Rhode Island's Serengeti

It is more than a stretch to compare any wild area in Rhode Island to the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania.
However, in such a small state such as Rhode Island, all of the best wildlife hotspots are within an hour drive of each other. Of these hotspots, arguably the best place to see wildlife in Sachuest National Wildlife Refuge.

I have wrote about Sachuest on numerous occasions. By no means is Sachuest the best place to go birding. However, it is a very good place to bird at all season's of the year. It does have the largest wintering harlequin duck populations in the state. What makes Sachuest special is the large deer population, the variety of birds, and the chance to see owls.

Today, Laurie and I went to Sachuest after work. There was a snowy owl spotted there on Saturday, and I really wanted to see it. As soon as we got out of the car we spotted three deer near the parking lot. We walked towards the ocean and the Island Rocks. Of course, we saw the usual assortment of ducks including horned grebes, and greater scaup. When we got to the ocean I noticed a white dot on the largest rock. Laurie had the binoculars and she confirmed the white dot was not seagull shit, but the Snowy Owl.

We watched the owl for fifteen minutes. It was so far out that pictures were not going to be great. None the less, we enjoyed the views through binoculars and the spotting scope.

After we left the owl, we headed south toward the fields. I heard a rustling in the brush assumed it was a mouse. When I spotted where it came from I saw that it was a mink. The mink ended up

The only photo I got of the mink

walking parallel to the trail for about 40 feet only about ten feet from us. He would scurry a few feet then stop and look at us. Then go a few feet and smell something. All in all, we watched him for about 2 minutes. Again, we got good views, but since he was in the brush and constantly moving, I was not going to get an award winning photo.

A little past the mink we came across a dozen deer on a ridge. They were out in the open and we watched them for a little  while. It had been a great day. But the deer kept coming. Closer to the car another herd of ten deer were feeding in the last field near the visitor center. They were much closer to us and I got some decent photos.

As we approached our car, Laurie noticed a bird flying in the field. She put the binoculars on it. It was the other target species we were hoping to see, Short Eared Owl. It was flying fast and we could barely get a look, but that was what we were watching. I was pumped. After we saw the owl, it was time to go home

On our way home, while driving down the road, two turkeys were perched in a tree.