Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association - WWRA

06/22/2026

The American Redstart, a lively high-energy migratory warbler is our Wildlife of the Week. This bird is a delight to discover flitting through the trees due to its striking coloration and hyperactive foraging behavior.

Adult males are boldly patterned with a coal-black head, back, and breast, contrasted by vivid orange-to-yellow patches on the sides of the breast, wings, and tail. The belly is white. Females and immature males have a soft gray-brown or olive tone, and the bright orange patches are substituted with a more subdued, warm yellow.

They are unique in how they constantly droop their wings and fan their tails while moving, showcasing their "flash patterns" to startle hiding insects out of the undergrowth.

American Redstarts are overwhelmingly insectivorous, acting much more like flycatchers than typical warblers. They catch a large percentage of their food mid-air via acrobatic aerial sallies, but they also glean insects from twigs and foliage. Their primary prey includes caterpillars, moths, flies, leafhoppers, beetles, aphids, and spiders.

In late summer and during fall migration, they supplement their diet with small fruits and berries (such as serviceberry and magnolia).

They prefer moist, open deciduous or mixed second-growth woodlands, forest edges, orchards, and shrubby river groves or willow/alder thickets. They winter in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America, utilizing mangrove swamps, shade coffee plantations, and tropical dry or wet forests.

The female chooses a vertical fork or crotch in a deciduous tree or large shrub (typically 4 to 20 feet up) for a nest and spends 3 to 7 days tightly weaving a neat cup out of plant fibers, grasses, strips of bark, and spider webs. They typically lay 2 to 5 creamy-white eggs heavily speckled with brown or gray. Incubation lasts about 10 to 13 days, handled solely by the female.

The American Redstart is documented as a confirmed breeding species on the refuge. They are common spring and fall migrants, sweeping through the refuge canopy in significant numbers as they travel along the Mississippi flyway. A smaller but steady population remains on the refuge as uncommon summer residents.

(American Redstart photos by Tom Ress)

06/18/2026

How many bats call Sauta Cave home during the summer?

For years, refuge staff relied on visual counts to estimate that 400,000 gray bats emerged from the cave each summer evening—a number that was difficult to verify.

Last week, bat biologists set out to find a more precise answer.

Biologists deployed thermal imaging equipment at the cave to test a new technology designed to automate bat emergence counts using machine learning counting software. The system pairs a thermal camera with a tablet to automatically track and count individual bats in the video frame.

The new technology successfully validated historical estimates and confirmed that Sauta Cave is the largest summer gray bat roost in Alabama, and potentially the entire United States. On the first night of testing, the software recorded an astonishing 444,286 bats leaving the cave—averaging 34,616 bats per minute or a staggering 577 bats per second!

The tracking technology was produced by ThruTracker Analytics, LLC and its founder Aaron J. Corcoran, Ph.D.

Sauta Cave NWR is managed by Wheeler NWR.

06/17/2026

The River Cooter is our Wildlife of the Week. The River Cooter is a large, freshwater turtle known for its aquatic lifestyle and fondness for basking on logs and rocks. They are recognizable by their dark, relatively flat carapace (upper shell) and distinct yellow striping along their neck and limbs.

River cooters are native to central and eastern United States. Their range stretches from Virginia down to Florida, and westward through the Gulf States into eastern Texas, extending north up the Mississippi River Valley into parts of Illinois and Indiana.

True to their name, these turtles primarily inhabit moving water systems. They thrive in large rivers, large streams, and spring runs that feature moderate currents. However, they can also be found in slower-moving waters provided there is abundant aquatic vegetation and ample logs, banks, or rocks for basking.

The dietary habits of river cooters shift drastically as they age:
Juveniles are primarily carnivorous or omnivorous, feeding on small fish, aquatic insects, tadpoles, and snails to satisfy the high protein demands of rapid growth. Adults are almost strictly herbivorous. Their diet consists of aquatic plants, algae, and submerged vegetation, which they tear off using the serrated, jaw-like margins of their h***y beaks.

Nesting typically occurs from late spring into early summer (May through June) when pregnant females leave the water to find nesting sites, usually within 100 feet of the shoreline, preferring loose, sandy soil or loam that receives direct sunlight. The female digs a flask-shaped cavity with her hind feet and deposits anywhere from 12 to 30 elliptical, leathery eggs. Some females may lay larger clutches or produce multiple clutches in a single season. The eggs hatch after 80 to 100 days with hatchlings emerging in late summer.

Watch out for turtles crossing roads, especially this time of year when females are on the move searching for good nesting sites.

This turtle was spotted on Jolly B Road near Blackwell Swamp. (Photo by Tom Ress)

06/09/2026

06/08/2026

The Black Swallowtail Butterfly is our Wildlife of the Week. The Black Swallowtail is one of the most recognizable and widespread butterflies in North America, frequently found in fields, meadows, gardens, and open spaces from southern Canada down through most of the eastern and central United States.

The adult butterfly has a wingspan of roughly 3 to 4 inches. Its velvety black wings feature two rows of bright yellow spots along the edges, though these spots are noticeably larger and more vibrant on males than on females.

To spot a Black Swallowtail in the field, look for these distinctive features:

The "swallow tail": Elongated, tail-like extensions on the hindwings that mimic the look of a swallow's tail feathers.
Iridescent Blue: A prominent band of powdery blue scaling sits between the rows of yellow spots on the hindwings, which is much more pronounced on the females.

The orange eyespot: A distinct orange spot containing a black centered pupil is located on the inner edge of the hindwing near the tail, serving to confuse predators.

Females lay small, round yellow eggs singly on the leaves of host plants, including Queen Anne's lace and water hemlock, as well as garden favorites like parsley, dill, fennel, and celery. As the larvae grow, they transform from small, bird-dropping mimics into striking green caterpillars striped with black bands and dotted with bright yellow spots.

They produce two to three broods a year. The final generation of the season spends the winter safe inside a chrysalis—which can be green or wood-brown to match its surroundings—before emerging as a butterfly the following spring.

Fun Fact: When threatened, the caterpillar deploys a bright orange, glandular organ from behind its head called an osmeterium. This organ emits a strong, foul-smelling odor to deter predators like birds and ants.

(Photo by Tom Ress)

06/03/2026

Welcome to our 2026 Youth Conservation Corps team at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. Despite being together for only two days, this outstanding group has accomplished a great deal, including beaver dam removal, pressure washing the Visitor Center, and mowing. Their dedication and strong work ethic are evident, and we look forward to a successful summer.

06/01/2026

There are still a few ducks around the Observation Building.