Birding at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge came at a most perfect day. The sun was shining through an almost cloudless sky. The wind was slight and cool!
Birding is now more than just a backyard activity. A congregation of birds one day at my backyard piqued my interest. It was colorful and noisy. Noisy enough to agitate Dachshund into a barking frenzy.
Our birding experience at Lake Lewisville Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) became a day of discovery. Smaller birds tend to be noisier. Males are more colorful. There are a million birds out there!
Birding at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge
A day at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge was more exciting than imagined. Lee, the volunteer at the front desk, was wonderful beyond belief. She gave a verbal tour of the wildlife refuge and gave tips on what to expect. A self-guided auto tour of the place was the best option since it can cover most of the 11,320 acres dedicated to the wildlife refuge. It wasn’t even the first turn of the tour when an awesome sight came into view!
An open field stretched to the edge of the lake water, overgrown with grass and flowers, and richly alive with butterflies and birds!
The dirt road continued towards a bridge crossing a portion of the lake and there were fishermen, bikers, and hikers. Water birds, like the Snowy Egret and Canadian Geese, were also doing their own fishing and hunting by the edge of the lake.
It was peculiar seeing oil rigs at different locations of the refuge. The refuge started as a mining site for oil. The oil companies actually contribute for the maintenance and upkeep of the refuge. Wildlife does thrive even in the presence of the oil wells.
Under a bridge, where tankers and cars crossed, a colony of cliff swallow nests nestled. The swooping pattern of their flight looks mesmerizing as they hunt and feed their young in the nests.
Touring Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge was a learning experience. A tour riding a vehicle can cover more ground. However, a lot of wildlife remain hidden from a moving vehicle. It was better exploring the area on the ground. There were trails going deeper into the bushes.
Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is an excellent place for birding (or birdwatching).
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[…] Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge looked deserted except for some vehicles driving lazily down the stretch of the wildlife refuge road. A few fishermen were at the side of the road, a couple of ladies held camera and binocular in a vehicle with rolled down windows, and several just drove by and looked around. The Refuge didn’t look quite like the place when we came here for birding. […]