Walk on the Wild Side

A view of new growth on tidal mudflats created at the NFWF marsh restoration site.

Marshhay (Spartina patens) and 3-square (Scirpus olneyi) are codominant species that make up most of the intermediate marshes of the Rainey Sanctuary landscape.

An American alligator peeks up over the surface of the McIlhenny Canal.

A great egret.

Smaller canals are less used and therefore narrower, and more likely to have encroaching vegetation. Invasive plant species are occasional, but disapear when seasonal salinity increases.

A great egret.

A great egret soars over the waterway, which is lined with Phragmites (the tall stuff), hog cane, Spartina alterniflora, and deer pea vine.

First pod of White Pelicans arriving at Rainey during Fall migration

A belted kingfisher.

A great blue heron atop a Chinese tallow tree.

Groundselbush in bloom, nestled in among roseaucane.

A red-tailed hawk.

Tallow trees in the Rainey landscape are not viewed as an evil invader. Instead, they often provide a habitat for bird nesting and shelter where other woody plants can’t grow.

A neotropic cormorant in a live oak tree.