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Daily Bucket - Noxabee Wildlife Refuge menagerie [1]

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Date: 2025-04-12

The title photo was taken two days before I made my trip to Noxabee. Sightings of this uncommon bird were posted for a week on the Mississippi Rare Bird Alert. The photo above was the best image available by other birders. I felt I could I do better and was determined to try. My results after the page break.

The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.

Noxabee has many great places to make observations. I zeroed on the point where the Tricolored Heron was found. Goose Overlook is a Birding Hotspot for both iNaturalist and eBird. Here is a satellite image.

Here are some specifics about the location. The dirt area in the satellite image (left side) is cultivated with native grasses and food plants. The sun rises from the right side and, even with the leaves sparsely covering the trees, one has optimum lighting for photos in the morning and observations all day. The platform is 15 feet above the water level so one’s visual range is extensive. The pond is an offshoot of the main lake and provides a perfect respite for migrating and native species.

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Morning calls blared at a fevered pitch when I exited the truck. Without an industrial hum of human activity present, the avian volume was loud and beckoning. Red-cockaded woodpeckers were drumming and squealing with news that nesting had begun. I hated to reject their pleas to observe them but I had other purposes.

Purple Martins chattered, Coots yelled, Wood Ducks screamed and Red-winged Blackbirds buzzed beyond the trees.

Coot behind a female Red-winged Blackbird

There was movement on a prominent nest box on the opposite side of the pond.

Mated pair of Wood Ducks occupy this nest.

Wood Duck hen calling her chicks to emerge

Wood Duck drake ready to protect his brood

Two pair of Black-bellied Whistling Duck wandered around with a frisky group of Blue-winged Teal. The bigger birds looking groggy and disinterested. I expect they were waiting for a departure time like some tourist do when encountering an unexpected delay.

You can see from the Whistling Dusk’s range map, they should be uncommon here. But, it has been documented that their range is expanding northward and breeding has expanded across a broader area of the southern US.

range map of the Whistling Duck

The short video I took last year shows a brood of Whistling Ducks in Eden, Mississippi.

Nearby, a male Teal grabbed a female by the head to subdue her.

Beginning of a intimate encounter

I pushed video button and captured this 19 second flurry.



The reaction of the second hen (“goosing” the amorous drake) was most curious. Drama during courtship is universal when hormones are raging.

A Nutria strolled across the grassy slope beyond the water, reminding me other creatures had different motivations for their day.

unwelcome invasive from South America

I scanned the area with my binoculars until I spotted the purple-ish neck of a foraging bird. I snapped off several photos. It wasn’t until I caught the questionable subject next to a Snowy Egret that I realized it was a Little Blue Heron.

Little Blue Heron in front of a Snowy Egret.

I continued to scan the site but the Tricolored Heron eluded me. A male Anhinga ignored my disappointment.

Opening like an Asian fan, the Anhinga unfolded letting the warm rays cover it’s body.

A Green Heron remained tucked within the branches of a Bald Cypress. The day offered plenty of opportunities later.

Green Heron in a compact perch

A Bald Eagle zipped in from the east (using the sun behind it for stealth) and scattered most of the creatures below. It made a loop back toward the main lake without taking a prize. There would be other chances for the sky pirate.



I took that disruptive cue and walked back to the truck. I found an unconcerned Three-toed Box turtle going about her business. The brownish eye color marks it as a female.

I caught my Bug of the Day soon after I saw the turtle. This Duskywing moth kept it’s wings closed for a long time.

Not many markers for an ID

I got lucky when it found a patch of sun to bask in and opened for this photo. Here is a Juvenal’s Duskywing Moth. The subtle white marks and arrangements of brown dots, along with the larger hindwing (than other Duskywing species), provided me with a positive name.

Juvenal’s Duskywing — Erynnis juvenalis

I’ll keep trying for those elusive species and I hope you find all the ones you pursue during your outings. I was able to count White Ibis, Common and Purple Gallunule among my first of year sightings. Every day out brings new subjects and I hope you’ll share your findings as well.

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