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I arrived at 8:15. As I started to cross the spillway to the WMA, I heard shot guns. I figured that the deer hunters were probably on the far side where I had seen many deer before. Shortly I met two and then three more duck hunters. After the first two, I decided that today might not be the best day for Bell Slough and turned back. I left the area at 9:30.

Species seen or heard:
• American Coot
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• European Starling
• Northern Flicker
• American Crow
• Belted Kingfisher
• Northern Mockingbird
• Carolina Wren
• Ring-necked Duck
• Common Goldeneye
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Ring-billed Gull
• Carolina Chickadee
• White-throated Sparrow
• Blue Jay
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Tufted Titmouse
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Song Sparrow
• American Goldfinch
• Brown Creeper
• Northern Cardinal
• Fox Sparrow
• Bufflehead
• Bonaparte’s Gull
• Eastern Towhee

I decided to walk the entire loop this morning while the turkey was cooking. I arrived at 8:15 and walked clockwise around taking about 2:10 to complete the 1.8 mile loop. I saw my first of season Cedar Waxwings, Purple Finch, and Brown Creeper. In all, I identified 27 species. The trail offers a nice alternative to the more populated paved trails at the landing.
Species seen or heard:
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Blue Jay
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Great Blue Heron
• Carolina Chickadee
• American Crow
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Song Sparrow
• Tufted Titmouse
• Eastern Towhee
• Downy Woodpecker
• Carolina Wren
• Northern Cardinal
• White-throated Sparrow
• Fox Sparrow
• Mourning Dove
• Purple Finch
• Northern Flicker
• Cedar Waxwings
• American Robin
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Northern Mockingbird
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Brown Creeper
• Ring-billed Gull
• Bonaparte’s Gull

Samantha and I went to CL this morning and walked from the start of Isabella Jo Trail along the backwater to the River Trail down that and back to the start on Isabella Jo. We discovered a new trail – Pfeiffer Loop Trail that connects to the River Trail near the start of the Big Dam Bridge and then again a little further down and Isabella Jo Trail near the Campbell Lake Bridge Trail. It is unpaved and looked muddy and we weren’t prepared for that so we stuck to plan A.

Species seen or heard:
• Ring-billed Gull
• Pied-billed Grebe
• Mourning Dove
• Belted Kingfisher
• Double-crested Cormorant
• Carolina Wren
• Mallard
• Northern Flicker
• Great Blue Heron
• Eastern Towhee
• Song Sparrow
• Blue Jay
• Red-shouldered Hawk
• Lincoln’s Sparrow
• American Crow
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Carolina Chickadee
• Fish Crow
• Franklin’s Gull
• White-throated Sparrow
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Eastern Bluebird
• American Robin
• Northern Cardinal

• Beaver
• Fox Squirrel