Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge

Tag

By Give Nature as a Gift!

A hummingbird? Perhaps a songbird, duck or bald eagle? Natural focal points for your desk or your living room wall? Please wander through https://docellentinsley.smugmug.com where you could get all your holiday shopping done. Maybe you would like to share some fine art with family and friends for the Holidays. In my gallery you can order a large variety of birds and landscapes as prints, framed wall art or desk art, or greeting cards! Thanks for your support and friendship, peace and grace, Doc Ellen

By Great Horned Owl!!!
Oh, wow.  Oh, woowee.  Or is that who, whoo, whooo …..
My second favorite place to go birding is Lake Mattamuskeet.
I did a quick day trip yesterday – and got a delightful surprise!
My first ever great horned owl.  
She and I spent spent some 35 minutes watching each other.
Eventually  she walked toward the trunk and her camouflage took over and she disappeared.

By Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge trip 8 photos 7-27-2017
A trip to Lake Mattamuskeet needs to be on everybody’s  list.
 
It was at Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge that the Bald Eagle was re-introduced to NC.
 
The Bald Eagles then made their way inland to Jordan Lake.
 
Try your hardest to get there at sunrise – they are almost always spectacular from the causeway!
 
Adult bald eagle way across the front impoundment at Mattamuskeet.  
This time of the year the eagles can be hard to find at Mattamuskeet.
 
The lake and its surrounding area has beautiful cypress trees.
 
 
The still waters of the lake and the impoundments often give reflections that are wonderfully detailed.
Great Blue Heron fishing.
 
 
The insect life at Mattamuskeet is very diverse – with many different dragonflies.
Did you see the dragonfly shadow?
 
 
The white-tailed deer really enjoy the browsing at the lake.  
 
 
The yellow-billed cuckoo is also found at Jordan Lake.
 I hear rather than see them most of the time.
 
 
The zebra swallowtail butterfly is the only swallowtail in our region with white stripes.
 

By alert

alert, oh, so alert now that the young buck has seen me

Mattamuskeet deer detail

By heron stare

Mirrored against the still waters of the marsh stalked a subtly yet startling marked tricolored heron.
I had seen a few of these medium sized herons on other trips to Mattamuskeet Refuge
but they had all taken flight before I could take their measure with my camera.
This juvenile bird seemed oblivious to his surroundings and was very heron-like, fixed on the hunt.

tricolored heron

By velvet

A sure sign that seasons are changing at Mattamuskeet Wildlife Refuge.
This buck has a beautiful antler rack still covered in velvet.
The covering will soon begin to itch and peel –
driving the buck to trash the surrounding shrubs and saplings, rubbing the annoyance away.

white tail deer