We packed drinks and snacks and headed behind the locked gates of the refuge. 8 hours later, we pulled back into headquarters.
Our first stop was to admire the Purple Bladderworts that are blooming at the Ocean Springs Unit. These carnivorous plants have beautiful tiny flowers growing above the water, that are really hard to photograph. The pictures do not do them justice.
We found White Meadow Beauties that are not on the CL Dees Trail, as well as newly seeded Toothache Grass. The CL Dees Trail did not have a prescribed burn this year and Toothache Grass only seeds after a burn. We are still amazed by the beauty of the Savannah, especially after it is burned.
We went to a couple of the Ocean Springs Units, Sunplex Industrial Park, and then through Brown's Trail.
Baby Sunplex and his parents made it across Highway 57 and were foraging between the Mingledorff and Talon Buildings. That colt sure has grown in just a few days.
We saw 4 deer, a raccoon, blue herons, great egrets, and 16 Sandhill Cranes.
We waited until late afternoon to walk the CL Dees Trail. It was nice to watch Momma Osprey in her nest being attentive to her baby.
After our walk, we sat around camp and bird watched. Not only are the seed feeders being frequented, our Hummingbird feeder is beginning to get a lot of attention. Hummingbirds are one of the most amazing creatures to watch.
Monday
We walked the CL Dees Trail this morning then went to De Soto National Forest this afternoon. We were on a quest to find a Redcockaded Woodpecker that lives in this forest. We saw plenty of holes in the trees, but no woodpeckers. A flooding rain shortly after our arrival, may explained why we didn't see any..
The rain showers continued and hindered our outdoor activities at camp this afternoon.
Tuesday
We went on a new adventure to check out the beaches in Pascagoula. The Pascagoula beaches are more of a fish friendly kind of shoreline.
We saw a lots of birds at the Port of Pascagoula. The Yellow Crowned Night Heron and the Willet is my favorite picture of the day.
Riding around, we saw Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks paddling around under a bridge.
We made a stop at Beach Park, where the kids looked like they were really enjoying the splash pad. We took a walk on the pier across from the park where a few people were enjoying the small swimming area.
We could see River Park as we crossed the bridge on Highway 90. After a little bit of exploring, we made our way there. It had a nice fishing pier and kayak launch. The lightening in the horizon shortened our stay. It was another rainy afternoon on the coast.
Wednesday
We got ready and was on our way into the VC today, when we found out we didn't need to work. Nothing like a spur of the moment change in plans. We were on a road trip by 9 am. We wanted to go on Amber, but with 60% chance of thunderstorms, we went in the truck.
Our first stop was the Environmental Studies Center in Mobile, Alabama. They have a lot of rescue animals that have disabilities that would make it hard for them to survive in the wild. It was a very nice habitat, full of all kinds of creatures.
After admiring the animals, we headed towards Dauphin Island for a picnic lunch. We stopped on the way at Muddy Creek Wildlife Refuge for a 2 1/2 mile hike. It was a very wooded and secluded trail with slippery footage on the boardwalks due to the damp conditions. We saw a raccoon, a snake, and plenty of spiders and their webs during this hike.
We ate our picnic lunch at Bay Front Park, watching the numerous shorebirds. We really enjoyed seeing the Snowy Egret but were unable to get a picture.
We toured the Island then headed home. We were thinking, we should have road Amber, until about 20 minutes before we got home and got in flooding rain. We made a wise decision.
Thursday
Pat and I worked in the VC. Lauren mowed grass at Headquarters. Another rainy evening, slowed down the bird watching.
We have been seeing a coon in the woods nearby. This afternoon, being we were inside, he came and ate under the bird feeder.
Friday
Lauren spent the morning of this workday checking out things at Independence Storage Yard and Grand Bay while I manned the VC.
We are seeing more and more Hummingbirds at the feeder. It is fun watching the Hummingbirds on the limbs of the trees grooming themselves after their nectar feast.
We saw our first male Red Throated Hummingbird drinking nectar today. He was gorgeous.
Saturday
We had a good flow of people today at the VC. After closing, we decided to head to Crossroads for a few days.
More pictures here:
No comments:
Post a Comment