Late November at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge — Fall Magic
November 25, 2018 we took our two Alabama grandsons to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, several weeks before the geniuses in Washington DC once more failed to pass a budget. Thus, as I write these words on January 6, 2019, the partial government shutdown has kept me from the Visitors Center and observation building for over two weeks, the heart of waterfowl magic at Wheeler. But I digress. My purpose is to reflect on our visit.
The boys enjoy Wheeler — the sights, sounds, and mood from seeing and hearing thousands of winter avian residents celebrating their escape from hard core winter. The view from the observation building is especially rewarding.
It’s like watching a well-done Nature documentary… on-site and in person. Whether a nice fall day like this one, or a cold, blustery, and wet afternoon, the building keeps us in comfort.
Designed with ample windows on both levels, the view spans some 300 degrees of fields and marsh. Enough birders are present to pass word of where the whooping cranes are within sight, or perhaps a Eurasian widget, or a bird of prey feasting nearby on some unfortunate migrant.
Just behind the Visitors Center, a broad view to the west extends across marsh and fields and hordes of sandhill cranes. Still accessible now, the view is far inferior to the now closed building.
Entering the access road on this warm mid-morning, I stopped to usher a gray rat snake to the grassy shoulder. I suppose he was quite happy sunning on the warm blacktop. Hence his pique with my interference. How could I convince him that I was acting in his best interest?! A subsequent motorist might not see him. The boys both liked seeing the snake and felt uneasy in his presence. Try as I might, I cannot convince these squeamish young persons that snakes are magnificent neighbors and honored members of our diverse southern ecosystems. My work is never done!
Our visits to Wheeler always include exploring both upland trails (below left) and our too-short pass along the boardwalk through the cypress swamp (below right and the two following photographs).
The cypress hadn’t quite shed all foliage, yet enough to form a thick mat on the boardwalk deck. Sam (4.5-year-old) could not resist scuffing his feet to plow piles of needles! I confess that I wanted to join him to create a pile large enough to accommodate a leaping grandfather!
We departed the main entrance to explore trails across the highway on the north side. We never grow tired of boardwalks, this one made all the sweeter by a sign warning of gators. Such a sign is nearly as exciting as actually seeing one of these large reptiles.
The heavily wooded peninsula ahead (lower right) decades earlier likely grew cotton and other agricultural crops. Nature filled the abandoned farm acreage with ease. The stand now is evidencing characteristics of old growth… large diameter pine and hardwood; heights reaching 90-110-feet; lots of dead and down large woody debris. I drew satisfaction from the boys appreciating the aesthetic quality of a shore-side cypress still bearing a portion of its red-brown foliage, accenting the water and shoreline beyond.
Certainly, there is nothing spectacular (on a Grand Canyon or Denali or Yosemite scale) about what we saw or experienced during our three hours at Wheeler. Importantly, what we did see provided ample beauty, awe, magic, and wonder… far more than obtainable from TV or video games. Jack and Sam will never forget their trips to Wheeler with Gummy and Pap. Judy and I are planting seeds. I include a Robert Louis Stevenson quote below the signature line on every email I send: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
On second thought, what we experienced was, in fact, spectacular in aggregate. Any seed sown is an act of love… an investment in the future. I think often of the life-mission I have adopted during my semi-retirement:
Mission: Employ writing and speaking to educate, inspire, and enable readers and listeners to understand, appreciate, and enjoy Nature… and accept and practice Earth Stewardship.
Vision: People of all ages will pay greater attention to and engage more regularly with Nature… and will accept and practice informed and responsible Earth Stewardship.
Tagline: Encourage and seek a better tomorrow through Nature-Inspired Living!
What could be more spectacular than heading to a nearby National Wildlife Refuge with our two Alabama grandsons, immersing them in Nature’s wonder, and sowing the seeds for responsible Earth citizenship?! Every moment I can give them pays dividends to me and to Earth’s future.
May Nature enrich your life and living… Nature-inspired living!
Thoughts and Reflections
I wrote my books (Nature Based Leadership (2016) and Nature-Inspired Learning and Leading (2017)) and the two scheduled for 2019 (Weaned Seals and Snowy Summits: Stories of Passion for Place and Everyday Nature and Harnessing Nature’s Wisdom and Inspiration) to encourage all citizens to recognize and appreciate that every lesson for living, learning, serving, and leading is either written indelibly in or is powerfully inspired by Nature. Both published books are available on Amazon and other online sources.
Here are three succinct lessons I can easily draw from this Blog Post:
- Take advantage of every opportunity in Nature to sow seeds for making tomorrow brighter.
- Invest your time, knowledge, and passion for Nature in young people whenever you can.
- Consciously and deliberately enrich your own life and living through Nature’s inspiration.
May Nature Inspire and Reward you!
Note: All blog post images created & photographed by Stephen B. Jones unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: “©2019 Steve Jones, Great Blue Heron LLC. All Rights Reserved.”
Another Note: If you came to this post via a Facebook posting or by an another route, please sign up now (no cost… no obligation) to receive my Blog Post email alerts: https://stevejonesgbh.com/contact/
And a Third: I am available for Nature-Inspired Speaking, Writing, and Consulting — contact me at steve.jones.0524@gmail.com
Reminder of my Personal and Professional Purpose, Passion, and Cause
If only more of us viewed our precious environment through my own filters. If only my mission and vision could be multiplied untold orders of magnitude:
Mission: Employ writing and speaking to educate, inspire, and enable readers and listeners to understand, appreciate, and enjoy Nature… and accept and practice Earth Stewardship.
Vision:
- People of all ages will pay greater attention to and engage more regularly with Nature… and will accept and practice informed and responsible Earth Stewardship.
- Great Blue Heron affiliates will see their relationship to our natural world with new eyes… and will understand more clearly their Earth home.
Tagline: Steve (Great Blue Heron) encourages and seeks a better tomorrow through Nature-Inspired Living!