MSCNWR - 6-12-22 - 6-18-22

We made a couple of stops Monday on our way back to Camp Crane.  One was to stock up on vegetables at Charlie's U Pik and the other stop was at Academy Sports.   We found our new home away from home at Academy, a tent.  With the prices of fuel, we are not planning on pulling Rap very far.  We are hoping to head north for a couple of weeks and do some tent camping along the way. 

We picked one of the hottest days to make this decision.  We sweated down in the shade with the breeze blowing as we were checking it out.  We definitely will not be using it around here anytime soon.

We got a bundle that had a tent, chairs, table, sleeping bags, and mats.  It seemed to grow after we opened it up and tried to put it back in the bag.  We will have to practice this a time or two before we get it mastered.

We sat around afterwards, grilling and cooking some fresh purple hull peas.  We added some tomatoes, cucumbers, and cornbread for a good ole home cooked meal. 

Monday Pics: 

It was another HOT day Tuesday.  Lauren made a loop along the Dees Trail while I eased into the day.  There were a few critters enjoying the trail as well.

We helped the Interns close down 9 of the DGF tanks that are empty.  We also helped them catch and release hundreds of  Squirrel Tree Frog tadpoles from 2 of the tanks.

We went to the North Gautier Crop Unit blind this afternoon.  We decided we were going to give the Jabba family until 3 pm to show.  I was shocked when Lauren looked through the binoculars and saw them at 2:59 pm.  Scott was on the ground and attempted to catch Dabba.  The parents flew off and Dabba hid in the swamp.  The mud was so deep, that Scott was using trees to pull himself out of the mud.  We know where they hang now and know that Dabba has not fledged.  We will try again in a few days with a new strategy.

We sat around this afternoon enjoying the birding at Camp Crane.  We have a Northern Cardinal that drinks from the a/c water runoff of the camper.

  

Tuesday Pics:

We loafed on Wednesday.  Our first stop was to the Gulf Island National Seashore to purchase Lauren's lifetime pass for the national parks.  The perks of getting old!!

While we were there we drove around and found a couple of Green Herons at the boat launch.

We rode to Front Beach in Ocean Springs.  There was plenty of human activity, but not much birding.

We had our birthday burgers at Ruby Tuesday before heading back to camp.

We made a loop along the Dees Trail hoping looking for pollinators on this hot afternoon.  We found a few.

We stayed inside with the a/c until after 6 pm.   June feels more like July and August this year.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday we cut back limbs that were blocking our view at the North Gautier Pen blind.  This will make our picture taking of the Jabba family better.

We saw about 20 Sandhill Cranes near the East Valentine feeder.  Of course, our favorites were 2 of the Circus Crew.

We also saw a couple of American Bullfrogs hanging in the water across from Elbert's Pond.  One of them was huge.

We picked up my new phone and stayed inside until after 6 pm.  It was another hot day.

Thursday Pics:

Friday, while manning the visitors center, Lauren got some mowing done.  It was a very hot day with a heat index of 114 degrees which accounts for a very slow day of visitation. 

 

After we closed, we collected the phenology data and took a few pics along the way.

Friday Pics:

Saturday was another day of manning the visitor center.  We only had one person walk inside on this very hot day.

MSCNWR - 6-5-22 - 6--11-22

We started off the week Sunday morning, looking for the Dougie Family.  We didn't find them, but we did find a pair of pretty Wood Ducks in the pond.

We always love to see Fox Squirrels.  We got to see one today enjoying the corn at the Browns Trail Crop Unit.  The smarty had chewed off the zip ties that was holding the fence wire and was inhaling the corn.  We made our loop through the unit then returned with wire and repaired.  Sorry Fox Squirrel!!

 

While looking for the Jabba Family, we found Nana and Coco at the Gautier Pen feeder. Wonder where Jabba, Dabba, and unbanded dad are hanging?

We saw 9 cranes, a few other birds, and a few neat plants while we were out and about.

We made an afternoon loop along the Dees Trail enjoying the pretties along the way.

After our walk, we did some bird and squirrel watching at Camp Crane.

Sunday Pics:

We got the ole' Billy Goat out Monday morning and blew the debris off the road and the parking lot then we organized one of the closets in the auditorium. 

The HQ 5 made an appearance mid morning and stayed around for most of the day.

  

On our way to Fontainebleau Trail, we found the Coke crane pair foraging in the ditch along Hwy. 57.  We stopped and eased them toward the shade trees.

We went by the boat shop to get an estimate for the Bio boat repair and picked up litter at Martins and Crane Lane.  We got an update from Scott of his plans for us to help catch crane youngsters this week. Sounds like it is going to be an interesting week.

Monday Pics:

Tuesday,we got quite a bit of piddling done at the visitors center, then worked on one of the lawnmowers.  It was too hot to work hard.  

The HQ 5 came back for another visit today.  After feasting on the corn, they went to the shade tree.  Summertime is here.

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday, we met bio in the parking lot at 0600 heading to the North Gautier Pen.  The plan was we would catch Dabba, (Jabba's colt), band it, then place it in the van with the a/c on while the Fire Team did a prescribed burn.  After the burn, we would release and watch for the parents to reunite with it.  We sat in the woods watching for 3 1/2 hours.   The Jabba family was a no show.

  

We saw 23 cranes as we were driving in this morning.  On our way out, our photogenic Nana, Coco, and crane 2002 were posing for their photo.

We took a ride to Grand Bay Shop and checked out the new lawn mower and Polaris.  We also walked the Escatawpa Trail.  We will go back for a work day and get it ready to reopen.

We chilled out under the shade tree at Camp Crane this afternoon. 

Wednesday Pics: 

Thursday, we went with Scott to the North Gautier Pen for another Dabba watch.  It was another 3 hours of no show.  But we did enjoy all the birds that were singing and flitting around.  The Northern Bobwhite was pretty close as well as Brown Trashers, Blue Grosbeaks, and Gray Catbirds.  All in all we saw/and or heard over 20 species of birds. Quite an entertaining morning.

The HQ 5 were hanging around again today at the HQ savanna.  It is always a pleasure to see them.

Thursday Pics:

Friday, we got some weed eating done then went looking for the Dougie family.  The only thing we found was a Great Blue Heron. 

 

After we got the van loaded up with our stuff for the Sand Jam tomorrow, we went on another Crane Safari.  The only thing we found while looking for Dougie this time was a Great Egret.

We were hoping with the cloud cover we would see a great performance of the Crane Circus on the North Gautier Unit.  It was not as productive as we had hoped.  Although, we did see our buddies, Nana and Coco.

We found the first Snowy Orchids of the year as we were driving along Valentine Road.  We were just talking to Scott that the Snowy Orchids should be blooming soon, and tada, there they were.

We found several species of birds as we drove around, including a Red-Headed Woodpecker and a flock of newly fledged Purple Martins.  One of the fledglings got fed as we were taking their picture.

We snapped a few pictures while collecting the phenology data along the Dees Trail.  The pollinators were enjoying the blooms as much as we were.

We also saw a shy Cottontail hiding in the brush and a skink keeping a keen eye on us.

Afterwards it was chill out time with the birds and squirrels at Camp Crane.

Friday Pics:

Saturday, we represented the refuge with a booth at the Sand Jam.  For 3 hours, we had people standing in line to check us out.  The kids and some of the adults really enjoyed the pelts. They had some really good questions.  We had 334 people that came by to see us.  It was a lot bigger turnout than we expected. 

Afterwards, we headed to Crossroads for a couple of days.  It is grass cutting time again.  

Saturday Pics: