MINGO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, DAY 1.
Day 41 – It rained last night and is supposed to rain a little this morning. After our showers and coffee/tea, we headed to the NWR. It may be cloudy and rainy, but we can still drive through and see what critters are there this time of year.
We’re back at the RV after spending hours at Mingo NWR. At first we didn’t see anything but nice scenery and a squirrel, but as we continued to drive the numerous roads that cut through the Refuge, it got more interesting. At first we could hear ducks honking in the distance and we’d see them fly away, but they were too far away for us to be able to get close to them. By the end of the drive, we’d entered the areas where the waterfowl were congregating and there were plenty of them – Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, Northern Shovelers, Great Blue Herons – and in addition, we saw Bald Eagles, a Red-Shouldered Hawk (and another hawk or owl that we were unable to identify before it flew away), Turtles, more Squirrels, hundreds of Red-Winged Blackbirds, male & female Cardinals, and Bluejays. Maybe in the morning, it was colder and the weather was worse, and that’s why they all came out in the afternoon, we don’t know. But just the various ducks that were there were amazing. The scenery was different, too. Mostly past peak of their fall colors, everything took on a bronze/dark gold hue, looking a lot like a Thanksgiving postcard. We will go back tomorrow and the next day to see what else we find, and maybe the sun will be out, which always makes for better pictures. The high today was 53 degrees at Mingo and 59 degrees at the RV – full clouds at both places.
