Skywatch Friday – Oxley Nature Center

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Last Sunday morning I went hiking at Tulsa’s Oxley Nature Center. I ventured first to their North Woods area where there is almost always no one but me.

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And I lucked out I took off and saw no one. Suits me. Can’t do any better social distancing than that!

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Didnt see any deer which was a disappointment but lots of birds and squirrels.

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And lots of sky. All the trees have been stripped of their leaves so I lots of blue sky.

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When I finished I drove to the main part of Oxley Nature Center and asked where the otters might be found. They told me where to go and said that it is best to get there around 5 am to 6 am. So I don’t know if I’ll ever see the otters or not.

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They said head to the big beaver lodge in the lake and they hang out from there to the waterway. So I did, you never know, maybe the otters would be feeling bored on a Sunday morning. I didn’t see any otters but I saw lots of ducks and geese.

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And some deer. I didn’t have a long lens so this very cropped shot is the best I could do with what I had. It was cool though. I was on a trail walking in parallel with their path so we stayed together for a couple hundred yards or so.

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And I found this cool bridge.

The otters will have to wait for later. I’ve never seen an otter in the wild and I would love to see these guys.

How about you? You ever have a wild otter sighting?

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday.

16 thoughts on “Skywatch Friday – Oxley Nature Center

  1. Peter B.

    That’s awfully early, but it might be worth it so see an otter in the wild. I’ve only seen see otters in the kelp beds, and they are fun to see. Beautiful photos!

  2. Ellen M Polyard

    Beautiful shots, as usual. I once saw a pair of otters in Trout Lake in Yellowstone. It was a very special treat!

  3. Emille (Jesh)

    Beautiful colors in your first capture. Also love the capture with the dusting of snow on the ground. Ow, I miss seeing the deer, so thank you for sharing them with us!

  4. Linda W

    The water is lovely! I don’t think I’ve seen an otter but I spotted a a rodent of unusual size! It may have been a nutria. Nutrias are considered invasive here.

  5. Alana

    No otters for me although we had a close encounter with a buffalo in the woods of South Dakota, once. We wondered what this mound right off the trail was was and then it got up and walked away; we were so fortunate! I envy you your blue sky, and you got some nice reflection pictures, too.

  6. Angie

    Alan – on the one hand, it is wonderful to find outdoor environments where you can be alone – but I also wish more people would explore the outdoors – it might be easier to convince people how important it is to preserve our planet!!! I have been blessed to see otters in the wild more than three times since moving to Montana. It is worth it (even at 5 am!)

  7. Penelope Notes

    The beauty of bare trees is that they are like keyholes giving glimpses of the horizon. Seeing deer in the wild is quite magical, too. My only sightings of otters have been in a zoo.

  8. Nancy Chan

    Nice to hike when you have the whole place to yourself. Great photos with blue sky even though the trees are bare without leaves, I only get to see otters in videos.

  9. sallie rainville

    I’m sure I miss a lot of good wildlife too by not being up at zero dark thirty. That is such a nice place to hike , well worth it even without the otters. We saw river otters at a distance once and lots of sea otters (in Alaska). They are really wonderful.

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