Canada geese and a pair of Sandhill cranes in a partially frozen wetland

Photo from Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Most of the small shallow wetlands on the refuge are covered with a layer of ice today. Many of the ducks and geese we observed earlier this week were hanging out in the flooded timber as water levels have slowly continued to go up on the Louisa Division from seep water through the levee.

Photo: Canada geese and a pair of Sandhill cranes in a partially frozen wetland by Jessica Bolser/USFWS

#animals #birds #wetland #nature #wildlife
#Iowa #IA #Midwest

Chocolate Tube Slime

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

This is chocolate tube slime! This slime mold was growing on a decaying log in the floodplain forest at Big Timber.

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 

#nature #Iowa #IA #USFWS 




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Various Waterfowl

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Great egrets, great blue herons, shorebirds and a few ducks on the Louisa Division

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 

#animals #birds #egrets #herons #nature #wildlife #USFWS #Iowa #IA 

Purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea)

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Purple prairie clover

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 


#plants #wildflowers #nature 

Northern Water Snake

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Northern water snake hanging out on the branch of a willow tree. This nonvenomous snake is the most common species of water snake on the refuge.

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 

#animals #reptile #snake #wildlife #nature #USFWS 




041817 

Virginia Bluebells

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Virginia bluebells

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 

#plants #wildflowers #VirginiaBluebells #nature #USFWS 




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*****

Bloodroot

#Sunday

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Bloodroot

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 

#plants #bloodroot #wildflower #nature #USFWS #Iowa #IA 




040917 

Winter Wrens

#Thursday

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Winter wrens are one of five wren species that can be found on the refuge. These small, secretive birds with a loud, bubbly song can bird found underneath logs and wood piles during the winter and spring. 

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 

#animals #birds #wrens #wildlife #nature 

#USFWS 




040617 

Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus)

#Wednesday

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

A pair of hooded mergansers

Jessica Bolser/USFWS

#animals #birds #duck #HoodedMerganser #waterfowl #nature #wildlife 

#USFWS #Iowa #IA 




040517 

Female Northern Shoveler

#Monday

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Many dabbling ducks have bills that are lined with tiny, comb-like projections called lamellae that act as strainers. Northern shovelers have the largest number of lamellae and a wide bill that make them well-suited for filtering out aquatic insects and other food from the water.

Photo: Female northern shoveler courtesy of Mike Dunn
http://bit.ly/2otaKLC




040317

Male Mallard Duck

#Friday

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Mallard 

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




033117 

American Coot (Fulica americana)

#Thursday #USGS #Bird

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

American coots are a common site on the refuge in the spring and fall. While this species has a duck-like appearance in the water, American coots do not have webbed feet and are more closely-related to rails and cranes than ducks and geese.

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




033017 

Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)

#Wednesday #USFWS

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Muskrats have been quite active on the refuge lately.

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




032917 

Tree swallows perched on buttonbush

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Tree swallows perched on buttonbush

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




032717

Sharp-lobed Hepatica

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Spring wildflowers are starting to bloom on the refuge.

Photo: sharp-lobed hepatica by Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




032117 

Happy First Day of Spring!

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Happy first day of spring! These painted turtles were basking in the warm sunshine on the refuge today.

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




032017 

Canvasbacks and American Coots

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Canvasbacks and American coots 

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




032017 

House finch near the refuge headquarters

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:


#USFWS #Bird #Finch

House finch near the refuge headquarters

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




031317 

Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa)

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

#USFWS #Bird #Waterfowl #Duck

Wood ducks

Jessica Bolser/USFWS 




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***

Sunset at Mud Bottoms at Horseshoe Bend

From Port Louisa National Wildlife Refuge:

Happy Friday! Here is a colorful winter sunset at Mud Bottoms at Horseshoe Bend.

Jessica Bolser/USFWS