5-12-19 - 5-18-19 (Week 63)

Sunday
It was a stormy night at Camp Refuge.  While waiting for the rain to clear this morning, we got our stuff packed for our trip to Ship Island and Island View tomorrow.  I cooked up a good ole Sunday dinner with the fresh veggies Pat gave us, then off to the refuge we went.

We saw a Ms. Sandhill Crane nest in Firetower Pond that we have been driving by and not knowing it was there for weeks.

One of the Ms. Sandhill Crane parents was on the nest at Beasley Pond. He kept a keen eye on us as we drove past. These eggs should hatch in the next few days.

We saw a total of 6 Ms. Sandhill Cranes, a Black Racer, an Adult Bald Eagle, BB, Bob Whites, plenty of deer, several Red-headed Woodpeckers, several Flickers, several other species of birds, and of course plenty of pretty savanna plants.

All is well in the Free Bird world.  Crab Apple was with the 2 girls foraging at the VC late afternoon.

Monday
It was a fantastic morning to go to Ship Island.  It was a sunny day with a moderate wind.  The hour long ride across the gulf was a little choppy.  We had sea gulls, terns, pelicans, and Magnificent Frigatebirds follow behind us as we made our way to the island.

The water was muddy from all the recent flooding.  It was okay with us, we didn't come to get in the water.  We were here to walk the shore.

We walked the shore for about 3 hours bird watching and dolphin watching.  The ride back was smooth sailing with almost no wind.

We met Anita at Island View for the night.  We didn't win a lot of money, but as always, we had a great time.

                                                  Bald Eagle from the room at Island View

Tuesday
Ferny Kat was waiting at the door for us when we got home, and was affectionate for a minute.   I started unpacking, and the next thing you know, I have dusted, cleaned windows, vacuumed, and mopped the floor.  Sometimes I amaze myself!!

We had our monthly volunteer supper at Cobblestone.  We were still full from breakfast, so Lauren and I shared an appetizer.  We took a walk on the Dees Trail when we returned.

Wednesday
It was a gorgeous day for a ride on Amber.  We went to Dauphin Island and did a little hiking and birding.  We ate our picnic lunch at the East end of the beach watching the boat traffic.

                                                                  Back in Ms. for this

We came back and relaxed at camp watching a couple of male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds compete for nectar.

Thursday
We worked the VC, did a little flower bed maintenance, and rearranged plant markers on the Dees Trail.  We had 20 visitors and all 20 of them walked the Dees Trail on this pretty day.

We made a Walmart run after work, then relaxed and watched a few birds at the feeders.

Friday
We worked the VC, put out more plant markers on the Dees Trail. We will return tomorrow with more plant markers of new blooms.  Spring plus recent burn equals gorgeous flowers on the savanna.

Saturday
We worked the VC today.  Carol interviewed a potential replacement for us when we go on vacation in 6 weeks.  It is going to be hard to leave, but the hitch itch is real for Lauren.

We placed more signs on the Dees Trail, and found bunches of Pitcher Plant Mining Moths in the Yellow Trumpet Pitcher plants.

Yesterday, there was a dead glass lizard on the back porch at the VC that Lauren moved to the grass.  This morning, it was back on the porch.  It must be the Free Birds toy.

After work, we headed to Crossroads.  Time to mow the yard again.



Week of pictures:

5-5-19 - 5-11-19 (Week 62)

Sunday
We woke up to the sound of the Ferny Kat Meow!  She thought Lauren had had enough sleep and it was time for him to get up.  A couple hours later, I woke up and stretched, and heard the Ferny Kat pitter patter on the bathroom door.  Ferny Kat was running out of patience for my awakening.  The day was started.

We lounged around surfing the web until lunch time.  It was a nice, cool, day and time for an outing.  We went to Huck's Cove and ate burgers on the deck, while watching boats and gators in the cove.

When we returned, we hiked around the refuge. We got our stuff packed for tomorrow's trip to Natchez and relaxed outside watching the hummingbirds battle for the feeder.

Monday
We were supposed to have a 4 hour ride to Natchez today.  The 4 hour ride turned into 5 hours after I forgot to get our clothes that I ironed and hung up yesterday.  Lesson learned, make sure I put it on the list.

We stopped at Okhissa Lake for our picnic lunch.  A nice and quiet place with a great view.  We found our first Big Leaf Magnolia Tree as we were driving out.

We got to Natchez in plenty of time to check in the hotel and visit St. Catherine National Wildlife Refuge visitor's center before they closed at 4 pm.  The Park Ranger informed us that the 25,000 acre refuge had all but 2,500 acres of land under water due to the flooding of the Mississippi River.  He also informed us that the Bull Gnats were bad and we needed bug spray.

We got out of the van, changed to our hiking boots, sprayed down with bug repellent, walked about 50 yards, and high tailed it back to the van.  The gnats weren't bad. They were ferocious.  I had to put my hand over my nose to prevent from inhaling them.

We still enjoyed the refuge, just  from the comforts of the van.  We saw plenty of birds and a bunch of alligators.  One of the alligators was huge.

We had red beans and rice for dinner at the hotel, and watched TV till bedtime.

Tuesday
We presented the Jr. Duck Stamp Awards at Cathedral High School. We also announced the winner of the Ms. Ducks Unlimited Green Wing Art Competition.  The school had prior knowledge of the Jr Duck Stamp winners.  We were the the ones that got to inform them of the Ms. Ducks Unlimited Green Wing Winner.

The students really enjoyed their presentation awards, especially the candy and the pizza gift card.  Mrs. Gamberi, the art teacher, gave us a tour of her art class.  We got to see behind the scenes where all this fantastic talent comes to life.

On our way home, we made a detour at Crossroads for our picnic lunch and to get the mail. A few miles after we left, the Flower Child was on the side of the road taking pictures.  Life sure has changed over the last 37 years.

When we returned to Camp Refuge, Ferny Kat was lovey dovey.  We were gone long enough, that the Ferny Kat missed us and appreciated our return for a few minutes.

The 3 of us sat outside bird watching.  Ferny Kat did a little squirrel watching. Then we called it a night.

Ferny Kat laid on our luggage when we went inside.  She obviously doesn't want to be left behind on our next trip.

Wednesday
Melissa and Carol were off today, leaving us in charge of the MGCCC special needs adult program.  We had 12 people.  They watched the video, checked out the VC exhibits, checked out the Dusky Gopher Frog Tanks, and had a guided Trail Walk.  It was a very rewarding day to be a part of these guys outing.

Late afternoon, Angie had a program for the Coastal Program Partners.  They arrived in a bus, spent time in the auditorium, came out and saw the 3 Free Birds eating in the back yard, and shopped in the book store before departing for their refuge tour.

After our long day, we sat around outside, having a few beer sodas, and cooking chicken on the grill.

Thursday
We worked the VC with Pat today.  We had a prescribed burn at the HQ savanna today. We watched front row and center from the back of the VC.  The Fire Center did another awesome job.

We got our first bloom from the Indian Blanket plant at the VC native garden today.

We didn't see the Free Birds today, but last check with the telemetry, they were in the fire lane where they usually hang.

We walked some of the Dees Trail late afternoon.  There was still smoldering on some of the stumps in the distance.  The thunder had us in hurry up mode to get back to camp before we got wet.

Friday
We worked with Pat again today.  Lauren got the grass mowed around the VC.  I replaced signs on the CL Dees Trail.

The birds on the trail were loving the burn and rain from yesterday.  They were plenty of them singing and foraging.  They must like their grub rinsed and roasted.

The savanna on the side that was burned last month was bursting with new blooms.  It was a challenge to trying to decide if I wanted to look up or down.

After work, we made a much needed trip to Wally World, ate left overs, and bird watched.  We finally saw Coconut and Banana eating from the HQ feeder in the back yard at roost time.  Crab Apple was not with them.  We hope he is okay.

Saturday
We had the Native American Dancers program today at the refuge.  Even though the bad weather did not allow us to be outside, it was a great double feature.

The tornado warnings nearby put a damper on attendance.  We only had 20 people attend, but had close to 190 views on Facebook of the live performance.  Thank goodness for social media.

During the friendship dance of the 2nd show, one kid did his own thing.  I don't know how he lasted that long dancing that hard. It was quite a show.

We did see Coconut and Banana again today, but no Crab Apple.  We attempted to locate him by telemetry.  No luck.

We have made our very busy 6 day week and are resting up the rest of the day.


The game cams have captured 2 different sightings of black bears in the last couple of weeks.

Week of Pictures:

HQ Savanna Burn:

4-29-19 - 5-4-19 (Week 61)

Sunday
Anita and I went to visit Janice while Lauren got the yard mowed.  It was a quiet afternoon for bird watching in Crossroads.

Monday
We went to Bill's funeral today.  We will always cherish the good times we had with him.  R.I.P. Bill.

Tuesday
We went back to the refuge today.  We walked the trail and did a little bird watching.  Late afternoon, the Free Birds were back at the VC getting ready for their roost.

Wednesday
We hung around at Camp Refuge today.  We had an impromptu trail walk with a couple of plant enthusiasts from Illinois that were fascinated by the diverse plant species that we have at the refuge..

We washed the camper and the jeep this afternoon.  We spent the rest of the afternoon recuperating with our feet propped up. 

The Hummingbirds are thoroughly enjoying the nectar we are supplying in the feeder.  They were really impatient waiting for me to clean and refill their feeder, which only took a few minutes. 

Thursday
Our 10 am Crane Tour only had 4 tourist scheduled when we opened the VC this morning.  Before 9:30 am, we had a full tour with 8 tourist.

A couple of the tourist had a passion for birds. Two more of the tourist had a passion for plants. The other 4 tourist, loved both plants and birds.

We only saw 3 Mississippi Sandhill Cranes, but saw over 20 other species of birds.  We also saw a Fox Squirrel, a Black Racer, and a Speckled King-snake.

Goober and Georgia were standing on a limb near their nest.  When we stopped to view them, they decided to put on a show.  They circled above us for a bit then flew off.

BB and both of his parents looked magnificent perched on limbs near their nest.

The Crane nest in Beasley Pond had one of the parents sitting on it.  When we drove through, the parent flattened out over the nest.  When we come back, the parent stepped off the nest and hid in the tall grass revealing the 2 eggs.  This is a no stopping place, so the pic is blurred.

After spending almost 4 hours looking at birds, plants, blooms, and habitat, we all got together for a group photo.  The picture says it all.

Friday
We had 80 second graders come to the refuge for their field trip today.  We had 4 stations set up for the kids to learn about the refuge.  We were the leaders of the nature trail walk.  All the kids were excited about being outside looking at the the pretty plants, butterflies, lizards, birds, and other critters.  We had fun, but after walking the trail 4 times with energetic kids, our old butts are wore out.

Our Free Birds were back for their roost at the VC late afternoon.

Saturday
We worked the VC today with Jeff.  We went to Oak Grove Trail to check out the trail after the prescribed burn done a couple of days ago.  We got our aerobics in, hurrying along the trail, swatting yellow flies.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the VC.

We made a hike on Crane Lane and the CL Dees Trail after closing the VC.  The Free Birds did a fly over when we were headed back to Camp.  They watched from the savanna, then made their way to the back yard of HQ to forage before roost.

Week of pictures: