Squaw Creek NWR

The weather was nice- well... in Kansas City. North of St. Jo the snow was several inches deep; near the refuge drifts were as deep at 3 ft! It was about St. Joe before I realized that the camera bag that I had grabbed contained my lenses, filters, batteries, cards and anything else I could want- except for a camera! My mother had a small point-n-shoot in the glove box.

I took a running jump into a wall of snow off of a gravel road. The sunlight pierced the drifts and lit the shaded spots with a light blue. My legs sunk to above my knees and I left a snow angel on the edge of the corn field.
It was in the lower forties, but the wind made it feel much colder. ITs force never failed. My mother and I drove the first third of the refuge before we found anything exciting. Some eagles- juvi's and adults took turns flying against the wind. They did not make too much progress and most returned to a muskrat mound or the ice soon after taking flight.

We had come to see the swans! A waterfowl report told of 50 trumpeter swans and a small group of tundra swans that had accumulated on the refuge as of the end of last month. This was the first time this season that tundra swans had been found on the refuge. Being unfamiliar with the species, I asked one of the 'local experts', Linda Williams (lindawilliamsphotography.com), about them. She gave me some tips on how to tell them apart from the trumpeters.

I spotted the first group of swans far in the distance- 13 of them! They all appeared to be trumpeter swans. A bit further we spotted th rest of them on the ice and in the water. There were many and they were all the same distance from the road as the first group. Closer to the car- only about 100yrds- a smaller duck paced the perimeter of a tiny puddle of open water. His lake was 10 feet in diameter- an island in an ocean of ice- The bird was dark and oddly-shaped. It had a small white spot on his cheak and a white neck and breast. "A Bufflehead or Goldeneye" I identified, honestly not knowing the difference- When I gained access to a field guide I decided that the bird we saw was defenitaly a Common Goldeneye. The pattern of the wings and size were the difference. When my attention turned back to the swans in the distance, I noticed that they were standing and swimming amongst a thinck crown of smaller dark birds. Most of them were Canada Geese and Mallards. The swans were too many to count- but they were giant when they stood next to the geese. Several had the darker necks and two had green bands. I searched the group for the smaller Tundra Swan, but never noticed one.

A small goup of eagles stood on the bare ice behond the swarm of waterfowl. They stared, and probably dreweled, but I could not see any strings of saliva from their beaks.
My mother spotted a pair of great blue herons that I could not. She gave me the Nocs and directions. I found the birds, but they were not herons. The two were tall with a more round body- not much of a visible tail. I saw a hint of red and identified them as Sandhill Cranes. In disbalief, she took the binoculars from me and confirmed my id- she said that when one lifted its head she saw the distinct profile of a crane. I have never seen them this fas east, and never this far north this late in winter! I suspect that they had come in with the geese and stayed with the flock. EXCITING!!

The rest of the drive was about scenery and critters. The icey landscape reflected the sun in ways it does only in the mountains and far north. Most of the wetland was frozen, and any plants were pressed to the ground by the heavy snow. On the long, strait stretch of the road that is under the canopy of trees there was an opossum. He edged the side of the road in the snow. I jumped out of the van and joged to intercept him for a photo on the other side of an old tree. I waited several seconds, but he never showed himself. My mother told me to look in the tree- above me. I circled, but never found him... he had *poofed!*

I found a hole low in the trunk. There was hair on the bark. I turned the flash on on the camera and thuck it deep into the hole to flash a photo. Upon review, I discovered a big hairy butt looking back at me. I took some more photos and went on my way. Further down the road, but still amongst the flooded forest, we spotted another, much larger oppossum. As we neared the exit/entrance of the refuge I noticed a familiar sillouhette on the ice. A cat!? It was a raccoon- a BIG racoon! We watched him go about his business for a few moments before we visited the centre.

CAT WALK!
Took the hike to the left of the center- at the far end of the parking lot. Followed it in the thick snow until it was no more. The surface of the snow had melted with the day and then froze again- it was about 4:30 and the sun was getting low. Each step was acompanied by a crack of the ice, a crunch of the snow, and another crack as my foot broke the surface upon exiting. My poor choice of footwear left me with some pain and the sensation of walking on my ankles.

We strayed from the path, which was covered in tracks from deer, coyotes, rabbits, a turkey, and a small cat or fox, in search of photo's- Success!

I dont know why, but despite all the red in the grass and the blue in the sky, I like the Blk&W better- ive been playin with it alot lately- What do YOU like ?