November 9, 2020 - Capturing Refuge Wildlife (Part I)

It seems as though the world has been filled with so much negativity lately, and I wanted to begin a post that captures the most positive & fulfilling aspect of my job (in my opinion) - interacting with the wildlife on the Refuge. While I don't often interact with the wildlife in a hands-on fashion, I do try to snap photos and videos when I can - so that I can look back, or show my friends when I need a pick-me-up! My hope in sharing these photos, is to bring you some of the amazing experiences I, or others, have had while out in the field, and to provide a place on my page for you to visit if you are feeling stressed - or are in need of a smile💚 

P.S. I will be adding to this post more in the future!!!

Capturing Refuge Wildlife 

A Majestic 3-point spotted and captured by our very own Volunteer Coordinator, Elena Tinoco! This guy came right out of the trees and posed for the camera. 

A young deer munchin' away on some grass. To learn more about the Columbian White-Tailed Deer that roams our Refuge - click here!

The other day, while driving through the auto tour route, I spotted this beautiful Red Tail Hawk - He allowed me to come right up and snap photos and videos of him. We hung out together for about 10-15 minutes. 

A Long-toed salamander that I found underneath a log that I moved while constructing a raised planter box! This was the first one I have ever seen out in the field. 

A Lorquin's Admiral Butterfly. I have linked the species list that I use for butterfly identification!

Most of the time, Blue Herons are relatively shy when approached by a vehicle! This guy let me drive right up next to him though, and snap this picture. Some of the wildlife on the Auto Tour Route are extremely used to traffic. 

A Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly!

This Dragonfly is camouflaged so well! Can you spot him? 

I believe this guy is called an Ensatina Salamander! Correct me if I am wrong. 

I just love snails. 

A cute lil' tree frog resting on a Purple Loosestrife flower. 

A Cinnabar Moth munchin' away on a Tansy Ragwort plant.
Did you know...that these moths were specifically brought to the US in order to help with the control of Tansy Ragwort? To learn more, click here.

These praying mantises (the European Mantid), are all over the place during the summer months at the Refuge. I found this particular one on my head while driving my truck back to the shop - I have no idea how it got there, and yes, it scared the heck out of me! 

A slippery little lamprey that I caught during a fish salvage at Gibbons Creek. This fish salvage was part of the Steigerwald Reconnection Project, which is linked for your convenience. 

Another cute lil' Tree Frog. 

A majestic eagle that Elena and I found while kayaking & searching for invasive plants. This guy let us kayak right up underneath him - it was awesome!

A Widow Skimmer Dragonfly! 

This Painted Pond Turtle is posing for the camera! 

One day, while I was kayaking Turtle Lake & looking for invasive plants - I came across many of these odd looking blobs. Upon further investigation, I identified this weird slimy ball as a Magnificent Bryozoan. The blobs are made up of individual microscopic aquatic invertebrates (called a zooid), and they live directly on submerged surfaces in a colony! To learn more about this crazy animal - click here!

A cute little honey bee pollinating away!

Tree frogs really love to hide-out on Wapato plants! These large-leafed plants usually grow in patches, and even one plant can provide sufficient shade for these frogs on a hot summer day! 

*If you are interested in species identification of the animals above, check out this cool wildlife checklist for Ridgefield NWR*

To be continued...