Get Set for Second Saturday at Hagerman NWR - March 10

· 8 am, Nature Walk with Dr. Wayne Meyer on one of the trails at the Refuge, weather permitting. Meet at the FOH Center. You may want to bring binoculars, camera, field guides, and dress for the weather.

· 9:30 am - Noon, Red River Seed Bombs owner Carolyn Grissom will be in the Nature Nook in the Visitor Center to teach you how to “guerilla garden”! Seed bombs will be for sale in the Nature Nook.

· 10 am - Noon, Hummingbirds with Mark Klym, Visitor Center. Mark is the coordinator for the Texas Parks and Wildlife hummingbird programs and can help you get ready for the “jewels of the air”. Mark is co-author of Hummingbirds of Texas and will be selling and signing books following his presentation.

· 10 – 11:30 am, the Second Saturday for Youth topic is also Hummingbirds. Reservations are needed for the children’s program; please call the Refuge, 903 786 2826 to make sure there is still space for your child. For ages 4 – 10, with parents accompanying those 6 and under.

· 12:30 pm – Friends of Hagerman Nature Photo Club meeting, in the Classroom of the FOH Center. There will be a presentation on photographing wildflowers, and photo sharing. Bring a bag lunch and make it a day at the Refuge!

Programs listed are free and open to the public, sponsored by Hagerman NWR and the Friends of Hagerman. There are nominal dues for photo club but no charge for visitors.

AND – we need your help! We are collecting empty (and clean) margarine tubs, yogurt cups and similar containers to use to hold the fish-bait we will be distributing at Fishing with Kids, at the Refuge, 9 am –Noon, March 31. When you visit the Refuge between now and March 31, if you can, please bring these items, even one or two from enough people will do the job, and THANKS!! See you at the Refuge.

Photo: Mark Klym at Hummingbird Festival (courtesy photo).

New Visitor Most Photographed at Refuge

A new visitor showed up at Hagerman NWR last week, on Monday, March 22, to be exact. Since its arrival the Mute Swan has become the "most photographed" subject at the refuge.


Mute swans, we learned, do not really live up to their name, as they are capable of hissing and grunting sounds. Introduced from Eurasia, they are said to be very aggressive birds and will displace wild waterfowl, according to The National Audubon Society The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior (Illus. David Allen Sibley) http://www.librarything.com/author/sibleydavidallen.

The Bird Check List for the Refuge lists Mute Swans as "Exotic" and notes they may be seen Fall, Winter and Spring. Tundra Swans are listed as "Accidental", having been seen only once or twice, and Fall and Winter are seasons noted for that species.

Where did the swan come from, we wonder. Rick Cantu, Assistant Refuge Manager says they are usually found in parks and zoos? Or maybe it hissed one too many times on someone's private pond? Will it stay, or will it fly away in search of a mate? In the meantime, enjoy the photo-op! (Most days the swan has been visible from Wildlife Drive.)

For more information about Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, visit http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/hagerman/index.html and for information about programs and activities at the Refuge, see http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/.

Photo - Mute Swan, by Rick Cantu

Get the Picture? Photography at Hagerman NWR

Hagerman NWR is a magnet for photographers – there is always something different to see and to photograph, depending on the season, the time of day, and the weather.

In addition to the wildlife and the landscape, the Refuge and the Friends of Hagerman offer a number of special activities for photographers. There are periodic programs on photography as part of the Second Saturday Nature Program Series. The Photographer of the Month program features an album of twelve photos taken at the Refuge, on the Friends of Hagerman website. Shown above are some photos by the November, 2009, Photographer of the Month, Chris Jennings.

Photographers who are on Facebook are invited to become fans of the Friends of Hagerman Facebook page and post photos taken at the Refuge, as well as comments on their visit.

The Refuge and the Friends have also sponsored two Photo Safaris this year. Small groups, led by experienced photographers have gone out to “shoot” and then turned in the resulting pix for inclusion in a power point “virtual gallery”. The most recent Photo Safari was held October 24, and the show will be presented at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 12, in the Audio Visual Classroom at the Refuge, 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, Texas.

Finally, entries in the first Annual Hagerman NWR Photo Contest will be accepted from January 3 – March 1, 2010. Rules and entry forms are available at the Visitor Center at the Refuge, or on-line at www.friendsofHagerman.com (see the NEWS page for Photography at Hagerman NWR).