a flapping noise upon landing and takeoff.

The common grackle is by far the loudest and most acrobatic bird in the Galveston theater. With their long and V-shaped fan tail acting as a rudder, they are quite adept at swerving down to impress a gal bird, find food or just dart through branches and tree limbs. You see and hear them everywhere.

Birds of a different feather

Not only do the birds return to Galveston in early Spring, but so do the Spring break visitors that come from all around the area. Some even come from other states. Galveston, like South Padre Island and beaches all along the Gulf (of Mexico) and extending down the Florida coastline, are yearly destinations for thousands of students eager to escape their schools and head to the beach. The come in droves. Like the two different bird visitor, Spring breakers come in two different species.

This usually occurs over a two-week period. There are some stragglers that come later, depending on their schools’ holiday schedules.

The first wave is the younger crowd and the parent-escorted groups. They travel in packs! The younger ones strut up and down The Seawall, shirtless or clad in some T-shirt with the sleeves cut out. They are fun to watch. Not past early teenage years, or younger, and trying to be cool, they are usually seen in the sand, tossing a football or kicking a soccer ball. For the boys, though they are still young and bustle about like young bull calves playing, they are, nevertheless, on the prowl for the pretty young girls. The girls, though clad in some sort of swimsuit or tight shorts, walk along The Seawall, ignoring the ever-aware boys. It is a hunt that plays out each year. Mostly the fun is innocent, especially if they are chaperoned by parents or other relatives brave enough to go to Galveston for Spring break. This group of visitors if fun to watch. They are still somewhat innocent and at play with a child-like frivolity. They are as though they have been freed from the apron strings and are trying “things” on their own.

The next flock that arrives for the second week, is another thing all together. The older kids, now past puberty and somewhat on their own, have an entirely different agenda from the previous week’s visitors. This bunch means business. Like the grackles, it’s all about chasing and finding a mate.

This bunch has been around. Usually on break from college or a university, they are primed and ready for action. For the boys, the sleeveless T-shirts have disappeared and now it is bare skin — oiled bodies that have been worked on in gyms. They are the eye-candy studs, strolling along The Seawall and looking ever-ready for an island adventure. The girls have foregone their swimsuits and maybe long T-shirts and now are making themselves seen and desired. The attire now is basically strings placed along bulging, tanned body parts. The bottoms attire barely cover or conceal.

Girls posing for Spring break

Strings! Daisy Dukes are so tight the Promised Land is somewhat visible. With hormones running wild, it is as much a show to watch as the darting grackles trying to land a mate.

Since a majority of these second-flock folks are still too young to purchase alcohol, this is where it gets interesting. Like Amish kids on Rumspringa, Spring break is a time to go wild and try it all before returning to boring school. The things one can see!

This is also the week for them trying to get into any one of the many Galveston bars and watering holes that line The Seawall. For the most part, “carding” ends the fun fantasy of drinking revelry and sends them back to cruising up and down The Seawall. All is not lost, however — this is Galveston and some of the wiser and more resourceful bucks and fillies will manage to locate a little hooch, which they think helps to make their Spring break more fun and exciting.

This Spring break thing is as old as the hills and happens every year. For a couple of weeks, they all come with big dreams, ideas and desires. For the most part, all will have a good time, even the younger ones saddled with the adult overseers. The Pleasure Pier, running in the sand, boogie boards and tossing a football will satisfy younger crowds of the first week. As for the interests and activities of the older crowd during the second week, everything is game with no holds barred. Nocturnal activities replace the beach strolls with more adult-oriented endeavors. It’s all fun and most of all about having a good time.

The Spring Breakers, the doves and the grackles are not much different from each other when you think about it. They are all beautiful creatures just trying to have fun, to see and be seen and, hopefully, find a new friend or two. Live it up, kids. You are only young once!

Forest Riggs lives in Galveston. His book, ‘Galveston Memories and Related Stories’ is available at Amazon.com, OutSkirtsPress.com and ForestRiggs.com.

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