Random Thoughts

The third graders from Williams Memorial Elementary School in St. George paid a visit to the Francis Beidler Forest Audubon Center. They were a super group, especially given the cool, breezy weather and the derth of visible wildlife! One group saw some White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), but that was it beyond a squawking American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) or the occasional woodpecker. Everything else was smarter than a third grader (or the adult guides) and remained hunkered down somewhere warm!

Once off the boardwalk, the outdoors experience continued with lunch at the picnic tables and the Fill the Bill (bird bill adaptation activity) in the outdoor classroom. Yesterday's burn of the Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) stands (see previous entries) at Mallard Lake and the Kitchens tract would have been welcome warmth after today's cool walk.

Images (burn) by Mark Musselman

The weekend is rapidly approaching, so we're thinking about flying out of here. The image below came to us without credit, but it sums up our feelings and demonstrates the Red-winged Blackbird's (Agelaius phoeniceus) adaptation to the energy crisis. We're not sure how the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) feels about it.