We went on a search for blooms and critters Sunday morning. We found plenty of both. The summer blooms are bursting with color. There were plenty of Butterflies and Bees enjoying their beauty as well.
We saw several different species of pretty birds, including a Shrike, aka Butcher Bird. We have not seen one of these in a while.
We had 18 Sandhill Crane sightings, including 2 different families. Milhouse and Truffle with their 2 youngsters which have already fledged and the new Little German couple with their unfledged youngster.
It was so nice to see Banana and Coconut with their buddy, #2002. Crane #2002 is a captive reared release from White Oaks from last year. They allowed us as much time as we wanted to admire their beauty.
Monday was back to workday. On our way to Fontainebleau, we saw the previous Little German crane pair, Crane #165 with his mate foraging in the ditch near Graceland Baptist Church. They had not been seen for a while and were considered missing. Last week we saw cranes at a cemetery, this week we see them at a church.
Our first stop was the Fontainebleau pen that we are going to help rebuild for this year's crane release. The last time we were here was when we tore down some of the old pen and hauled the poles and net out on that blistery, hot, September day. It was too muddy to bring in equipment to haul it out. Before it was over, all 7 of us went swimming in the crane pond to cool off.
The fire lane was covered in Horned Bladderworts and several other carnivorous plants.
We also found some Sandbog Death Camas blooms as well.
We stopped at the Fontainebleau Trail parking lot and picked up a little litter. On our way back, we saw the Coca Cola crane pair under the shade tree.
Crane #165 and his mate were still near the church when we came back along Gautier Vancleave Road.
The Rock Hill family were doing well.
We did a little bit of chores around HQ and a Dees Trail walk before the rumbling began. We got caught up on our pictures and blog while waiting for the weather to pass.
We did a little bit of gardening then sat outside for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday, we oiled gate locks and loped limbs between thunderstorms. We saw a couple of cranes at the Ocean Springs Unit.
We saw Crane #165 and his mate still alive and doing well near the church.
There were several crane sightings in the North Gautier Unit.
We piled up the limbs that we cut at the Firetower gate in hopes of deterring someone's habit of making this their crapper place.
The temperature was much more tolerable than usual. As soon as we opened the camper door, Ferny Kat bailed out. We thought she would get bored and go inside after a bit. That didn't happen. Lauren went to fuel up the truck while I Ferny Kat sat.
After she had been out for a couple of hours, we insisted that she come inside so we could place plant markers on the trail. She was alert as she could be until I told her she had to come inside, then she layed her head down and pretended to be asleep. That dang cat!
We got our workday finished and sat outside with her when we got back. The hummingbirds were fighting over the feeder while the Ferny Kat was enjoying her drips from the a/c runoff.
Wednesday morning, we got our Dees Trail fix in before heading to Crossroads. It was a faster stroll than usual with all the deer flies annoying us.
Friday evening, we made it back to Camp Crane. We were pleasantly surprised to find another Hummingbird Clearwing along the Dees Trail. We watched him for as long as we wanted. A very photogenic creature.
The trail has a bumper crop of Ironweed which attracts a bumper crop of pollinators. There were so many different types of butterflies and bees. A gorgeous sight.
We had a late start to our trail walk on Saturday morning. We worked on our pictures that we took yesterday of all the pollinators. It took Lauren a lot longer than me to go through his 500 + pictures. You know you have had a good time when you have this many pictures.
Around noon, we took a stroll along the Dees Trail. We found plenty of pollinators on the Ironweed again. We saw another Hummingbird Clearwing that was further off the path.
We made a second stroll along the Dees Trail this afternoon. The pollinators were not as plentiful after the rain washed off some of the pollen, but we did see a small Hummingbird Clearwing. We have gone from never seeing a Hummingbird Clearwing on the Dees Trail to frequent sightings.
While we were taking pictures of the Hummingbird Clearwing, a Hanging Thieves critter attempted to attack it. The Hummingbird Clearwing flew off so fast, it left the Hanging Thieves looking pretty sullen wondering what happen to his dinner.
