Audubon National Wildlife Refuge

We continued from Coleharbor through most of the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge on a rare day weatherwise.  Temperatures peaked in the low-50s under mostly sunny skies.  There was also an absence of wind, which is about as rare in North Dakota as a late November day in the 50s.

Given the benefit of good weather and the forecast of significant snow Sunday through Wednesday, we pushed our mileage for the day to just under 13 miles.  Of course, we had to backtrack along the way to reposition our vehicle, but doing so gave us two perspectives of the trail.

(Clear skies on the road to Coleharbor)

(Water as smooth as glass)

Audubon National Wildlife Refuge is a special place, positioned along the edge of Lake Audubon, approximately 2.5 miles north of Coleharbor.  There is an abundance of islands and wetlands within and along the lake that create an ideal habitat for migrating birds.  Though most had left for the winter, there remained a large contingent of Canada and Snow geese on the lake.  We also spotted a pair of bald eagles early in the day and three otters in a wetland near the trail.

(Interpretive signs and a spotting scope along the trail)

(Dike protecting wetland habitat from large waves)

(Otters perched on thin ice)

We tried to capture a soil with wetland attributes, but the Soil Web app repeatedly came up with variations of a Williams loam.  Today’s soil was a combination of Zahl and Williams, both formed from calcareous glacial till.

(Today’s soil)

Perhaps the most memorable part of the hike was watching and listening to hundreds of geese take flight from the middle of the lake.  Even though they were easily a mile from shore, the collective ‘whoosh’ of their wings created a low rumble not unlike a large jet engine.

(Geese taking flight)