Intern Blog

While out on the refuge today, I spotted a Scarlet Tanager! The Scarlet Tanager is such a beautiful bird. It is the most vibrant red body, with a striking contrast of black wings. No picture could ever do the Scarlet Tanager justice.I encourage any birder or wildlife enthusiast to come out to Big Oaks, during a Public Use Day, and try and spot a Scarlet Tanager for yourself! You won't be disappointed!

Today while doing more Crawfish Frog conservation management, I spotted a Henslow's Sparrow! I was on B Road. The Henslow's Sparrow was about 20 feet away from me, singing loudly in a small tree. I immediately pulled out my binoculars to get a closer view. It was a picture-perfect moment to see, through my binoculars, the Henslow's Sparrow singing.

Today at the refuge, the day was spent checking all the ponds for development on Crawfish Frog egg masses. At all but a few locations the egg masses were developing nicely. There was an exuberant amount of free swimming tadpoles. For those who might not know, the Crawfish Frog is a state endangered amphibian, and Big Oaks NWR has the largest population of Crawfish Frog in the state. To help improve the Crawfish Frog's chances of a comeback, Big Oaks has been implementing cons

While driving around the refuge, I saw a bobcat in the northwest area, a blue-winged warbler on the north end, and a box turtle cross the road at the south end. And just in time for turkey hunting, I saw 20+ turkeys all over the refuge. Good luck to all you turkey hunters!

We had quite the turn out for the Youth Turkey Hunt Workshop, 40+ youth turned out for the event. Carl Drake from Real Tree kicked off the workshop by giving the kids basic knowledge on turkey calls and behavior. Mr. Drake showed everyone how to use all your basic calls from mouth calls to box calls to slate calls. He let us know what different calls from a turkey means, if they're spooked or ready to make. Mr. Drake ended his presentation with a short video showing how a tur