MSCNWR - 6-6--21 to 6-12-21

The geese came to Camp Crane for a visit and a snack Sunday morning. 

We did DGF tank checks with Erin and removed 19 frogs.  We also had a few intruders, Squirrel Tree Frogs, that were relocated to a nearby pond.

We took a ride and checked out the progress of Sandhill Ranch.  When we returned to Camp, we took in a little bit of nature before the rain started.

Sunday Pics:  

We worked in the native plant garden on this hot, humid, Monday morning.  We dug up 10 Muhly Grass plants, filled the holes with dirt, and pulled out a lot of weeds and grass.  The automatic dump bed on the RTV sure makes our work easier.

The afternoon was spent on the Fontainebleau Trail.  We saw several pretty blooms, birds, butterflies, and a first for us on this trail, a Fiddler Crab.

Monday Pics:

We took a stroll on the Dees Trail Tuesday morning and found a few flowers blooming.  It will be a while before the blooms get in full swing after the prescribed burn.

We have been at the refuge for a month and have not been to the beach until today.  We went looking for the nesting Least Terns.  We happened to run into some folks from Audubon at Biloxi Beach. They told us that this area of the beach has the largest colony of Least Terns, 1000 of them with 400 nests.  This is their second attempt for nesting this year due to flooding.  We will be back in a couple of weeks to see their babies.

We also checked out another area in Gulfport that had Least Terns and Black Skimmers nesting in the same area.

We had lunch at The Ole Fillin' Station.  The Crawfish Nachos were as good as always.

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday was an on and off rainy kind of day.  We washed up all the plant markers from the Dees Trail that were removed prior to the prescribed burn and organized the laminate signs.  We made a couple of laps around the trail placing a few plant markers.  

We saw several cool critters on the trail including some Kingbirds learning to fly.

As we were sitting around camp this afternoon, the Yellow-billed Cuckcoos came in for a snack.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday, We helped Erin and Angie remove 13 DGFs from the tanks and processed 59 of them.  The met process has definitely slowed down.  Angie, Scott, and Erin will release them tonight.  

Most of the frogs were high jumpers today, except this one.  When he was removed from his container, he sat still and posed for the camera.

We headed to Crossroads this afternoon to get a few chores done.  Ferny Kat was ready for a road trip and enjoyed the ride home keeping her paws resting on Lauren's arm.

When we got home, we had a visitor hanging around.   One of the biggest Rat Snakes we have ever seen.  Lauren was quite startled when he fell from the oak tree as he was mowing.  He hung around most of the afternoon trying to climb the tree.

Thursday Pics:

After a couple of nights at home, we made it back to Camp Crane on Saturday.  We made a loop around the trail looking for plant blooms.  We saw a few pretty dragonflies.

The only new plant we found was a Pickerelweed blooming in the bayou.

Saturday Pics:

MSCNWR - 5-30-21 to 6-5-21

Sunday, we met Angie at the frog tanks at 9 am and removed 53 DGFs, which was a lot less than we expected since we had skipped a day.  

We took a ride to check on the Rock Hill and Dougie families.  The Rock Hill family was doing good.  We did not find Dougie.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing at Camp Crane doing some bird watching. 

 

We also did some cat watching.  Ferny Kat enjoyed the water dripping off the camper, as well as her Diet Cola can.  Ferny playing with her can reminds us of  the Tigers at White Oak playing with their Keg. She has the same instincts as her distant relatives.

Sunday Pics:

DGF tank checks were not required Monday due to the cooler weather slowing the met process .  We took a ride to the North Gautier Unit and South Gautier Unit picking up some litter along the way.  Shortly after we entered the North Gautier Unit, we found Milhouse and Truffle with one of their chicks. 

 

Banana and Coconut were their usual friendly selves today.  

We saw a few more cranes, and lots of pretty plants and critters before heading to South Gautier Unit.

The Humped and Purple Bladderworts were very vibrant today.  We also saw one crane, lots of cool critters and plants, and checked out the recent prescribed burn.

We did a little bit of gardening at the VC then relaxed the rest of the evening at Camp Crane, cooking ribs.

A trip to the dumpster before going in for the night, revealed 3 Sandhill Cranes near the pen at HQ.  One of them was Gemini and the other 2 were unbanded.

Memorial Day Pics:

We spent most of Tuesday working with the DGFs.  Angie, Lauren, and I collected 52 frogs and processed 105.  The frogs seemed extra jumpy today.  I obviously wore out one that kept jumping around in the trap.  When I put him in the transport bowl, he just laid there. 

 

We found a cool Funnel Web Spider living under the edge of the frog tanks.

 

We picked up some litter and took out the recycling.  We took a stroll on the Dees Trail while waiting to release frogs.

At sunset we went with Angie, and her friend, Abby, to release the frogs.  We only found one snake, a Ribbon Snake which was relocated.

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday morning Lauren and I were on our own at the DGF tanks.  On our way to collect 42 frogs we saw a couple of cranes enjoying the roasted grub. 

We got to see one of the Funnel Web Spiders as we were checking the tanks.

Afterwards, we  mowed at HQ, Crane Lane, and the Bunkhouse.  To say it was dusty, is an understatement.  

As we were relaxing at camp this afternoon, we heard the elusive call of the cranes.  I stayed at camp to watch Ferny Kat while Lauren checked it out.  He found a couple of unbanded cranes at HQ foraging in the recent burned savanna..

We enjoyed sitting outside for a while until the rain started.  It looks like we have rainy days in our near future that will take care of all this dust.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday morning, we went to Fontainebleau Trail to place signs.  We found plenty of litter in the parking area, including a couple of rugs and a wig.  They must have wigged out when they threw the rugs out 😏.

  

We helped Angie and Erin remove 27 frogs from the tanks then hung around camp for the rest of the day.  I stayed around camp this afternoon watching Ferny Kat while Lauren took a walk around the Dees Trail.

Thursday Pics:

We met Angie and Erin for frog processing Friday morning at 7 am.  Needless, to say, this is way too early for us.  After we processed 69 frogs, and had a hiccup or two, we checked the tanks and removed and processed 24 more. Then, we took a 2-hour nap.  Napping does not happen very often in Lauren's world.

We went to Lowes and purchased a corn feeder for the squirrels.  It was very entertaining to watch the first squirrel master the corn feeder.  After a little bit of twirling around, he was a pro.

We went with Angie and Erin to release 93 frogs this evening.  The last time we were here, we were able to drive part of the way in.  Today, we had to hike in. 

The last time we released here, the pond was dry.  Tonight, the pond was full, which is a good thing for the frog release.    

We were able to keep our feet dry until we walked around the drift fence looking for snakes.  Hiking Boots were not a good choice tonight.  We found 3 snakes but only caught one of them.  The Cottonmouth that got relocated was not happy,

Tonight, we released with enough daylight to enjoy watching our friends depart on their new adventure.  Stay safe and live a long life our DGF friends! 

Friday Pics:

We were well rested for our day off on Saturday.  We lounged around all morning then took a refuge ride.  Our first destination was the South Gautier Unit.  We saw a couple of Sandhill Cranes, but did not get their picture.  We also saw 3 deer, 3 Bald Eagles, and a lot of cool birds and plants.

The rain got a little heavier, (but not too bad) at the North Gautier Unit.  We saw our favorite cranes, Banana & Coconut, along with a lot of other critters and plants.

The afternoon was spent outside with our favorite Kat.  She enjoyed her bath under the drips of water from the camper awning.  After she gets drenched, she looks like one of those neglected alley cats.

Saturday Pics: