A rainy day in the field is better than a sunny day in the office.

~Anonymous

Well, it didn’t rain, it was sunny, and I no longer have an office….but, it was a good day, in spite of the heat. I am working on a trails enhancement project with NCLOW on the Scuppernong region of NC that includes Pettigrew State Park and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Yesterday, I spent the day surveying some of the Pungo Unit of my favorite refuge, jotting down some of the dominant plant species and some of the more abundant insects and other animals that visitors are likely to encounter this time of year. It was a great day for butterflies, dragonflies, egrets and herons, and…

Mama bear with tree cubs (click photos to enlarge)

I didn’t see my first one until late in the afternoon, down a trail I was hiking at the Duck Pen observation area on the south shore of Pungo Lake. But, by the time the day was over, I observed 16 bears and one red wolf (unfortunately, no photo of the wolf, but it was my 15th sighting of one of these elusive critters over the years). Not a bad day in the field after all. Here are a few of the bears I saw along the way…

Standing in a soybean field

This poor guy had an injured hind foot but seemed fine otherwise

A huge male between corn fields on adjacent private lands

Standing up in that perfect late afternoon light to check me out