Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge - 10-2-22 - 10-8-22

We started the week out on Sunday getting our walking in.  We went to the dunes near Burgoyne Road looking for the Gulf Coast Solitary Bee.  We didn't find any, but again, we found plenty of other pollinators and cool stuff.

As we were walking from the ferry landing to the dunes, we got pictures of a Broad-winged hawk perched in a tree.

On our way back to the parking area, we stopped and watched bird banding of a Wood Thrush.  A beautiful bird.

We have been at Bon Secour for 2 months now and had never hiked the Centennial Trail.  That was remedied today.  While we were there, we got a few more species for our iNaturalist observations, including another Chicken Turtle.  We have seen 3 of these vulnerable species in the last few weeks.

We got back to Camp Secour and worked on our pictures and blog while resting our tired legs that hiked over 5 miles today.

Sunday Pics:

Monday, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo was hanging around Camp Secour.  

We got the grass cut at Camp Secour then hung around headquarters waiting on a delivery.  As soon as we went to lunch, the delivery truck showed up.  Not a problem, we are just minutes away.

This afternoon, while waiting for the LEOs that had been on storm duty to come back and pick up their trucks and trailers that had been stored at the compound, a couple stopped by the visitor center.  As we were talking to them, the lady said that she wanted to see an Eagle.  Lauren looked up and pointed to one that flew right over our heads.  How lucky is that??  

We hung around and assisted the LEOs then locked the gate and called it a day.  It has been one of those wait around kind of days.

Monday Pics:

Tuesday, we had a North American Wheel Bug hanging around while cleaning up Rap.

Tuesday Pics: 

Wednesday was another Gulf Coast Solitary Bee search.  We searched the dunes near Burgoyne parking area and Gator Lake Trail.  We found lots and lots of Coastalplain Honeycombhead blooms, and lots and lots of bugs flitting around, but not the bugs we were looking for.  Oh well, it was a great day to be out in the dunes.

We also got our first sighting of a White-crowned Sparrow.

We spent the afternoon, looking for supplies to install the new trail counters.  One of the search areas was the South Quonset Hut where we have heard that an alligator hangs out.  Today, we finally saw not one, but two in the Fort Knox Pond.  One was about 6 foot long and the other about 8 foot long.  They made a big splash then started swimming toward us.  After a bit, they turned and went the other way.  We must have looked too old and tough for their liking. 

 

We spent the afternoon packing up for our camping trip tomorrow. 

Wednesday Pics: 

Lauren did some odd and end jobs while I manned the visitor center on Thursday.  It was a slow day of visitation, but the few that came in were very engaging.  After we closed, we headed to Fort Pickens for a Gulf Coast Solitary Bee survey tomorrow.

We weren't lucky enough to get our favorite spot, but lucky enough that someone canceled their reservation opening up site 35 for us.  We have a shade tree and are close to the restroom.  We are also lucky enough that the temperature is in the mid 80's during the day and mid 60's at night, which is 10 degrees cooler than the last time we camped here.

We had a nice relaxing afternoon, sitting around camp and grilling brats. 

Friday, we met up at 7 am for the sleeping bee survey.  There were 8 of us doing the survey.  The Interns did most of the sleeping and foraging bee surveys.  The rest of us split up into 2 teams for the vegetation survey.   Lauren and Jen, the refuge biologist, called out the number and stages of plants, while I recorded.  Let's just say, we rocked or as Jen said, we were the A team!

After the Interns got finished with their first sleeping bee survey, we finally got to see those tiny little bees that we have been looking for at Bon Secour NWR.  They were gorgeous, with those iridescent green eyes, and so stinking cute sleeping on the Coastalplain Honeycombhead flowers.

At the end of the last transect of the vegetation survey, Lauren spotted a foraging Gulf Coast Solitary Bee. 

 

After we collected data on the 9 different transects for vegetation, we did 3 transects for foraging bees and found none of the bees that we were looking for, but did find a juvenile Coachwhip. 

 

We grabbed some fish tacos and shrimp tacos afterwards at the Native Café.  Amber, one of the NPS staff that helped with the survey, gave us a great recommendation for lunch.

After lunch and with Jen's approval, we took another look in the dunes at the Battery Worth pavilion where sleeping and foraging bees were seen during the survey.  We saw plenty of bees, including Gulf Coast Solitary Bees.

  

After a long hot shower and some recuperating at camp from the 5 hours of walking in the dunes,  we went for a short walk along the beach.  We got back, grilled some burgers, and called it a night.

Saturday morning, we enjoyed lazing around camp drinking our coffee then cooked breakfast.  While cooking breakfast, we had a flock of Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets hanging out in the trees. 

We packed up, then enjoyed a nice stroll along the Blackbird Trail before heading back to Camp Secour.  Fort Pickens 2022 Bee Survey is a wrap!

Fort Pickens Trip:

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge - 9-25-22 - 10-1-22

Sunday, we went to Gator Lake Trail to check out the Coastalplain Honeycombhead blooms with the hopes of finding some sleeping Gulf Coast Solitary Bees.  We found a lot of plants and a lot of sleeping and awake insects, but no Solitary Bees.

On our way hike back, we found a Coachwhip.  I just happen to see his tail as he was fleeing across the trail by Lauren's right foot.  After a lot of effort, we finally located it and got some pictures.  A pretty cool find.

We saw a Chicken Turtle crossing the road on Mobile Street.  When Lauren picked him up to make sure he was not injured, he peed all over him and the road.  He was definitely not injured.

We had another lucky find after we turned around.  We saw an Inca Dove sitting in a tree with a Mourning Dove.  

We spent several hours escaping the heat and processing our pictures.  Between the two of us we had over 500 pictures.

 Sunday Pics: 

Monday, Sawyer Lauren got to utilize his sawing skills.  He cut a leaning tree off of the Heron House and cut up a downed tree at Camp Secour.  We had planned to wait until the cool front got here but with Hurricane Ian heading to the Gulf, we went ahead and got it done. 

 

Alexis, Matthew, and Us unloaded 175 metal post that were delivered for the refuge.  The total weight of the post was 2,780 pounds.  We were fortunate that the truck driver dropped them off under the shade tree.

The afternoon was spent watching 5-6 Hummingbirds fight over the feeder.  They are quite entertaining.

Monday Pics:

Tuesday morning we hung around the visitor center while the Terminix guy was there.  After lunch, we mowed the grass around the visitor center.  

We took advantage of the low humidity with temps in the mid 80's for an afternoon hike.  We hiked to the beach on the Pine Beach Trail looking for Coastalplain Honeycombheads.  We were hoping to find these flowers closer to the Gulf.  We did find a few, just not enough to support the bees. There were some pretty awesome wave action and those mean biting flies that have been blown in with the North wind. 

 

Along the hike we took a picture of a tree where we saw a hawk flew in, with the hopes of  identifying the hawk.  We didn't see the hawk in the picture, but did see a Yellow-billed cuckoo that we would have never known was there, if we hadn't take the picture.

We took another look at the Coastalplain Honeycombhead blooms on the Gator Lake Trail.  There are plenty of plants, with plenty of blooms, and plenty of pollinators, just not any Gulf Coast Solitary Bees. 

 

We spent the afternoon, relaxing at Camp Secour, watching the Hummingbirds battle for the feeder.

Tuesday Pics:

Wednesday was a nice, cool, windy day.  We spent the morning checking on the progress of the Coastalplain Honeycombhead flowers near Burgoyne Street.  Before we got out of the truck, we saw a Northern Harrier flying over the grass.  Our first one to spot in a while. 

The blooms on the flowers are not at their peak just yet.  But we enjoyed finding them and looking at all the critters that were also enjoying them.

The birds were enjoying wind surfing in the howling North wind.  We saw not only Northern Harriers, but Bald Eagles, Osprey, White Ibis, a Broad-winged Hawk, and a Merlin.

While we were walking on the wall across the road the Bald Eagle pair did a flyover.   We spotted several different species of birds flitting around in the trees.

  

The winds had the waves crashing on Bon Secour Bay.  It looked more like the Gulf instead of a Bay.

This afternoon, we got some more grass cut at the compound, then relaxed at Camp Secour.

Wednesday Pics:

Thursday, I had the busiest day since being here at the Turtle Ranch.  19 visitors and my first merchandise sale.  

When we got out of the truck this morning, we had 4 Bald Eagles flying above us. 

While I was working in the visitor center, Lauren was adjusting boards on the new boat trailer.  Then he and Jackie took the two trailers to the boat launch and got the Sea Ark on it's new carriage.  A couple of tweaks, and the Sea Ark is now road ready for her trip tomorrow to be used for search and rescue in the Hurricane Ian aftermath. 

 

Our plans all week were to leave today by 1:30 pm heading to the Crane Ranch to do a plant walk tomorrow.  We finally got off at 3 pm, trailering a UTV to the Crane Ranch that will be used by hurricane responders.  It was good to do a little bit of something for those unfortunate people that were in the path of Hurricane Ian.

Thursday Pics:

We were well rested and awake before 5 am after a good night of sleep at the Crane Ranch Penthouse, (aka Bunkhouse apartment), Friday morning.  We had our coffee and was out the door before Scott arrived, which was before sunrise.

The HQ 5 and a couple of unbanded cranes showed up at the feeder about the time the Alabama Birdfest bus pulled in.  They were right on cue.

The Birdfest group went out with Scott in the big ole bus then came back and had their lunch under the oaks.  Afterwards, we lead a plant walk for them along the Dees Trail.  It was pretty cool to take 15 birders on a plant walk.  They must have enjoyed it because we made the entire loop and had plenty to talk about.  Our time spent with our mentors Mark LaSalle and Janet Wright has paid off. 

This afternoon, we went to the South Gautier Unit hoping to see some eagles near the nests.  We didn't see eagles, but we did see 5 Sandhill Cranes. 

 

Madison, Hefan, and us had pizza for supper.  It was great for the Croak Crew to be back together again.

Friday Pics:

Saturday we celebrated the 41st anniversary of our first date.  The celebration got off to a good start with 4 of the HQ crew and a deer at headquarters.

The fun continued by sighting a couple of cranes when we entered the North Gautier Unit gate.  All in all we saw about 10 cranes while riding around. 

Banana and Coconut did not disappoint.  They gave us plenty of photo opportunities.  They were very photogenic especially when they were walking in that gorgeous North Valentine Savanna.

As we were riding around, Lauren saw a plant of interest in the savanna,  It turned out to be a Hummingbird Flower, which is a new species for the refuge.  How he can pick this out with all the other pretty blooms, amazes me.  Ole eagle eye has still got it.

After our 2 hour tour, we packed up and headed to Camp Secour.  We had an early dinner at Sassy Bass this afternoon.  It has been one of the places we wanted to try while we are here.  We are glad we did, the food was really good.  

When we returned to camp, a Southeastern-five lined Skink was on the porch of the RV Hut with his snack.

Saturday Pics: