Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge

20090622 – Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge

Rainbow Lodge is just a couple miles North of Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge, so I was able to spend a full day there. Driving in the Refuge I was struck by how different this area is than the farm country just 50 miles to the West. I recognized the plant life from my childhood and youth and the travels I have done in the North Country before. Some of the treed areas were open underneath, due to the shading by all the trees competing for sunlight. The edges and ditches are a jumble of annual and perennial plants. I also could not help but notice that this is the first day on the trip that mosquitos were a serious concern, along with giant deerflies, when I tried to enter the woods.

Despite that, and high humidity (resulting from the rain of last night) and temperatures in the 80s, I did walk a couple of trails, drove many of the Refuge roads and poked into the lake access points. It sure would have helped to have Tim's great birding eyes along today.

I returned to the lodge, showered, had dinner and will walk around the grounds after I post this.

Birds: Great Blue Heron, American White Pelican, American Crow, Ovenbird, American Redstart, Bald Eagle, Ring-necked Duck, Canada Goose, Brown-headed Cowbird, Yellow Warbler, Trumpeter Swan, Red-winged Blackbird, Mourning Dove, Blue-winged Teal, American Robin, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Barn Swallow, Pine Siskin, Lazuli Bunting, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Grey Catbird, Eastern Wood Pewee, Cedar Waxwing, Common Yellowthroat, Chipping Sparrow, Ruffed Grouse, Warbling Vireo.