Vermilion Forks Field Naturalists’ latest field trip took place at Swan Lake Sanctuary, the little jewel situated just north of Princeton that consists of a kettle lake, riparian zone and rolling grasslands. Twelve members and guests spent two hours on the trails circling the lake, searching this culturally significant site and observing the wildlife. We were rewarded with sightings of twenty species of birds, including a Common Nighthawk, Mountain Bluebird, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Kingbird, many young American Coots, a family of Ruddy Ducks with six babies, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. We spotted a few Mule Deer, some of which appeared to be standing guard over fawns, so we gave them wide berth. The morning was cloudy and mild, thus butterflies were not plentiful, but we did manage to capture the image of a Blue Copper.
This was yet another rewarding outing hosted by VFFN, where we were able to enjoy the beauties of nature as well as the company of like-minded people. Come join us on future field trips for a similar experience!