1-12-20 to 1-18-20 Volunteer Gig II

We lounged around on this cloudy Sunday morning.  We took a walk on the Dees Trail and on Crane Lane, watched Dikkop, Auk, Banana, and Coconut at HQ, then had a campfire late afternoon.  Just a nice relaxing kind of day.

Monday was the first time that we had a Crane Tour scheduled that no one signed up for.  It was a cloudy, rainy day with only 6 visitors at the VC.  Dikkop, Auk, Banana, Coconut, NV11, and 337 hung around competing for the feeder all day.  We had as many cranes visit today as we had people.  The 6 visitors were very engaging and the 6 cranes were very entertaining.

Tuesday, we worked at the VC today.  Lauren helped Angie with boat motor maintenance.  We walked the Dees Trail and found Yellow Butterwort plants.  We also found Primrose leaved Violets and White Screwstem blooms.  We love bloom chasing.

Wednesday, we spent the morning enjoying the views of Auk, Banana, Coconut, and Banana at the VC.

After almost 2 years of hanging at Camp Crane, we finally got to go boat riding in Bayou Castille with Angie this afternoon.  Our first order of business was to try to locate Loon.  Her mortality signal is across the bayou from Camp Crane.  With high water and marsh land, it is going to be hard to retrieve her tracker.

Our second order of business was to check the 4th Eagles nest on the refuge that can only be seen by boat.  When we got near the nest and stopped the boat, the parent Eagle flew over us squawking then landed in a nearby tree trying to get our attention away from the nest.  We didn't see an Eaglet, but are pretty sure there is one in the nest.

It was such a beautiful, peaceful, boat ride. What a way to spend the afternoon.

Thursday, we hung around Camp Crane today after a much needed Wally World run.  It was a nice, do nothing, kind of day.

Friday, we had a pretty steady day interacting with the 24 visitors at the VC.

Saturday, we flushed NV11, 337, Dikkop, and Auk when we heading in to the VC this morning.  We had a 9 am Crane Tour with 5 tourist and had 20 Mississippi Sandhill Crane sightings.  We were pleased to find Dikkop and Auk in the North Gautier Unit near Elbert's Pond during the tour.

We still haven't seen an Eaglet on Ben Williams nest, but saw a very uncoordinated, Eaglet head bobbing around in the Beasley nest.  We have named the Eaglet BG.  B is for Beasley and G is for Gautier Unit.  The Eaglet watch is on!!

We had a get together with our co-volunteers, Angie, and the interns late afternoon enjoying turkey burgers and a campfire.

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1-5-20 to 1-11-20 Volunteer Gig II

Sunday, we had a special request for a birding tour on the refuge for a family of 3.  We are intrigued by the knowledge of this expert birder.  She not only identified birds that she visualized but identified them by sound.

The eagle at the Ben Williams crop unit was sitting on the nest with her pretty white head shining in the sun.  The eagle near the Beasley Crop Unit was actively moving around in her nest.  Maybe there is a baby hatched.

Judy and Terry made it back to Camp Crane from their Florida trek before dark.  The co-volunteers at Camp Crane enjoyed a campfire for a little while before the temperatures dropped.

Monday, we had a 10 am tour with 8 tourist and had 25 Sandhill Crane sightings.  After the tour we hiked the overgrown Escatawpa Trail.

Tuesday, we hiked the Dees Trail, washed some clothes, and had delicious craw fish nachos at the Ole Fillin Station.  We looked for a Vermillion Flycatcher in the area that must have been hiding from the cold north wind.

Wednesday, we had a record breaking Crane Whisperer Tour.  We had 6 tourist and had 51 Sandhill Crane sightings.  We saw several other bird species and lots of deer on this 3 hour tour.  Both eagles were active in their nest today.  Maybe we will see some eaglets in a few weeks.

We went out to eat at Sicily's, made a much needed run to Sam's and stopped by Island View so Lauren could use his $20 free play,  His free play turned into $58.60.  I lost $10.  We walked out with smiles and free millionaire candy.

We made a stop at Jones Park to look for a Whimbrel, which is a shore bird rarely seen here.  We didn't find him.

But, we did find the Vermillion Flycatcher we looked for yesterday.  Persistence paid off.  We enjoyed another night sitting around the fire pit with our co-volunteers.

Thursday and Friday we worked at the VC today with Judy and Terry.

Saturday, we were so happy to be greeted by Banana, Coconut, Auk, and Dikkop when we opened the VC this morning.  Late afternoon, NV11 and 337 had a hard time keeping the feeder to themselves.  When they ran Auk and Dikkop to the back porch, Banana and Coconut would eat at the feeder.  When they ran Banana and Coconut around the building, Auk and Dikkop would eat at the feeder.  So much fun to watch.

We had a Crane Tour with 6 tourist and had 48 Sandhill Crane sightings.  It was a cloudy and windy day with thunderstorms predicted.  The Sandhill Cranes were very active today.  They were flying around, calling, then land for a short time before taking off again.  It was quite a show.  We got lucky and got back before the rain started.

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