Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Yum, Yum

photo by Linda Besse, May 2012

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is about an hour from my home. The approximately 16,000-acre refuge of Channeled Scablands contains 130 marshes, wetlands, and lakes for a combined total of 3036 acres of wetlands.

I think every time I make the trip there, I see a moose. This time within minutes of driving the circle road I spotted a calf from last year close to the road. She was munching down the fresh wildflowers which had cropped up from our April rains. My presence did not disturb her as she continued eating with moose-y abandon. Before I left that evening I also saw a large cow moose in another area of the refuge.

In addition, the late afternoon trip netted sightings of numerous pairs of duck species, a killdeer, 2 white pelicans, 2 muskrat, a pair of trumpeter swans, and 4 deer. A trip full of inspiration for future paintings.

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