From the Contact Station May 2019

What's Up

It has been an interesting couple of weeks down at the contact station. We have a weekend crew of four. Terri and Robert alternate Saturday mornings, while Annette is there on Saturday afternoons. Susan (that is me) covers Sundays from about 10 to 3 or maybe 9 to 5, or as much as I can do. We are there to help you enjoy the refuge the best you can during this time of disruption. Please stop to say hello or ask any questions you might have. We love to hear your stories about your experiences on the refuge. During the construction, Roger is doing his best to keep up the bird sightings list which he posts in the display case and on the website. If you spot something unusual, please do add it to the board so others may find it too.

It was a very busy April, probably due to the changes, but maybe more about the fabulous weather we had during the month. Our late mornings and afternoons seemed to be the busiest. When this is published, the Kiwa trail should be open. We expect a lot of visitors eager to walk. The seasonal trail on the Carty unit will be opening also. We have directions for you at the contact station. We have also posted a new color-coded map in the Kiosk to help you know when trails will be available. The Oaks to Wetlands trail will re-open as soon as it is deemed safe, probably by June. The Douglas Fir removal creates a lot of debris which must be removed before people can use the trails safely again.

Because of the limits of access during our projects, limited peak times on the refuge can get a little crowded. But early mornings and the last couple of hours the refuge is open can be much quieter, except for the birds right now. One recent Sunday I took a ride around the refuge to end my day. I stopped at #11, which is just after you emerge from the woods and make the sharp right along the dike between Rest Lake and Big Lake. There is plenty of room to pull off to the side there and remain on the road without blocking others. Rolling down the windows I was enthralled with the calls of Pied-billed Grebes. Their bills are indeed pied, with black and white sections freshly showing. Then there was the occasional American Bittern calling from the reeds. I loved hearing a Virginia Rail call, one starts, and a bunch of others will answer setting up a wave across the marsh. A Sora with its rapid descending whinny and occasional ker-wee call could be heard. Meanwhile overhead, I could hear the winnowing sound of Wilson’s Snipe doing its display flight. Red-winged Blackbirds have such a variety of calls making the wetlands full of song all by themselves. I even heard a Yellow-headed Blackbird in the area. They are easier to find between number 3 and 4 at the beginning of the route but it is nice to know they are in other areas too.

Common Yellowthroats are everywhere in the wetlands right now, almost as numerous as the Nutria. The males look like little bandits with their black masks. See if you can spot a female. She is much more subtle with an olive-green back blending into a yellow belly and a brighter yellow throat. Really a pretty warbler. Their call sounds like witchety-whichety-witchety.

Our summer ducks are here and in their fine breeding plumage. I saw a Cinnamon Teal and a Redhead on the Rest Lake side of the dike. Gadwall and lots of coots were hanging out too. Have you ever seen the big-billed Northern Shovelers as they feed by spinning in a small circle? What fun it was to watch them. All of this activity occurred in maybe the twenty minutes I sat there.  So, try an early or late visit to the River S. Just remember to check the gate closing time at the top gate and be sure to exit before it closes.

Meanwhile, please do not go down the road during the week, even just to take a look. There are two good reasons for this. First, it is not safe with all the active machinery and big trucks going up and down the hill. And, second, random cars slow the progress of the work and the last thing we want is for the project to take longer.

Enjoy the opening of the Kiwa trail and all the spring song.

For those of you who like to follow the Purple Martins each year, the gourds at the entry to the River S went up on Easter Sunday, April 21st. The single test gourd had been up for a week or two already and the Martins were already checking it out. There are several other gourd placements within the Refuge that are not in the public viewing area. We are eager to see how this year goes, especially with all the construction nearby the one set.

-Susan Setterberg, Contact Station Volunteer and Board Past President