Date: 3/4/25 12:27 pm From: Robert Crawford <rlcrawfd...> Subject: Re: [NFLbirds] The last field trip
I will sure miss your reports.
On 3/4/2025 3:23 PM, Don Morrow wrote:
>
> I am not sure how long I have been leading the refuge’s winter
> wildlife tours, but for at least twenty-five years my annual schedule
> from October through March has included a monthly day at the refuge
> with three-hour field trips starting at 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
>
> There is no standard agenda for these field trips. I try to find a
> route that has a good chance of showing off what the refuge offers in
> winter; ducks, shorebirds, gators, otters, bobcats, and nesting
> eagles. My routes usually go out on the levees, but may also snake
> down Lighthouse Road. I go wherever I think there might be something
> interesting.
>
> I have led car caravans, driven an 18-passenger van and used a Wakulla
> Transportation bus that came with a driver who would surreptitiously
> keep me updated on college football scores. For years we used the
> “people mover,” an open wagon pulled by a refuge pickup truck. This
> year, I have been driving the refuge’s seven-passenger van.
>
> There are people who have been coming on my field trips for years and,
> always, new people that I have never before met. I have always had
> birders, some experts and some beginners. I have learned
> identification tips on the job from some very good birders and taken
> pleasure in teaching others the fundamentals of duck identification.
>
> Over the years, as digital camera technology has improved, I have had
> more and more photographers looking for that perfect shot. I have
> tried to balance giving them time for photos with moving the field
> trip along.
>
> I also get folks who just want to get a ride around the refuge and see
> something new. There are no skill requirements or entrance tests to
> come on these tours. Everyone has always been welcome.
>
> Leading field trips requires patience and thought. There’s the basic
> logistics. What route to take. How long to stay at each stop.
> Finishing up, sort of on time. I have tried to ensure that everybody
> gets something out of the trip and that questions are answered, even
> if the answer is “I don’t know.”
>
> I have led several hundred refuge field trips and taken a few thousand
> people out to see their refuge. My time leading the St. Marks winter
> wildlife Tours has, however, come to an end. Last Saturday afternoon,
> I led my last winter field trip for the refuge. Like all field trips,
> it had some highlights; a pair of mating eagles in a pine tree, a
> White-faced Ibis and a Glossy Ibis standing near each other for
> comparison. It was a good way to end things.
>
> I will still be doing field trips at the refuge for birding groups and
> perhaps an occasional refuge event. I have, though, decided that it is
> time for someone else to take over the winter wildlife tours. I am
> hoping that the refuge will choose a younger and, perhaps, more
> diverse voice to replace me. Regardless, whoever is chosen will, I am
> sure, do a great job.
>
> I appreciate the opportunity that I was given to lead these trips. It
> has been a great ride.
>
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--
Robert L. Crawford
Thomasville, Georgia
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