Eufaula NWR on Facebook

How I love social media. I really do. Sure, some people use it for bad things, but I like it for its “bringing people together” capabilities. While we all might be behind a computer screen, having access to pictures, text, video, and many types of communication applications at your fingertips is so cool, and can really united people. I grew up with computers just starting to be placed in our classrooms during the 90′s. We usually had 1 computer per classroom, and we had “computer class” in which we sat at our old Apple computers in the single computer lab learning to type “The quick brown fox…” blah, blah, blah. Fast forward almost 20 years, and here I am blogging pictures which maybe you’ll read on your tablet while on a flight, on your smartphone while waiting for a doctors appointment, or on your laptop while watching tv tonight. It’s cool, and I love it. I’m truly a Millenial!

SO, why am I blabbing on and on about all of this? Well, I want my dear blogging audience to follow me on Facebook now! I am moderating our refuge page (Eufaula NWR on Facebook!), so click there.. then “like” the page, please! And while you’re at it, you should look up other government agency Facebook pages…other refuges, national parks, state parks, etc. It’s a cool way to “connect” even though you may be thousands of miles away.

Greetings, from the entrance to our 7 mile wildlife drive. Open 1.5 hours pre and post daylight, 365 days a year!

 

I’ve been camera trapping, as usual, and doing odd jobs while I’m waiting for my background investigation to clear, and for the waterfowl hunts to begin in another week. Tomorrow I’m taking a hunter safety course, which will be interesting. I’ve never taken one before. I don’t really have plans to hunt while I’m here (but, maybe?), but I think it’s a good idea to have a solid understanding of state law when it comes to hunting regulation, as I will be running waterfowl hunts through out the winter months.

I’m really enjoying life here in southeastern Alabama. Here are some images and brief narrative. I’m hoping to do some solid blogging soon!  

“Scent wick” in the foreground with doe estrus on it. These are used to apply scent to lure animals into a trap set, whether it be camera or other. There are a variety of scents used from urine to anal glands to perfume even! In this case, I wanted to see if I could get an interested buck to appear. No luck, but I DID capture a bobcat (Lynx rufus) passing through. He or she was disinterested in deer scent.

Another visitor to my set. I have another, lesser quality picture, that indicates THIS animal was drawn in by the scent of doe. This being the better image, is the one I decided to share. Gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are quite common here. I’ve seen 1 or 2, and cam trapped them about the same over the past 3 weeks. Beautiful animals.

Common buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) see in our Upland Unit, right off the side of the wildlife drive. These medium sized butterflies are very common, very beautiful, and you can’t help but take a good picture of them.

Pied-billed grebes (Podilymbus podiceps), seen November 2nd, on our Houston Unit.

I’ve now seen 2 timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus), and unfortunately both have been hit by cars in the road. Yes, they are venomous, but they will not seek confrontation out. THIS particular snake was alive when I slowed my truck in the road. I was going to drag it off the road with a iron rake, but noticed it was obviously hurt. It coiled into a strike/defensive position, and rattled at me. Can’t blame it. I regretfully turned around and did a mercy run-over, as there was no fixing his issues. Just like turtles in NY, people AIM for these creatures when they see them in the road. Why? I do not know.

Enjoy your weekend, where ever you are in this beautiful country!