About Tishomingo NWR:
(From the Tishomingo NWR Website):
The 16,464 acre Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge is one of more than 540 refuges throughout the United States managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge lies at the upper Washita arm of Lake Texoma and is administered for the benefit of migratory waterfowl in the Central Flyway. Most of the refuge including the 4,500 acre Cumberland Pool, was acquired in 1946.
Whether you're here to view wildlife, fish for crappie or catfish, or to enjoy a little peace and quiet, you'll find Tishomingo NWR a place where it's easy to imagine a past era when great herds of wild animals grazed the prairies and bird flocks darkened the skies. It's appropriate that the refuge is named for a famous Chickasaw Indian chief.
Map:
May 15th Excursion:
I arrived at the refuge at around 8:00 am following a 170 mile drive from Tulsa. The first parking area I came across was for a 3/4 mile nature trail dubbed the Craven Nature Trail. The sign indicated that the loop led to a boardwalk on Dick's Pond where one could observe wildlife. I opted to take the left fork first and eventually loop back to the trailhead.
As I exited my car I could hear the ascending call of a Black and White Warbler ring through the forest. I often have difficulty distinguishing between calls of a B&W Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, and an Ovenbird. Fortunately, after walking several yards into the forest I spotted the suspected male BWW perched on an exposed branch of a snag. Throughout the remainder of the hike I would hear several of these guys singing.
I followed the left fork towards the boardwalk hoping to catch a glimpse of some waterfowl near the pond. Above the trail I could hear the persistent spew! of several (6 or more) Blue-gray Gnatcatchers as they bounded along the branches, the leaves provided an effective cover. As I was watching the canopy for signs of the Gnatcatchers I heard a woodpecker drumming against a hollow tree. I zeroed in on the source, a female Hairy Woodpecker situated on the tip of a snag.
After a short 1/4 mile hike I reached the boardwalk. The boardwalk juts out from the shoreline about 20 yards, providing one with a great position from which to watch for wildlife. I used my scope to scan the water before I proceeded out onto the boardwalk and noticed a single Pied-Billed Grebe foraging near the southwest corner of the pond. I also noticed a pair of Green Herons ( my favorite nickname for them is "Fly-up-the-creek", due to their tendency to relocate after being disturbed) flying along the water's edge, ultimately landing along the bank to search for prey. As I watched him through the scope one of the Green Herons inched his way along a branch just above the water's edge. The GH moved ever-so slowly into place then snapped up a small frog from the mud.
A flock of 15 Snowy Egrets flew overhead, their bearing suggested that they were heading for the Cumberland Pool to the south. Several Canada Geese could be heard honking along the north side of the pond, the dense pond vegetation making visual confirmation difficult. While searching for the Canada Geese I noticed two American Coots among the reeds along the east bank. Perched atop some of the reeds were a couple Of Eastern Kingbirds watching the pond for insects to intercept.
I began to follow the trail leading to north which completed the second half of the loop. When I stopped to deploy my tripod I noticed that I would be attacked by several mosquitoes. I looked at the ground and could see swarms of mosquitoes hovering a foot from the ground. The recent rains had created a perfect breeding scenario for the mosquitoes. Even being doused in DEET didn't help my situation; I had to turn around and head back to the trailhead.
Bird Count:
Location: Tishomingo NWR - Craven Nature Trail - Tishomingo, OK
Observation date: 5/15/09 Number of species: 16
Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 3
Wood Duck - Aix sponsa 1
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps 1
Snowy Egret - Egretta thula 15
Green Heron - Butorides virescens 2
Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 2
American Coot - Fulica americana 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 2
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Eastern Kingbird - Tyrannus tyrannus 2
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 2
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 5
Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 1
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 3
Photos (Numbered from Top to Bottom):
1-2) A couple of shots of the north end of Dick's Pond.
3) A sign displaying pictures and information about the types of wading birds found in and around Dick's Pond.
4) Another view of the pond.
5) A wildflower found along the Craven Nature Trail.
-SPQ 5/19/2009
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