Kentucky Wildlife

Picture of the Day: Deer at Woodlands Nature Station (Land Between the Lakes)

March 6, 2017 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Woodlands Nature Station opened early this month, so you know where I was early this month…. where any other animal and bird-obsessed person would be – right there with the animals!

I have a lot of pictures my husband and I took to add to Genuine Kentucky tomorrow, but I wanted to go ahead and post this one today. I don’t know why, but there’s just something about this picture that I love. The contentment on the faces of these beautiful animals tells me that they were as joyful about feeling the sunshine on their faces as I was on mine.

The Nature Station, in the amazing Land Between the Lakes is one of my favorite places in the world – if you’ve never been, GO! If it’s been a while since you’ve visited them, GO AGAIN!

I’ll add the rest of the pictures tomorrow. If you follow (or even just visit) our Twitter account, @GenuineKentucky, you can see the other pictures and videos we took on this trip – as well as countless pictures from around our beautiful state.

Plus a little Kentucky basketball… okay, a lot of Kentucky basketball…. – Joi (“Joy”)

Beautiful Groundhog at Woodlands Nature Station (Picture of the Day)

June 8, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Groundhog at Woodlands Nature Station in Kentucky's LBL

The cutie above is one of our favorite residents of Woodlands Nature Station in Kentucky’s LBL. He is so cute it ought to be a sin… or a crime at the very least.

Like all of the animals, reptiles, and birds at the Nature Station, the Groundhog has a carefree life of ease.

If you don’t believe me, just look at the picture above!

The picture below isn’t too clear (it’s hard for an animal lover like me to both adore the animals and photograph them at the same time) but I had to show you his adorable eye….. He was in the process of wanting to sleep, but not wanting to miss all the crazy humans buzzing around. I’m also pretty wild about his little feet and hands.

Sigh. Too cute.

Beautiful (and Smug) Turtles at Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes

May 31, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Alligator Snapping Turtle Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes

Handsome Alligator Snapping Turtle at the Nature StationIt was a WILD Memorial Day Weekend at the Nature Station in the LBL. Naturally, we went and naturally it was a blast.

While I have a pretty healthy knowledge of birds and most animals, I am positively sitting on empty when it comes to knowledge of any kind when it comes to reptiles. While some creepy crawlies make my hair stand on end, I do like turtles. They’re cute and I appreciate the way they kind of keep to themselves. They don’t go looking for trouble and I like that attitude.

When I hear they’d be having a “hands on” demonstration with turtles Sunday, I set myself up with a front row position. I figured it’d be a great time to go from “empty” on knowledge to at least 1/4 a tank. Not only were the Nature Station workers a wealth of information, they inspired me to come home and research turtles to learn even more.
That’s one of the most beautiful things about places like the Nature Station, Elk & Bison Prairie, and The Homeplace – each place is an education, disguised as entertainment for all ages.

Add this to the top 3 places I never want my fingers to be!

Alligator Snapping Turtle

The alligator snapping turtle (pictured at the top and above) is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in the world and, let’s be honest, he’s quite a looker. This turtle is often linked to the common snapping turtle, but they really aren’t that closely related. You do not… not, not, not.. want to handle an alligator snapping turtle. Leave it to the professionals or you will be sorry. They’re bite is outrageous and you never want to find that out “first hand.”

The alligator snapping turtle is found primarily in the southeastern United States, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Indiana, and Missouri.

The Nature Station also has common snapping turtles which aren’t quite as large as the guy pictured above. Still not an animal you want to touch, mind you.

Turtles at Woodlands Nature Station

The beauties (pictured above and below) are probably my favorite turtles at Woodlands Nature Station. I love these pictures – the fact that they’re looking at the camera, the fact that you can see their reflection in the pond… but most of all I love their smugness. They’re looking at me like, “WHAT?!?!”

That adorable smugness is going to earn them a spot in the slider rotation of pictures on the front of Genuine Kentucky, I guarantee it.

Turtles at Woodlands Nature Station (Land Between the Lakes)

Beautiful Smug Turtles Enjoying the Sun!

If we’re being honest, why wouldn’t the turtles be smug? The animals at Woodlands Nature Station don’t just have it good, they have it dang good. The staff treats them as well as most of us treat our pets and the respect they show to them (and demand from others on their behalf) blows me away each time. On this particular trip, the man and young lady who were handling the turtles handled them as you’d expect someone to handle a newborn.

In fact, whenever they’d return the turtles to the water, they did so with such care that hardly a ripple was made in the water. As an animal lover, I respect the heck out of that.

Whether you have children, grandchildren, or simply love animals, yourself, be sure to check out the following information about seasonally recurring events at Woodlands Nature Station:

Afternoon Animal Encounters
Totally Turtles! (Mondays)
Dinnertime for the Bald Eagle (Tuesdays)
For Goodness Snakes (Wednesdays – this is one place you will never see me… can you say fatally phobic female six times fast?)
Mystery Animal Encounters (Thursdays)
Feed the Animals Fridays

Beautiful Turtle at Woodlands Nature Station

SMUG!!!

It’ll Be a WILD Memorial Day Weekend at Woodlands Nature Station!

May 23, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Gorgeous Bobcat at the Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes

Bobcat at the Nature Station… LOVE Her!Woodlands Nature Station is ready to celebrate one of my favorite things in the world – wildlife! – on Memorial Day Weekend. They’ll host their Wildlife Celebration, Saturday through Monday, May 28-30, 2016.

Visitors will meet Smokey Bear, gobble with turkeys, and have up-close encounters with native wildlife in the Nature Station’s backyard at Land Between The Lakes. Special event programs are included with standard admission unless otherwise noted.

Located in the woods between Honker Lake and Hematite Lake, the Nature Station serves as a gateway to the 8,500-acre Nature Watch Area.

The uncommonly friendly staff do an outstanding job of sharing their wealth of knowledge of and passion for birds, reptiles, and wildlife.

Nature Station admission is $5 age 13 and up, $3 age 5-12, and free for ages 4 and under. Call 270-924-2020 to pre-register for guided canoe trips Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm.

Daily canoe and kayak rentals start Saturday, May 28, 10am-4pm, weather permitting. For more details, call 270-924-2299.

Beautiful Red Wolf

Saturday, May 28, 2016

10am-4pm–I Spy Up High Scavenger Hunt
Throughout the day–visits with Smokey Bear
11:30am–Talkin’ Turkeys!
1-4pm–Critter Craft for Kids
1:30pm–Let’s Get Snappy: Turtle Feeding
2:30pm–It’s an Owl, it’s a Hawk, it’s a….Kestrel?
3:30pm–Dinnertime for Red Wolves
4:30pm–Parade of Raptors
6-8:30pm–Sunset Canoe Trip (Reservations required; call 270-924-2020)

Sunday, May 29, 2016

10am-4pm–I Spy Up High Scavenger Hunt
11:30am–Little Orphan Annie-mals
1-4pm–Critter Craft for Kids
1:30pm–Storytime with Smokey Bear
2:30pm–Bald is Beautiful: The Bald Eagle
3:30pm–Mystery Animal Encounter
4:30pm–Parade of Raptors
6-8:30pm–Family Sunset Canoe Trip (Reservations required; call 270-924-2020)

Monday, May 30, 2016

10am-4pm–I Spy Up High Scavenger Hunt
11:30am–Fears & Phobias: Misunderstood Animals
2pm–Baby Birds Bonanza!
3:30pm–Howlin’ Good Time with Coyotes
4:30pm–Parade of Raptors

Canoeing on Honker Bay Last Year:

Canoeing on Honker Lake at the Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes

Honker Lake in the Land Between the Lakes

Reflection of trees in Honker Lake in the Land Between the Lakes

Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes: An Animal Lover’s Paradise

March 24, 2016 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Beautiful Red Wolf (Those Eyes!)As I said in my last post, Turkeys Strutting Their Stuff at Woodlands Nature Station, no two visits to the Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes are the same. You’ll see different animals and birds doing different things each time.

While our recent visit found feisty turkeys taking center stage, a host of other beautiful animals also made our day extra, extra special.

The best way to enjoy these animals is, of course, in person, but pictures are the next best thing. I hope these pictures – as well as the other pictures of Woodlands Nature Station on Genuine Kentucky – will inspire you to visit them soon and visit them often.

There are a lot more birds and animals (a bobcat that’s one of my favorite things in the world, owls, an adorable possum, etc…) than the ones shown below, these are simply the ones who were wide awake during the time we were there. There are also snakes indoors but, we have a treaty – I avoid them, they avoid me. If you aren’t saddled with a phobia the size of Texas, you’d probably enjoy them.

Red Wolf

I love animals the way other people love oxygen. They are everything. One of my favorite things is to see how wild animals and our pets sometimes behave similarly. I love to see “big” cats exhibiting some of the same mannerisms my own cats do. I think it’s just too cute for words.

On our recent visit, a coyote and a red wolf both did a few things that reminded me of domesticated dogs. The coyote stood up at his (her?) fence, anticipating lunch. The wolf walked around her (his?) beautiful domain, then laid on the ground for a nap JUST like a German Shepherd we had used to do – right on her belly with her legs kicked out behind her.

Too cute!

Ground Hog

The ground hog apparently keeps a different schedule than we do because most of the time he’s napping while we’re at the Nature Station. This particular afternoon, however, he was wide awake. I’d almost forgotten how adorable he is!

I would have taken more pictures of this little cutie, but I was promptly distracted by turkeys who all but demanded our attention.

Eagle

The word Majestic doesn’t seem to cut it, does it? Like the other animals and birds at The Nature Station, this gorgeous eagle could not survive on his own. This is a wonderful chance to see one of the most beautiful animals in the world up close.

Deer and Turkeys

The deer and turkeys have an amazingly beautiful home at the Nature Station. The entire setting is so uncommonly peaceful and relaxing, I could just sit and watch them all day.

Turkeys at the Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes (LBL)

Turkeys and Deer at the Nature Station in the LBL

Turkeys at the Nature Station in the LBL

Coyote

Like the Red Wolf, the coyote reminds me so much of a pet… not that I’d EVER make the mistake of treating her/him as such. I’m an animal lover, but I’m not a dumb one. The way it watched for lunch was too cute for words.

Turtles

There are turtles outside at the Nature Station in a wonderful enclosure – complete with their own pond. There are some smaller guys inside – near the you-know-whats that I don’t even glance at. Turtle lovers, like my youngest daughter, will get a huge kick out of these beauties.