http://www.fws.gov/northlouisiana/blackbayoulake/
or to learn about the refuge system in northern Louisiana:http://www.fws.gov/northlouisiana/
On our way through Louisiana, we decided to stop here to try to see a Pileated Woodpecker. Unfortunately, we didn't come across any, but we did see lots of other wildlife. This refuge is close to Monroe, Louisiana (about an hour and a half east of Shreveport) and was well worth the stop. They clearly take great pride in the refuge and it has very nice visitor and education buildings as well as trails and a long boardwalk/pier that takes you over the water to get a closer look at the water birds and alligators, yes, wild alligators! As you walk the refuge, keep your eyes peeled. In addition to birds and alligators, we saw interesting spiders, snakes, lizards, and fungi. While there were not as many birds as we expected (we were there in late October between the departure of summer residents and the arrival of winter birds) we did see Anhinga (pictured below), a Winter Wren, Eastern Phoebe, Great Egrets (in the very top picture), Great Blue Herons, American Coots, and more Pied-billed Grebes than I have ever seen in one place. We spotted two alligators off the boardwalk/pier (pictured below). The first was between 3 and 4 feet long and the second was a little bigger. There was also a snake curled up in the grass next to one of the alligators (pictured below). From the information in the education building, we think it was a Yellow-bellied Water snake. On another part of the refuge, from the observation point, we spotted a frog, anole, and some pretty big spiders (all pictured below). And some more pictures of the refuge... Fungus (below): The view from the observation point (below): One of my favorite decorations was a weather vane of the National Wildlife Refuge symbol (pictured below). Below is a panorama of the education center which featured various fish, snakes, alligators, turtles, and a beautiful mural along the walls. To visit or learn more about the refuge (which is part of a system of refuges in northern Louisiana), go to:
http://www.fws.gov/northlouisiana/blackbayoulake/ or to learn about the refuge system in northern Louisiana:http://www.fws.gov/northlouisiana/
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
About myselfBiologist by training, Categories
All
Recent PostsCliffs, Bridges, and Condors, Oh My!
Bring on the Pollinators! Migration Revelation Western Screech-Owl Tingley Bosque Ponds and Beach, Albuquerque, NM Antelope Island SP, Utah Lynx rufus A Surprise Visitor Orlando Wetlands Park, FL Mary Jo's Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary Melrose Woods "Migrant Trap", NM Harlan's Hawk An Unexpected Great Black Hawk...In Maine Portland, ME My Favorite Sightings from 2018 A Red Knot...in Lubbock, TX! Long-eared Owl, Lubbock, TX So. Many. Birds! Cape May, NJ in the Spring So. Many. Birds! Cape May, NJ in the Fall Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen, TX A Snowy Owl...in Texas! Blue-throated Hummingbird, Portal, AZ Northern Saw-whet Owl, Phoenix, AZ Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, LA Great Blue Heron Statue, Monroe. LA Lake Kissimmee, FL - Snail Kites and Limpkins! Death Valley NP "Super Bloom" Death Valley National Park (Day 2) Death Valley National Park (Day 1) Dinosaur Tracks at Clayton Lake SP, NM Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, CO Garden of the Gods, CO Geology Museum, Boulder, CO Barr Lake State Park, CO Lair o' the Bear Park, CO Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, AZ White Sands National Monument, NM Sweetwater Wetlands Park, Tucson, AZ Bosque del Apache NWR, NM Very Large Array, NM Gobble, Gobble! Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, TX Finally! A Snowy Owl in Michigan City, IN South Llano River State Park, TX Armadillo! Meep, Meep! Roadrunner! Great Horned Owl Crunchy (the turtle) Backyard Lizard Big Branch Marsh NWR, LA Black Bayou Lake NWR, LA Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, AZ Aransas NWR, TX Bitter Lake NWR, NM Dragonfly Festival in NM Alligators! Archives
September 2022
|