May in the Wichitas
Lake Quanah Parker, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
I see some of my Maine friends posting their spring photographs and I smile to myself. Spring comes very, very late in Maine. We’ve had Spring for three months here in southwest Oklahoma.
Threadleaf Thelesperma is the predominant field flower now.
The rains have kept the prairie flowers coming, with some old ones going to seed now, and a few new ones coming in. Read the rest of this entry »
Wichita Mountains in Bloom
Wordless Saturday. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is in bloom! Read the rest of this entry »
Critters of the Wichitas – Videos
Fort Sill Army post and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge share the same habitat and the same wildlife. These birds in the video were at Fort Sill’s Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area, which borders the refuge.
The refuge also has a herd of purebred Texas longhorn cattle, which sometimes use the road to get from one grazing area to another, to the delight of visitors. Although they aren’t “wildlife” they are very popular, and simply the most beautiful and unique cattle around.
Several prairie dog towns allow easy viewing of the native black-tailed prairie dogs. Their pups were out by April, grazing on grasses and seeds, and their tails tend to show the black tips more than their parents tails do.
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Baby Bison
All winter I saw just a handful of bison at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. But now, the herds are prominent, and so are the little orange babies!
Two Sunday mornings ago they were right beside the road just past the Prairie Dog Town. I parked and watched them for about a half hour. Here is a sweet little video:
Enjoy the rest of the photos! Read the rest of this entry »
Wichita Mountains in Bloom
Post Oak trailhead, Wichita Mts. Wildlife Refuge, Okla.
I was on the prowl for flowers. And critters. And birds. It was the first day of May and things were a bustin’ out all over!
I’ll start with the flowers. The Treasure Lake portion of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge had the best masses of color, with Indian paintbrush predominating. Read the rest of this entry »
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Scissor-tailed flycatcher
The bird with the impossibly long tail is the Oklahoma state bird – the scissor-tailed flycatcher. Why does it need such a long, forked tail you ask? Beats me.
Supposedly it helps their aerial swoops and mid-air turns while chasing bugs. But all the other members of the flycatcher have rather normal-sized tails. What’s with this bird? Beats me. Read the rest of this entry »
