Winter Color

Winter is usually a time for pastel colors with beautiful pinks and blues. The color this winter has been intense at sunrise and sunset. Day colors are not much to talk about but getting out for a late afternoon walk has been great on several occasions. This was taken along Stolte Rd one day last week.

Common Redpolls

Lots of redpolls coming into the feeder at the cabin. There are two active feeders at Crex. The busiest is at the West Marshland garage just off Cty Rd F. It's tucked the short drive to the Crex parking lot. Another active feeder is on the drive behind the visitor center. Both locations offer photography from the comfort of your car. Bird seed is donated and feeders are maintained by volunteers. We are looking into year around feeders.

Trumpeters in the Air

I heard the familiar call of trumpeters flying over the refuge extension this week. A trumpeter family and a flock of geese has been spending the winter on the open water of Trade L. just waiting to get the first shot at open water at Crex. This photo was taken last March.

Still Waiting

Snow cover is still minimal but deep enough to follow some tracks. With the warm weather normally sleepy wildlife has been active. A porcupine walked over a mile on N. Refuge Rd this week. I followed what looked like possum tracks the other day. Wolves are on the hunt day and night trying to find a winter stressed deer. Single wolf tracks are being seen wherever there are deer tracks.

A Den

Another afternoon was spent exploring, this time around Grettum Pines. I was hiking with a college student from Chattanooga, TN and we were looking for tracks and other wildlife signs. On one of our track explorations we came across this den.

"Who is going to be the first to look in it?" I asked. Getting closer eliminated any mystery of its owner, not a bear, wolf, or bobcat, just a common porcupine. Porcupines live in their excrement. Is it possible that their droppings make good insulation for them. The floor of the den was covered with these droppings, definitely not the best housekeepers in the animal world.

Burnt Ridge

No snow means easy walking so I spent yesterday afternoon exploring recent additions to Crex Meadows. Last year over 300 acres of relatively untouched land were added. In contrast to the wetlands of Crex it is composed of oak savanna and sand dunes. The other notable difference is the number of easily walked trails. Stop at the visitor center and ask about Burnt Ridge when you are in the area.

Winter?

This is a tough winter to keep the creative juices flowing. Usually the cold dampens the creative spirit, this winter it is the constant November/March appearance of the landscape. I cautiously ventured onto Fish Lake last week to look for something at sunset. As I was checking out the ice at my feet some interesting patterns were discovered.