A Drive Through the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge

If you head south on M-13 from Saginaw, you will find the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge.  It is a decent place to get some pictures.

 The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1953 under the auspices of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act.   It is used by several species of birds as a stop on their way to other places.  It is closed to the general public from October 1st to May 31st of the next year.  I presume this is to allow the migratory birds to use it in peace.

 There are a fair amount of species that hang out there.  I saw this deer at the edge of one of the lakes.

 I was able to get this grasshopper with my big lens.

 There is also a pretty nice variety of terrain here.  I think this is part of the Shiawassee River.

 In 2010, they built a road that you can use to drive the perimeter of the refuge.  As the sign says, there are a few places where you shouldn't get out of your car.

 It is a pretty nice wetlands too.

 I saw several egrets around the refuge.  Most of them were out of range though.  This one was close enough to get decent shots.

 Just trying another angle.

 A goose family.

 An egret flying off.  This seemed to happen quite a bit for me.

 I just kind of liked this shot.

 There is no hunting or fishing allowed here.

 Another type of terrain.

 Another egret flying off.

 I kind of liked this shot.

 I didn't notice this guy when I stopped for the egret above.  However, I like this shot too.

And like me, he flew away.