I decided to pay a close visit to the Rookery in my kayak, and the scene it just crazy.  Flight after flight of birds arrive and depart as they look for food and building materials.

As I watched an Egret swooped down 15 feet from me and pulled a lily pad stalk from the water and flew back up to cram it into the side of a nearly complete nest.

The smell is the kind of thing that has to be experienced to believe.  It was like a million poorly cleaned bird cages combined with a hint of Indian food.

The smell would have to discourage all but the most determined predator from getting to close.  That being said, there were a few Alligators hanging around in the cypress knees just waiting for some bird to linger at the water line a bit too long.

The water was coated with what could only be used bird food.  To the fish it was dinner though.  Fish were nibbling and gulping down gobs of the stuff everywhere I looked.  The food chain was in overdrive in the Rookery.

It was really something to see so many birds and so many species all in one place.  There were Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons and White Ibises.  I’m no professional bird watcher but identifying so many different birds gave me a feeling of accomplishment.

Despite the assault on the senses the Rookery is a must see.  This is the kind of wildlife viewing opportunity that makes the Noxubee Refuge so special.

Just as I was lifting the kayak off the top of the Jeep I noticed a creature I’ve been waiting to see.  With a huge log-like body, long tail, and gapping mouth it was Alligator mississippiensis. The problem was this 8 foot predator was hovering 40 feet off the boat launch.

The other boaters with their high-sided aluminum and fiberglass watercraft weren’t paying the dinosaur much attention.  I was going to be a little bit closer to the action in my sit-on-top kayak.

As I slid my kayak into the lake it was obvious the Alligator’s head sat higher in the water than the top of my bow.  This put all sorts of lovely images of the gator’s mouth chomping on the bow of my kayak in my head.  Or maybe he would just swim along side and give me a playful bump; sending me into the drink with him.

All of this is just irrational fear though and perfectly normal, in fact healthy, when a human being comes in close contact with an animal that could make a meal of him.

There have been no incidence of an alligator attacking a person in the Noxubee Refuge.  No one attempts to feed them, so they maintain their fear of us.  In fact, the commotion of me putting my kayak in and banging my paddle against its roto-molded hull a few times sent the gator on a path straight out of the area.

Spotting an Alligator in the Noxubee Refuge is really a treat.  They are extremely rare this far from the coast.  There are many people who drive for hours just for the chance to see and photograph the gators.  This was my first glimpse, and it was extra special because it was such a close encounter.

Moments like this make me want to invest in better photo equipment.  Digital zoom just doesn’t do this guy justice.

The Watson Memorial Trail does double duty as both a scenic and educational trail.  There are 30 or so markers spread over the trail which identify a variety of local trees and plants.  I learned a few new types of oak tree along the way.

The trail is about 3/4 of a mile and the majority of that is continuous; so there is always something new to see.

At the halfway point of the trail you come to a fork with a large white sign directing you to make a left turn to stay on the Memorial Trail.  I of course took the fork to the right and added almost another mile to the trail.

The trail running off the Watson Memorial trail isn’t as well maintained, but it is well worth the diversion.  About half way down this side trail you come to what I’d call an outdoor classroom.  There are several benches made from logs and stumps and a tree trunk lectern at the head of the class.  This was an interesting find in the middle of the trail.

The side trail continues past the classroom to an even more interesting find.  The trail starts to narrow just before you burst out of the bush onto the gravel parking lot of what appeared to be a scientific facility.

I had stumbled upon the Larry Box Conservation Center.  It felt a bit like the television show Lost where they are constantly finding laboratories hidden in the jungle of a remote island.  The place hummed with the sound of modern convenience as huge air conditioning units spun up for their cycle.  I could see the standby lights of technology flickering wildly through the windows of the complex, but the lights weren’t on and no one was home.

I don’t know what they get up to inside the Larry Box Conservation Center, but it is obvious they aren’t expecting visitors.  The place made me nervous; so I backed slowly into the woods from whence I came and made a quick pace back to the more inviting arms of the Dr. Ray Watson Memorial Trail.

The trail continued on its circuit, I learned a few more oak trees, and exited the trail directly across from the Noxubee Refuge Headquarters.

The trip was quite interesting and I recommend you see the Memorial Trail in all its splendor.  I however, will never speak again of the mysterious Larry Box Conservation Center.

As always, there are more pictures from this trail in the photo gallery.

The Beaver Dam Trail follows the flow of Oktoc Creek as it winds through a beautiful hardwood forest.  Along with the ever present waterfowl I saw quite a few forest dwellers too.  I saw two white tail deer as they drank from the creek.  Their coats were in full red summer coloration.  My presence was detected quickly and they didn’t stay long.

A little further down I spotted a Turkey hen and her chick moving through the ground cover.  As I got closer the chick disappeared into the undergrowth and the hen flew up into an oak tree.  She made quite a commotion as she flew from tree to ground and back again.  Her behavior was obviously designed to lead me away from her chick.

My footfalls were always too loud and my camera too slow to get many wildlife shots though.  I really need to work on my stalking technique.  My dry leather hiking boots were squeaking like an old mattress too, I need to get some boot conditioner on them ASAP.

The trail is in good condition and the terrain relatively flat.  This would be a great place for a trail run.  There are several short side trails that lead to some nice picture opportunities along Oktoc creek as well.

I ended up wandering around on the Beaver Dam Trail for an hour and a half and enjoyed it thoroughly.

There are many more pictures of the Beaver Dam Trail in the photo gallery.

There are some great bird’s eye view aerial photos of the Noxubee Refuge on Microsoft Virtual Earth.

The bird’s eye view doesn’t cover the entire refuge, but the area that is covered can be zoomed in incredibly close.

This is a great tool for scouting areas to explore.  You can even pushpin a location and download it directly to your GPS.  Very handy stuff.

There is supposed to be a sign at the end of the trail commemorating a fallen national champion Shumard oak tree, I never found the sign.  The trail just kind of gives out at the bank of the Noxubee river.

While the length of the trail is a little disappointing the scenery made it well worth the while.

The trail is bordered on one side by the Noxubee River and on the other by an impressive stand of old growth hardwood trees.  I’m told some of the oaks along the trail are over a hundred years old.  In heavily forested Mississippi it is truly rare to see oaks survive that long.

Glancing back to the Noxubee river side always provided a new rewarding view.  Despite some fallen trees in the river, I still can’t wait to try my kayak in the Noxubee.

I’m going to revisit the Trail of the Big Trees soon, and I’m not leaving till I find that commemorative plaque.

There are more pictures from the Trail of the Big Trees in the photo gallery.

Thankfully, June in Mississippi also means the blackberries are ripening.

There are few things in life as reliable as the arrival of the blackberries in the deep south every June.  You may not get your big haul in the same week of June every year, but there are berries to be had all month long.

Picking wild blackberries is not ordinary foraging and it isn’t for the weak.  Besides the steadily increasing temperatures and humidity, you also have to contend with the gnashing thorns, whining clouds of mosquitos, and an endless army of ticks marching up the inside of your pant legs.

The only real defense you have against the elements is a thick pair of jeans and bug spray with a ridiculously high percentage of Deet.  I used a spray with a 40% concentration of Deet for my last foray and my skin is still red wherever the noxious liquid made contact.

Why do I do this?  For those sweet sweet berries of course.  Wild blackberries are a gift from nature.  They have the same subtle nuance of taste you would find in a fine winemaker’s grape, their bounty encourages the reckless abandon of overindulgence, and they’re fleeting.  Blackberries just don’t keep.  They barely last a day once you pick them, and once June is gone so are they…till next year anyway.

Wild blackberries tend to move around alot too.  A spot that was productive one season might be baron the next.  While their requirements for good irrigation and sunlight stay the same, the big clumps of berries seem to migrate or drift from one year to the next.

I’ve found a premium spot this season though.  The road that leads to the Trail of Big Trees in the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge is lined with hedge after hedge of huge plump blackberries.  I filled my first container in 20 minutes.  There are lots of red ones left too, so the berry picking should still be good into next week.  The shear number of fruit in one place could make this my biggest blackberry season ever.