We had a Sunday fun day. On our way to the Ocean Springs Unit we finally saw the Dougie family. Crimson and Clover have really grown over the last few weeks.
We also saw Crane 165 and his mate relaxing under a shade tree west of Gautier/Vancleave Rd.
After we entered the gate at the Ocean Springs Unit, we saw a very photogenic Fox Squirrel.
The Ocean Springs Pen family were doing well. The youngster was inside the pen and one of the parents was outside of the pen. The parent was keeping a close eye on Jr. as he showed out, flapping his wings and strutting around.
The bladderworts were very pretty in the shallow water along the ditches. One of them had a cool spider on top.
We saw several cool birds and plants before heading back to Camp Crane.
We heard 5 Cranes as they flew over Camp Crane Monday morning. It has been a while since we had a Camp Crane flyover.
We went for a ride through the Gautier Units. GREG was fishing in Firetower Pond.
We saw 3 cranes, some buzzards roosting, and a few other beauties before heading to the North Gautier Unit.
One of the cranes we saw was Aunt Alice. She has hung with another couple for years helping them with their nesting duties. She is 19 years old and finally has a nest of her own.
A Meadowlark was singing his heart out, in the top of a dead tree in the North Valentine Savanna.
The Little German Crane pair were walking in the fire lane before Browns Trail Crop Unit.
Banana, Coconut, and 2002 were hanging close by the feeder panting in the savanna.
We got back and hung around in the a/c until the clouds rolled in. We took advantage of the cloud cover and breeze, and enjoyed a nice walk along the C.L. Dees Trail.
We sat outside and watched the bird and squirrel show this afternoon.
We got up early and got the mowing done before 11 am. It was surprisingly pleasant with cloud cover and a breeze. That all changed by noon.
This afternoon, we did a field repair on a couple of crane feeders in the North Gautier Unit. The critters are eating the plastic behind the fence wire to get to the corn. One of these is where the Fox Squirrel ate the tie wraps off last week. We redesigned the Dough Boy Deer Busters by replacing the plastic covers with metal. The war is on!!
We took advantage of being out in the refuge and did a bit of crane watching.
Wednesday morning while Lauren was waiting on me to get out and about, he found a Swamp Azalea down by the bayou. It is a mature plant that went unnoticed until he saw it blooming today. You just never know what you will find.
We made a couple of loops along the Dees Trail getting the plant markers updated. The blooming season is in full swing.
We went to pick up litter and place brochures at the Fontainebleau Trail this afternoon. We happened upon a lady dumping bags of garbage in the parking lot. When she saw us watching her as she was driving off, she stopped and went back and picked it up. The things people do.
We took the Browns Trail detour on our way back. We went to the blind looking for Jabba, Dabba, and Dad. They were no where in sight.
We saw Banana and Coconut standing in the middle of Valentine Road.
When we approached Elbert's Pond, we saw numerous Sandhill Cranes, a Great Egret, and a Great Blue Heron fly from the pond. They are smart creatures, cooling in the water on this 99 degree day.
We thought all the cranes had flushed, but we were wrong. A couple more flew up past the pond. Again we thought that all the cranes had flushed when all the sudden, a youngster flew up and flew toward it's parents. Dabba can Fly!! He was so stinking cute flying with his toes clinched.
Instead of playing on the computer Thursday morning, I did a little bit of bird watching while drinking my coffee. I placed water out yesterday for the critters at Camp Crane. The Northern Cardinal was curious for a bit, but finally drank from it.
I watched Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jays, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Hummingbirds feast before heading in to work.
The slow day of visitation in the visitors center gave us plenty of time to watch the critters enjoying the native plant garden.
Friday morning, we participated in our first successful wild hatched crane banding. It is really not that much to brag about, considering the colt was hatched in a pen and had not fledged yet. The colt hid good in the tall grass against the fence. The parents flew but stayed nearby fussing at us. Six minutes and the colt was banded and released. When Scott released him, the crane hissed and backed him up. Then the rest of us had to walk between him and the fence to leave. This feistiness may help it survive.
We went to the Kubota dealer and got a quote on a new UTV for the refuge. If we get the one we want, we will have a/c and heat. Who would have thought you could get utility vehicles with a/c.
We actually had a break in the 100 degree temps this afternoon, with a much needed rain shower. This wasn't nearly the amount of rain that we needed, but at least it was a start.
Saturday, we collected the phenology data and did some RV maintenance. The native plant garden was all a buzz with the pollinators again today.
