Busy Week

Lauren and I had Volunteered to drive the tour vans for an Owl  Prowl on the Alligator river Refuge the other evening and the first thing we ran into was this big old bear moving across one of the impoundments that has not been flooded yet. As it turned out this would be the high lite of the tour as it was a rocking wind all evening and with the colder temperatures of the last few days the Owls did not cooperate.





He took the whole thing in stride and didn't seem to mind us watching  .We managed to keep  the excitement down as to not make him to uncomfortable.



He could really move in the water and it just shows how quick they really are. That's why they say you can't out run one.



And out he was and a quick shake and then he gave us that are you really going to stay here or I think it's time for you to leave. so on we went to several more stops looking for the ever elusive Owl.

On one of our other stops we found this poor five foot long mud snake that some one had run over. what a shame , these are not harmful but it always the same. It's a snake so just kill it. This was the  other high lights of  our Owl tour. On the last stop of our journey we did manage to hear a little Screech Owl respond to the Team Leaders calls.

The migration has started on  Pea Island and the Geese are moving in fast. Every day several hundred birds seem to arrive on cue as the Refuges Wings Over Water week is now in full swing . During the week there are over a hundred programs sponsored by the Refuge and the Coastal Wildlife Society .

Our Sun rise the other morning. We were doing the Hospitality Table that day and we would greet the Birders with hot coffee  and donuts.

It was a little windy that morning and the blowing sand gave the feeling of a fresh snow. It was amazing this day as there was a Sunrise Photography Program and some of them laid in the blowing sand to get the perfect shot.

And of course we had a few crumbs for one of the Grackles that was working the system as we sat and greeted the visitors.

He was so smart that he would hang around and wait for some one to eat a muffin and then he would go for the bits that fell to the porch floor. He showed no fear and would walk in between our feet and gather his goods.

A mix of White Pelicans and Snow Geese crowd on the sand bars in the North Pond area of the Refuge.

Another great Sunrise over the Pea Island Refuge

These are some of the Folks that turn out every morning to bird Watch no matter what the temperature. The last few days the Sun up temps have been in the low 50's with a steady wind of 17 knots and gusts to 30 knots. When you are not shielded it makes for a real chill. We are now down to our last week here and will soon be moving down to Texas. Looking forward to the change as it will still be warm there.