2018 Jan 9, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Sandhill Crane, & other waterfowl Decatur, Alabama

We ate lunch at Wendy’s in Athens. Hubby ordered the four-dollar deal, cheeseburger, fries, chicken nuggets, and drink. I ordered a junior cheeseburger, a small chocolate frosty.

Then we rode to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge via I-65 to Decatur to see  1,000s of Cranes and other waterfowl. We saw hundreds of Mallards, Ducks and thousands of Cranes, with only three white cranes. 

It was cold and wet as we walked to the enclosed overlook. There were three people there, one with a telescope and the other two with nice cameras. The young man with the telescope was traveling from Atlanta, Georgia, to Nevada. He said he was ready for a change in his life. Sounded like he was walking away from personal problems. 

Mallard Ducks

Cranes

Some signs read: U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, National Refuge System, &  the do’s and don’t’s on the Tennessee River & Decatur and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. 

We were invited to come back on Saturday for their workshop.

We stopped at Flint Creek Trail, which is part of the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. 

Several men were fishing in the frozen Flint Creek. I was standing on the pier, and I heard something crackling below me. It was the frozen ice breaking up. There were several birds and cranes in the shallow water and along the banks.

Wildlife 
Y.O.U M.A.Y S.E.E
Watching wildlife can be a lot of fun. Many wildlife creatures are elusive and wary, so you will need to move slowly and quietly. Early morning and late afternoon are usually the best times to see wildlife. A pair of binoculars is helpful. 

Even if you do not see the animal, you may see signs of its presence, such as tracks, scat (droppings), or feathers. And Listen...in nature, you can hear a symphony of sounds.

Gray Squirrel, Eastern Box Turtle, Downy Woodpecker, Wood Duck, Eastern Gartner Snake, Cooper's Hawk, White-tailed Deer, Common Five-lined Skink

I saw a sign that read: Alligators May live here. This is something you never want to run across while bird-watching.

Alligators may live here.
Be Gator Safe:
Do not approach, Feed, or Harass Alligators
Warning: it is UNLAWFUL to feed alligators!
Feeding, harassing, or the unlawful killing or taking of alligators can result in substantial fines and or jail time. 

Men Fishing in the icy water

Some signs read: U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Our History, 1838, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1933 & Present; how can you Help? Flint Creek, Fishing, and Land, Watershed Project; Living in the Water Fresh, Water & Wildlife You may see. 

We also stopped at the Wheeler Wildlife Complex, where we saw signs that read: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hunting, Fishing; Water level management and farming; map of the refuge and boating.

Wheeler Wildlife Complex 

We rode through Decatur, turning on the road that once housed the Paper Mill. Hubby said to me we might see a hawk or Bald Eagle. We looked in every tree and on every power line. We were nearing the Paul Bunyan power line, and I asked hubby what was that thing on the power pole. We turned around to see a sitting up on top of a Bald Eagle. He gave me a wink as if to say, I am on the watch out for food.

Bald Eagle

We stopped at Wheeler Dam, which is another great place to see lots of birds.  The power lines sitting in the river and the island were covered in white and blackbirds. There were waterfowl swimming, fishing, and flying over the Tennessee River. 

A bird was sitting on most of the light poles as we crossed the dam.

Wheeler Dam and Birds

Powerline and Island full of waterfowl 

Ate dinner at Walton’s Restaurant, and hubby ordered a New York strip, salad 🥗 and baked potato 🥔.

I ordered a Ribeye steak salad and iced tea.

It rained on us on our way to Decatur, and it was cloudy all day, not the best day for taking pictures. We still had a great day, and before we arrived home, it was dark.

2017 January 16, Monday, Birding Trail Sites #7, #11, #16

Hubby and I traveled to Waterloo in hopes of seeing a Bald Eagle. We met a couple from Hartsell at birding site number 11, they had binoculars and a camera with a large telephoto lens.
We sighted at least two Bald Eagles, soaring high in the sky, not close enough to get a good picture.

Bald Eagle

We did see a lot of small black ducks and a few cranes.

We traveled back to Florence stopping at Dairy Queen (for the $5 deal) for hamburgers, fries, coke, and ice cream.
I substituted a side salad for the fries and I ordered a banana ice cream with real slices of bananas.
When we finished we rode to the Rock-pile Recreation Area birding site number 7 on the northeast loop which is located at the base of Wilson Dam.

Waterfall

At the Rockpile I walked to the nearby waterfall. Several families and couples were visiting the waterfall.
Near Wilson Dam and along the locks I saw thousands of small white birds.
We saw several families with their children on the nearby playground.

We rode through Muscle Shoals turning left onto the old hwy 20, which took us through Leighton.

William Leigh founder of Leighton 

William Leigh founder of Leighton 

We stopped at the historic marker of William Leigh the founder of Leighton and his gravesite.
The founder of Leighton was named in honor of the Reverend William Leigh, son, and grandson of Revolutionary War veterans. He was born in Amelia County Virginia, Oct 4, 1790, and moved to Alabama in about 1823.
Leigh settled nearby at Jeffers Cross Roads and became a large landowner, pioneer merchant, postmaster, and La Grange College trustee. He was a charter member of Leighton Masonic Lodge No. 43 and served as Grand Master of the Alabama Masons (1833-1835). Leigh was a Missionary Baptist preacher for 63 years and served as pastor and leader in the Muscle Shoals Baptist Association. In 1836, he donated land and helped build a brick meeting house in Leighton for joint use by the Masons. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Cumberland Presbyterians, and others.
William Leigh was the first postmaster of Leighton (1824-1847) and with William Gregg, operated a storehouse at the crossroads under the firm name of William Leigh & Company. He ran unsuccessfully for the state legislature on the Whig ticket in 1840. In 1847 Leigh sold his store, 1800-acre plantation, livestock, and 30 slaves and moved to Kentucky. He soon returned to Alabama, living in Moulton for a few years before moving to Florence where his wife served as a matron at the Florence Synodical College. Leigh died there in Florence, on July 31, 1873, and was buried here in the Leigh family graveyard. The Masons erected a monument at his unmarked grave in 1931. The old brick church that he helped build a century earlier was razed in 1948. 

We rode through several small towns on our way to the Wildlife Refuge in Decatur. Bird Site #16.
We walked down to the view area from the visitor center, where we saw thousands of Sandhill Cranes, and thousands of ducks but only one White Whopping Crane.

Thousands Sandhill Cranes

I was hoping there was an open area to view the cranes but the viewing area was enclosed so all the pictures I took of the cranes and ducks were behind glass.
We walked to the swamp area where we crossed over on a wooden bridge.
We walked to an open field where we watched several Sandhill Cranes fly away into the distance and I took several pictures.

Sandhill Cranes

The sun was setting as we walked back to the visitor center. Inside we stopped to ask questions and to view the animals. (nonliving)
The sun was beginning to fade when we left the visitor center and was dark before we arrived home.

We spent the day traveling from Florence to Waterloo, back to Florence, to Muscle Shoals, to Leighton, Town Creek, Decatur, Athens, and back home. We visited three birding trails where we saw a variety of birds. It was a very enjoyable day, perfect weather and we did not rush.

Neither of us wanted to stop for a meal, so we came home and I put on a pot of oatmeal.

Woe! unto the Sinners in Zion! Isaiah 33:14-16

The sinners in Zion are terrified;

    trembling grips the 

godless:

Not acknowledging a deity or divine law 

“Who of us can dwell with the 

consuming fire?

Deeply Felt 

severe trial or ordeal 

    Who of us can dwell with 

everlasting burning?”

lasting or enduring through all time

very hot

15 

Those who walk righteously

    and speak what is right,

who reject gain from 

extortion

Extortion is a crime in which one person forces another person to do something against his will, generally to give up money or other property, by the threat of violence, property damage, damage to the person’s reputation, or extreme financial hardship. Extortion involves the victim’s consent to the crime, but that consent is obtained illegally. 

    and keep their hands from accepting 

bribes 

• a sum of money or other inducement offered or given in inducement, incentive, payola, payoff, kickback, boodle, sweetenerwho stop their ears against plots of 

murder

the crime of unlawfully killing a person, especially with malice aforethought

    and shut their eyes against 

contemplating evil

to think deeply or carefully about (something)

causing harm or injury to someone

16 

they are the ones who will dwell on the 

heights

the highest part:summit

    whose refuge will be the 

mountain fortress.

an area of land that rises very high above the land around it and that is higher than a hill

a place that is protected against attack:a fortified place

Their bread will be supplied,

Food Sustenance

 to provide for

    and water will not fail them.

Water

the degree of clarity and luster of a precious stone

Jesus said, But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 4:14