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Hummingbird Month at the Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes

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Hummingbirds at The Nature Station (Land Between the Lakes)

If you’ve ever been to Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes, you know why I say that… as a bird and animal lover… it’s one of my favorite places in the world. The bird-watching (and photographing, of course) can’t be beat. As my husband could attest, I could and do spend hours watching the beautiful birds while looking for just the right picture.

Hummingbirds are just one of the beautiful birds that have the good sense to flock to the Nature Station. They know a great buffet when they see it! August is Hummingbird Month at Woodlands and if you’re anything like me, you won’t want to miss a single thing… or feather. Notice that reservations are required for nearly half of the programs.

Special Hummingbird Programs:

  • Throughout August: Nature Station Hummingbird Photo Contest
  • Friday, August 4, 6-8pm: Dinner with the Hummingbirds (reservations required)
  • Saturday & Sunday, August 5 & 6: Hummingbird Festival
  • Tuesdays & Thursdays at 10am: Morning with the Hummingbirds
  • Wednesdays, August 2, 9, & 30 at 11:30am: Hummingbirds of the World
  • Saturday, August 12 at 9:30am: Hummingbird Photography Workshop (reservations required)
  • Saturday, August 26 at 9am: EXCLUSIVE: Early Morning Photo Session (reservations required)
  • Saturday, August 19 at 9am: Hummingbird Café (reservations required)
  • Sunday, August 13: Knee-high Naturalists – Hummingbirds

 

Kentucky Pictures of the Day: Indian Pink Flowers at the Nature Station in the LBL

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Indian Pink at Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes
Few things in nature fill me with as much joy as a blooming flower. I once read something that said flowers were God smiling. Love that – all the way to the moon and back.

These beautiful flowers were in full bloom at Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes last summer. The animals and birds aren’t the only beautiful things at this one of a kind place! The flowers, trees, and other ornamental plants are always a joy to see and photograph.

With Genuine Kentucky, I have the great fortune of speaking with a lot of photographers (usually amateur, like myself) around the state. Inevitably, I find a way to let them know that they simply MUST get to the Land Between the Lakes and see (and photograph) all there is to see (and photograph). Woodlands Nature Station is just one of the beautiful spots I urge them to visit.

I also strongly recommend (okay, maybe I nag) the LBL to parents, animal lovers, tree huggers, flower lovers, etc.

There is something for everyone and then some.

Am I nagging again? I’m nagging again.

{More Below…}

Indian Pink at Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes
Enjoy the pictures – and get your beautiful self to the LBL as often as possible this year. Odds are I’ll see you there. I’ll be the one (more likely than not) wearing something related to the St. Louis Cardinals and taking pictures fast and furious of every bird, animal, tree, flower, and occasional smug turtle.

Indian Pink at Woodlands Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes

Outdoor Kids Festival at Woodlands Nature Station (Land Between the Lakes)

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Deer at the Nature Station
I am positively obsessed with the Nature Station (and all of the Land Between the Lakes, actually). I watch my calendar like a hawk each spring, waiting for opening day. I love every visit – during the spring, summer, and autumn – but, if we’re being absolutely honest, my favorite time to visit the Nature Station is right about now – during the end of summer and first of fall.

There are a few reasons…

  • cooler temperatures mean you can spend more time looking around and enjoying the beautiful outdoors
  • smaller crowds
  • this is one of my favorite times of year, so combine it with one of my favorite areas… win/win!

The Outdoor Kids Festival at Woodlands Nature Station will be from  Saturday and Sunday (10 am – 5 pm), October 8th and 9th.

What better way to spend Columbus Day Weekend than with your family, learning about the great outdoors and the beautiful animals and birds that call it home. Nature Station admission is $5 ages 13 and up, $3 ages 5-12, and free for ages 4 and under.

“Families will have a weekend full of fun outdoor activities. These activities may spark a new interest or hobby and help kids and adults enjoy a fun and educational fall break,” says John Pollpeter, Nature Station Lead Naturalist. “Visitors will learn about animal track and tree identification, compass skills, canoeing, cooking on a campfire, and much more.”

Regular visitors may benefit from Fun Cards, which offer 10 regular admissions for $35, or Discount Packages. Details can be found atwww.landbetweenthelakes.us/visit/passes/.

Fourth grade students can go towww.everykidinapark.gov/, get their Every Kid in a Park pass, and get in for free. For more information, call 270-924-2299 or https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/4thGradePass_QA_2016_3_19.pdf.

{Schedule Below…}

Beautiful Skunk at the Nature Station
Saturday, October 8    

  • Throughout the day      Meet Smokey Bear (scheduled appearances)
  • Throughout the day      CSI:  Campsite Scene Investigator
  • 11am-12pm                 Getting Sneaky with Mother Nature
  • 11am-4pm                   Here Fishy, Fishy:  Basic Fishing Skills
  • 1-1:30pm                     Venom!
  • 1:30-3:30                     Make Your Own Animal Tracks Guide
  • 2-2:45pm                     Kid vs. Wild:  Outdoor Survival Skills for Kids
  • 3:30-4:15pm                Critters in the Campground
  • 4:30pm                        Parade of Raptors
  • 4:30-6:30pm                Can U Canoe? Sunset Canoe Trip

($25 per canoe; reservation required; call 270-924-2020)

Sunday, October 9

  • Throughout the day      CSI:  Campsite Scene Investigator
  • 11am-3:30pm               Cooking Over a Campfire Demonstration
  • 11:30am-12pm             For Goodness Snakes
  • 1-3pm                         Make Your Own Tree ID Guide
  • 2-3:30pm                     Help! I’m Lost and I Can’t Get Home:  Basic Compass Skills
  • 3:30-4pm                     Rut and Strut
  • 4:30pm                        Parade of Raptors

To find more information about Land Between the Lakes, log on to the official website at www.landbetweenthelakes.us or call 1-800-LBL-7077 or 270-924-2000.

Gorgeous owl at the Nature Station

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

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Alligator Snapping Turtle Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes
Handsome Alligator Snapping Turtle at the Nature Station
It 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.

Alligator Snapping Turtle Nature Station in the Land Between the Lakes
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 (Land Between the Lakes)

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:

Beautiful Turtle at Woodlands Nature Station

SMUG!!!

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

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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 at the Nature Station

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:

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