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Woodlands Nature Station Journal
We will list the animals happenings, birds witnessed, and other natural
occurrences that we have seen and are excited to share with you.
Come back often to participate in the experiences that nature shares with all of us at LBL.....
Mar 16, 2005
Believe it or not Spring is
here, even as chilly as this week
in March has
been. We have been seeing the signs of spring breaking
through.
Just this week the
purple martins (4 male scouts) have returned
from their tropical vacation.
Osprey are once again soaring above the
waters of Honker Lake. A few hikers
have even
seen them building upon their old nest. Maples are beginning
to show their
red flowers at the
tops of their canopies. The cold temperatures
have not stopped the chorus
frogs,
spring peepers, and southern leopard frogs
filling the evening with
springtime symphony.
[Listen to them by watching
the short LBL video on this website]
Look forward to those warm temperatures!
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist,
Woodlands Nature station
_______________
March 23, 2005
The good weather has come and the wildlife have responded. These last few
days with their great mild temperatures have really jump started spring.
Four frog species are calling: Upland chorus frog (sounds like a finger
rubbing back and forth on a comb), spring peepers (sounds like sleigh
bells), southern leopard frogs (sounds like laughing or rubbing your thumb
on an inflated balloon).
Just this week, I noticed Canada geese nesting and incubating on the goose
tubs and islands on Honker Lake. Several pairs of osprey are building
stick
nests (very easy to observe from Honker Dam) on Honker Lake.
At the Nature Station, our yearly visitor of an wild immature bald eagle
is
back. Each year it shows up in March and hangs out in our backyard trees.
This allows many visitors to view a wild eagle up close. Several flocks
of
turkey vultures have also been roosting at Nature Station early in the
morning and late in the afternoon.
I visited the prairie and am excited to hear some of the best sounds of
spring. Meadowlarks and field sparrows calling their hearts out. Field
Sparrows sound like you are dropping a ping pong ball on a table. The
meadowlark sounds like it is declaring the statement : Spring of the year:
Baby bison should be showing up soon! Spring beauty wildflowers and
bloodroot are booming.
What a great time of the year to learn your wildlife of LBL.
John
______________
March 30
The warm weather has awakened the hibernators. This last week the American
Toads have come out in force. Their loud droning trill deafens the
forest's
natural silence. We have seen our first snakes for the year, a couple of
black rat snakes and racers.
After the hail storm on Easter Sunday, the beautiful weather is bringing
out
a great show of wildflowers including the following: Bloodroot, toothwort,
bluets,
and spring beauties. The birds are back. Some of the earliest
neotropical migrants
have returned. Louisiana Water thrushes, yellow warblers, and brown-headed
cowbirds are setting up nesting territories. I might have heard a
rose-breasted
grosbeak in the backyard at the Nature Station, so watch those feeders for
they
will only be here for a few weeks.
John
_______________
April 5th
The spring weather continues to improve and more and more spring
wildflowers
are blooming and migrating birds returning.
In this last week, yellow trout lily, serviceberry and the purple red
buds
are blooming along the roadsides. Look soon for the first signs of
dogwoods
blooming.
In the prairie, bison are starting to have babies. They just burned the
prairie so look for the elk and bison to eat some of the soot for
minerals.
Also look for coyotes, kestrels, and other hawks searching for insects and
mice exposed by the fire. Listen for meadowlarks, bobwhite quail, and
field
sparrows setting up nesting territories.
A wave of migrants came across the border in the last few days. For the
experienced birder, or a beginner who wants to become better the following
birds have descended upon LBL on mass. Blue Gray Gnatcatchers sitting on
the
ends of branches. They are very small birds with long tails that hang
straight down. The Northern Parula, a common LBL bird, dominates the
forest's sounds with its quick ascending call. Also notice all the small
chipping sparrows with the loud rattle at picnic pavilions as they look
for
any leftovers.
John
___________ April 13, 2005
This week the warm spring rains and 70-80
degree temperature have brought
out huge diversity and number of wildflowers. I definitely feel we have
reached the peak of woodland wildflower blooming. This time is always
marked in this area by the dogwoods flowering. It looks like a great year
and right conditions to see a beautiful array of scenes of dogwoods and
red
buds. The best spot in LBL is the Mulberry Flats drive to Honker Dam. The
combination of dogwoods, open grasslands with the lake as its backdrop
would
make the best pictures.
A few more flowers blooming in LBL like
recurved trillium, bluebells, jack
in the pulpit, dwarf crested iris, and Jacob's ladder. The best news
of all is that
on April 6th we saw our first hummingbirds for the year. We
immediately put
out a feeder and they stayed for the whole day.
Orchard orioles, red-eyed and white-eyed
vireos (vireo means green bird)
have returned. I look forward to the week ahead as I enjoy the great
temperatures and the abundance of wildlife emerging and returning to LBL.
-John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist, Woodlands Nature Station
___________________
April 19
This year's wildflower season is the best I
have seen. It is still not too
late to see some spectacular wildflowers. There are plenty of trilliums
like large flowering and recurved blooming. I have heard and seen some of
the best places to find diversity. Mammoth Furnace, Bear Creek, and Redd
Hollow have shown great color.
I heard for the first time Tennessee Warbler they will be here for a few
weeks and take off for better nesting areas. It indicates to me that
several species of neotropical warblers are in LBL. This may lead to
great
viewing opportunities. A great place to view several transient species is
along Shaw Branch Road near Energy Lake.
Three baby bison were born today in the Elk & Bison Prairie.
And finally, cope's gray tree frogs and fowler's toads have begun to call.
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist
____________________ April 27, 2005
The birds are settling in. I noticed male
hummingbirds beginning to display
in front of females anxious to start their first broods. This display is
easy to
notice due to the great speed and U-shaped arch it makes back and forth.
They will flap their wings during this time 200 times a second. The purple
martins are starting to place mud in their houses and gourds and laying
eggs.
We noticed the Empire Farm eaglets are
beginning their fledgling stage. You can
see them jumping up and down practicing flapping their wings. One report
noted
a juvenile eagle flying clumsily over Empire Farm. It could be our baby
eagles.
It sure allows for entertaining viewing. The Nature Station received the
eagle
nesting report from KY Fish & Wildlife and it looks like LBL has a good
number
of active eagle nests. Preliminary numbers suggest 12 or 13 active nests.
We will
have to see how successful the fledgling rate will be in mid May.
Last time I heard the Elk& Bison Prairie
is showing 10 new baby bison and the herd
keeps growing. It is a great time to visit the prairie.
John Pollpeter, Naturalist
_____________
May 5, 2005
I have been noticing a slow down on the hummingbird feeders. This
indicates that the females are incubating their first brood. Kentucky is
lucky due to its long summer season can have up to 2-3 broods. I have
been
hearing Tennessee Warblers, Eastern Wood Pee Wee, and Acadian Flycatchers.
A yellow billed cuckoo was spotted in the backyard of the Nature station
last week.
Traveling along the Trace, visitors might see Cream False Indigo,
Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Golden Alexander blooming at this time. And it is
not
too late for spring wildflowers, one would just need to find a moist
woodland maybe near a stream, and a northeast facing slope, maple/ beech
forest type to find them.
I heard the baby bison count is up to 17 confirmed by the Bugle Corp. It
is
still too early to see elk calves, but white-tailed deer fawns will be
born
soon.
Fallow deer have lost their antlers and if visitors drive by the Nature
Station they will see fallow deer looking like wild goats.
Finally, this is probably the last week for the Empire Farm eaglets as
they
have been practicing hard to learn how to fly. They will soon be soaring
over the skies of Lake Barkley.
John Pollpeter
Lead
Naturalist
_______________ May 10, 2005
The warm weather in recent days has got
the reptiles moving. I have seen
rattlesnakes. Though these critters are definitely challenging their
reputation is overblown. Only a few people a year get bit by them and no
one has died of rattlesnake bite in Kentucky in several years. I think it
is interesting that 75% of snake bites are people trying to kill or mess
with the snake. And of these, 2/3 are boys and men between the ages of
18-35 usually with some sort of chemical in their system.
The carp and gar are really jumping out
of the water trying to get to spawn.
Huge fish that make a large splash as boats come closer. Indigo
Buntings
are covering the trees in open edges and grasslands Gray tree frogs are
at the peak of calling season
John Pollpeter
Lead
Naturalist
Woodlands Nature Station
____________________
May 18, 2005
White-tailed deer are having fawns. At the Nature Station, on May 13, the
white-tailed doe had 2 healthy dinner plate sized fawns. Currently she
keeps
them separated from her and each other. This reduces the risk of predators
finding both fawns and being attracted to the fawns by her scent. The
bucks
are growing their velvet antlers. The Nature Station buck is about 1/3
the
size they will be in September.
Green dragons, a relative of Jack in the Pulpit, are blooming.
Fowler Toads with sheep like calls are calling in the swamps and
backwaters
of LBL.
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist
________________ May 24,
2005
For most critters, the season is already
half way over. At this point of the year, visitors to LBL
will notice wildlife babies exiting their dens. This allows us
to enjoy scenes of playful kits,
calves, chicks, goslings and the lot roaming around exploring the world.
The weather is perfect
to explore the waterways of LBL. Canoeing on the inland lakes, can be very
rewarding. Several
reports of mink on the inland lake dams have been spotted. Bird watching
at the large river
dams are at a high.
I would recommend visiting the Barkley
Dam and the slag piles up near Grand Rivers where
birders may be able to find the rare to our area scissor-tailed
flycatchers
John Pollpeter
Lead
Naturalist
Woodlands nature station
___________________________________
June 1
The summer season at LBL is upon us. We have been finding several baby
birds
close to trying to fly the nest. It won't be long before the trees will
be
filled with incredible amounts of bird song.
The hummingbirds are busy eating all
those small insects and finishing nesting.
We have noticed a noticeable amount of hummingbirds beginning to hit our
feeders
at the Nature Station. From this point, the hummingbird numbers will
increase until
Mid August. I am still noticing people putting out red food coloring in
the
feeder which is not necessary. Some recent evidence has shown that the
red
food coloring may even damage the hummingbirds. As people can see at the
Nature Station, we don't need red food coloring.
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist
Woodlands Nature Station
__________________________
June 8, 2005
Green is everywhere, but spread throughout
the foliage one can find bits of
brilliant color. For instance, travelers through LBL will notice vivid
blue birds along the roadside, they are called indigo buntings. These
buntings are seed eaters and enjoy edge and open habitats like you see
along
the trace. They are probably picking up grit for their seed digestion or
eating seeds and bugs left on the road by passing cars.
We are starting to see turkey poults running across the road.
An exciting news is a new bird sighted near the Nature Station, a yellow
crown night heron, very rare to see in the area. Observation Pond, near
Hematite Lake is a great place to view little blue and great blue herons,
cattle egrets, white-tailed deer, belted kingfishers, prothontary
warblers,
wood ducks, and mallards all in one afternoon.
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist
Woodlands Nature Station
_______________________
June 6, 2005
It is so nice to have the long days. These
long days allow for great wildlife
viewing Visitors to LBL will notice a mass migration as box turtles and
pond turtles are spotted along roadsides desperately trying to cross.
Often
at this time, these turtles are trying to find new food sources or
potential
mates and the road is nothing more than a large flat rock. Nothing is
sadder than a road kill turtle. We must remember to take our time when
going to our destinations and keep an watchful eye on the road.
We will often move the turtles off the
road. But this Samaritan's act
comes with great risk. The turtle is not worth two road kill animals,
the turtle and you. Pond turtles will always pee on you when picked up.
It is not urine just water. So a person just needs to be careful. Snapping
turtles can jump so hurrying them along is better than picking them up..
Never stop in the middle of the road, pull off to the side and never stop
on a
curve or hill where both directions can be observed. With these thoughts
in
mind, you will feel better knowing the turtle can continue on its way and
with its life.
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist
Woodlands Nature Station
________________________
June 21, 2005
The longest day of the year and the Rose
Moon is rising. The pink haze
surrounding the face of the moon gives it the nickname at this time of
year.
Visitors to Land Between the Lakes will notice baby deer running around.
In
particular, white-tailed deer fawns are up and running around. This makes
them vulnerable to people who want to keep them as a pet or care for them.
This is illegal in Kentucky. The state is trying to control the potential
spread of some new diseases.. We have noticed the fallow deer have a few
fawns. And the elk are currently having calves, but they keep them hidden
for a couple of months.
For the birders and photographers, a
great egret has been spending time at
the Observation Pond. This bird has been very easy to see and take great
pictures.
Remember to stay on the road and in the
car so that the egret stays around
for the summer.
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist
Woodlands Nature Station
______________________ June 28, 2005
When the humidity and temperatures are
high, it is hard to spot wildlife. But
it is still possible when you know where to look. The Nature Station staff
are
seeing several wild turkeys near Mulberry Flats and Silver Trail. Both
males
and females have been spotted dashing across the road trying to get to the
other
side, like the proverbial chicken. Just yesterday, I heard my first
dog day
cicadas. These large insects are called dog day, because they start
calling
during the hottest days of the year. They are the constant insect buzzing
in
the tree tops during the day, katydids will fallow and be the constant
noise
at night. Here are a few quick viewing opportunities:
* Brilliant little birds along grassy
roadsides are called indigo buntings
* You can see groundhogs near the Center
Furnace at the Nature Station
* Heron & egret viewing at Energy Lake
Dam and Observation Pond
* Red & gray foxes are hunting near the
Golden Pond Visitor Center
* Osprey on Honker Lake
* Bee balm, purple coneflower, butterfly
mikweed are blooming along roadsides
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist
Woodlands Nature Station
__________________________ July 6, 2005
The 4th of July allows brings up images
of our national symbol, the bald eagle.
And things for bald eagles in LBL could not be better. We had a great year
for
nesting eagles with a potential 13 nests in LBL and several more in the
surrounding waterways and communities. The Empire Farm nest fledged
two very healthy eaglets twice as many as last year. Last year's eaglet
was predated upon by a great horned owl. One note of interest for
the
naturalist notebook are these hairy black spiders traversing the road.
They are male trap door spiders. A unique species that is related to
tarantulas
out west. It is mating season for the trap doors and they are migrating to
find new mates. Don't worry they are perfectly harmless, but exciting to
watch. When threatened, they will rear up on their back legs in a
frightening
posture. Trap door spiders get their name from their behavior of building
a
underground den with a "trap door" When insect prey wanders by they will
trip a web thread and the spider comes out and drags the prey item down
below.
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
July 14, 2005
We have reached the midpoint for summer. At the Nature Station, we are
seeing an immense increase of hummingbirds. It might be our best year
yet.
I feel we already have close to 150 a day, a rough estimate. The purple
martins have fledged so the gourds lay empty. They gather each evening in
large numbers on the power lines that stretch across Honker Lake.
We are seeing second broods of prothontary warblers and hummingbirds.
Osprey and herons babies have fledged as well and crowd the shorelines
along
Lake Barkley.
This weekend is the Cool & Crawly Critter Day where we showcase the
diversity of critters out there in LBL and the world, such as giant
insects,
snakes, turtles, bats etc.
Come out and play
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
__________________________
July 21, 2005
As the heat cranks up several notches, it
can be extremely uncomfortable to
be outside. It is important to remember the same is with animals. So
visitors to LBL have to plan their wildlife viewing around the wildlife's
schedule or change what you are looking for. Here are a few suggestions on
how to beat the heat and enjoy wildlife viewing.
* bryozoans -- freshwater sponges float along sticks and driftwood in warm
inland lakes. It looks like a clear balloon floating in the water.
* Dragonflies can be observed close up or
through binoculars. These fast
mosquito hawks come in several species with diverse colors and shapes.
Their are even books that focus on the subject.
* Spider lilies are blooming. These large
white spidery flowers can be seen
along shorelines.
* Purple fringed orchids and American
lotus are blooming along many
shorelines and backwaters.
* Several species of bats can be observed
at dusk, in many cases the most
commonly seen is the very beautiful red bat.
Enjoy the heat!
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
July 27, 2005
I think the summer nights are the best
time to be out and viewing wildlife.
The prairie is a good stop right now. The elk calves after being born in
June are making their debut with a last reported number of 11 calves born.
It is always amazed me that elk grow such large antlers. During the
summer,
the bone under the velvet can grow up to an inch a day. The combined
weight of the antlers after completion is close to 50 lbs. Imagine such an
animal running through the under story, ripping branches apart, tearing
down
leaves, and creating a thunderous racket.
Bison are starting to get anxious as the
bulls begin to hang around the
females. Usually solitary, the bulls become more and more territorial
about
certain females and try to provoke rival males into threatening displays
of
aggression, which often leads to battle.
It is an interesting time in the prairie
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
_____________________________
August 10, 2005
The hummingbirds are gathering at our
door step. They are yelling at us
"We want more SUGAR WATER!". Of, course, we only given them the finest
nectar a 4 to 1 ratio of water to sugar with no food coloring. You don't
need to buy the fancy store ready to mix sugar water, they are just trying
to take your money. Come to the Nature Station to see the proof, close to
200 birds visit our feeders each day.
This past weekend, we had our 10th annual Hummingbird Fest. We had
close to 1200 people and some interesting bird banding. We caught a
female that was so old that she had two dark feathers on her breast,
a sign of being a long-lived bird. We also caught a male ruby throat,
a tough guy to be sure. Sadly we found a banded dead hummingbird after
it hit the window with a band from a previous Hummingbird festival.
Overall
it has been a very exciting weekend.
You can see those photos and hear about
more of the festival's banding
results on www.rubythroat.org
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
_____________________________
August 17, 2005
During this hot time of the year there are little things happening
everywhere. Here are a few things to look out for.
* Bison breeding season, males get territorial and aggressive with each
other. Lots of fights.
* We have been seeing lots of beaver activity late in the evening on
Honker
Lake.
* Osprey and hummingbirds are everywhere near the Nature Station
* Flower heads can be seen on native grasses making them easy to identify
* Butterflies and bees collecting pollen everywhere
* Summer tanagers and white-eyed vireos calling everywhere
* White-tailed deer and their fawns can be seen in Observation Pond near
Nature Station pretty regularly eating smartweed.
* Groundhogs grazing along the hillsides around Center Furnace are easily
spotted.
* Fallow deer are starting to lose their velvet.
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
________________________
August 25, 2005
At this time of the year, the wildlife
tend to go through changes. Many
birds have fledged and are starting to migrate. We are already seeing less
hummingbirds at our feeders
Some life is emerging at this time. The
Nature Station's rat snakes laid
eggs over sixty days ago. We had ten hatch, tiny little snakes with giant
eyes. They don't eat until their first shed. Their bodies still contain
egg yolk that will get them through the first couple weeks.
The buzzing insect noise has hit its
peak. During the day, you are hearing
annual cicadas or dog day cicadas. At night, you will be deafened by
northern true katydids saying their name over and over.
John Pollpeter
Lead Naturalist
Woodlands Nature Station
____________________________________
August 31, 2005
The great bird migration has started. We
have been seeing shorebirds
appearing is the shallow areas around the Nature Station. This is
especially true in Observation Pond. We have also been noticing immature
little blue herons at the roadside pond. We have also seeing large flocks
of wood ducks and mallards on Honker Lake.
Wood ducks can be easy to identify by the
male's bright coloration or the
female's noticeable call or squeal as she flies away. They are often known
as squealers for this reason.
Persimmons and paw paws are fruiting and
the animals are loving them. But I
would not recommend trying a green persimmon, though the experience or
joke
might be worth if. Never eat the whole thing, but just bite into it and it
will turn you mouth into talcum powder.
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
September 7, 2005
At this time of the year, one of our most
unique and most challenging wildlife species
is preparing for both motherhood and winter's cool touch- the timber
rattlesnake.
Though it is one of our most feared, it is one that invokes in us a sense
of adventure and
excitement. The rattlesnakes often will be seen more often in openings, on
roads, and
traveling as they seek hot spots to bask. The cooler temperatures of the
fall make it
difficult to digest food. It is also at this time that females are
incubating their
young inside their belly. Rattlesnakes, as well as all pit vipers in
Kentucky bear
live young, the babies have to develop though the warmth the mother can
gather.
Large rattlesnakes are often females. It
is important to remember to keep
your distance and LBL is the rattlesnake's home. They are protected by LBL
rules Though they are challenging, rarely do they cause harm to humans,
more of a reputation than anything. Besides would it not be boring in the
woods without a sense of wilderness that they represent.
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
September 21, 2005
Summer is over and autumn arrives. One of
the best opportunities to enjoy
wildlife in LBL is going through the prairie. It is easy to overlook all
the
smaller elements that make up a prairie, when you have big charismatic
animals in front of you. So I will try to focus my journal on the smaller
things to notice.
One of the best landscapes is the
grasses. Look for three main ones. Big
Bluestem, Indian Grass, and Switch grass. You can identify them easily by
looking at their seed heads. Big Bluestem's seed head looks like a
turkey's
foot. Indian grass looks like a large feather and it is greasy to the
touch. Switch Grass is spread out with tiny seeds at the ends of each
branch kind of like it is in a panic.
Fall in the prairie is a good time to
notice woodpeckers. One of the most
striking and common to the prairie is the red-headed woodpecker. This
woodpecker likes the dead trees and snakes associated with the openness of
the prairie. Look for its completely red head, dark back and white
underbelly and wing patches.
Monarch butterflies will frequent the
prairie at this time. These massive
migrators will travel up to 100 miles a day and a total distance of 2500
miles to Mexico. This a multi degenerational travel. They will take up to
4-5
generations to reach Mexico for the winter months.
More on this Unseen Prairie next week.
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
September 29, 2005
The Nature Station working on a new exhibit. See if you can guess what it
will be.
This animal is the only one of its kind
in the United States. It has
more teeth than any other mammal, 50 relatively similar teeth. It is a
scavenger with some complicated dietary requirements. It has a unique non
aggressive defense tactic that renders it unconscious. And the last clue
their is a town north of LBL that sports its name.
Give up? it is a opossum. An opossum has been given to the Nature
Station.
It was found alive near its recent roadkill mother. A compassionate
person tried to raise it and successfully kept it alive during some of the
critical times of its life. The opossum is about 4 months old and can be
held in the palm of a hand. We look forward to introducing visitors to
the
Nature Station to our new resident. Come by and see.
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
October 19, 2005
I think the most exciting thing to talk
about is deer going into rut and the
changing of the leaves. The dry weather has recently sped up the
leaf change.
Poison Ivy and sumac have changed to crimson red. Maples are changing to
their vivid oranges. If visitors want a great drive I would recommend a
trip
down Mulberry Flats and Jenny Ridge Road. Both take you through the deep
forest for great color.
White-tailed deer bucks are going through
rut. Their minds are pumped with
hormones and their bodies have changed to give them strength. If you take
a
trip to Nature Station one will hear the loud booming sounds of fallow
deer
bucks as they call for their mates. It sounds like a lion's roar or a
human belch..
Enjoy the Fall
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
October 26, 2005
The cooler weather has sparked many of
the activities that occur in fall,
though remnants of summer still persist. I was out the other day exploring
Neville Bay Prairie and found blooming passionflower or maypop, turtles
were
basking and several leopard frogs jumped into the deepest part of a pool.
At the Nature Station the fallow bucks are giving their territorial
bellows
has they try to accumulate females for their harem. This strange sound is
worth a trip to the Nature Station Area. It can be heard all day long.
Gray squirrels are squawking up a storm as their set their small
territories. Finally I would like to note the first white-throated sparrow
calling its "O Canada, O Canada" call in the backyard of the Nature
Station.
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
November 2, 2005
Indian summer is upon us. Though we have
had some recent spotty frosts,
days where the temperature is in the seventies is pretty unusual for the
fall.
The fall leaf color is still holding on
with oaks and hickories changing to
vivid yellows and golden browns respectively. The gray squirrels are
actively calling from their canopy roosts. Pelicans have been spotted at
Energy Lake and Lake Barkley bridge.
The deer have nothing on their minds
except for mating as they wrestle for
best position to become the dominant buck.
The skunks are trying their best to build
up fat as they begin their
dormancy period. So watch out. they don't see so good and may see you as a
threat.
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
___________________________
November 28, 2005
Though the wind has turned bitter cold
and the leaves are off the trees,
this one of the best times to view wildlife. I would focus attention on
the
back bays of LBL. In particular, search out an LBL road map and look for
the waterfowl refuges located in some of the bays. Waterfowl watching is
growing. Right now, with a good set of binoculars, you can see large rafts
of pelicans, cormorants, hooded mergansers, mallards, a few buffleheads.
To learn your waterfowl, one can stop by
any of the visitor centers and pick
up some good bird guides. They come with pictures or drawings. I prefer
drawings like in a Peterson or National Geographic bird guides. They lay
out the very specifics in identifying birds. Your picture guides like
Stokes and Audubon show the real colors and shapes you might be dealing
with. The problem I see with picture guides is that it only shows one bird
and there is always variety in color and shape among the same species. But
to each his/ her own.
Good Luck waterfowl watching
John Pollpeter
Woodlands Nature Station
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