Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge.....

Every May we try to take a 2-day trip to Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge near Seymour, Indiana.  We always see lots of birds and animals there and it is a really nice place to visit.

The first day we were there it was rainy and gloomy, but the very first thing we saw was this eagle sitting in a tree posing for us, so that made up for the bad weather.  The second day it was in the same tree.

 There were still brown feathers among the white ones, so I figured it wasn't necessarily a breeding adult yet.

We did see one eagle swoop down over the lake and catch something and fly off with it.  We thought that one might be heading to a nest with its food for the family. 

Right out side the Nature Center, this little Eastern Phoebe (?) flew in and sat. 

 Then a second one showed up with bug in mouth.

Several families of Canada Geese with their babies, but not as many as usual. 

 We hiked to a small family cemetery that was interesting....very old.

 Didn't get a very good wing shot of this butterfly, so not sure what it is.  A Checkerspot or something in that family?

I was searching one of the ponds with the binoculars looking for otters or anything of interest and suddenly spotted this Kingfisher! 

Question Mark butterfly 

 Red-spotted Purple Admiral

Lots of Red-winged Blackbirds around the ponds 

A snail on the concrete walk.  Further along we saw evidence that something had been having a feast on crawdads.....broken empty shells left behind. 

 Squirrel with a treat of some sort.

Turtles....I can always find turtles :-) 

One turkey running around all by itself.  Usually we see them in groups. 

Turtle crossing the road in front of us. 

Viceroy butterfly

 Outside the Nature Center by the feeders, a little chipmunk with very full cheeks and a Red-wing behind it.

Common White-tail Dragonfly female along the trail to the cemetery. 

Two deer crossing in front of us the first day when it was gloomy.

Always a wonderful place to visit!  We saw other birds and things I didn't get good photos of.  Songbirds in the trees.  I like when the butterflies are there in the road and parking lots like they were this time.  I saw several other types....swallowtails...that wouldn't pose for me  No otters this year....my only real disappointment :-)  We searched for them both days in the pond where we have seen them before.