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Muddy Creek revisited – 02-04-12

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Have you heard of the Muddy Creek Wetlands Management Area?  If not, check out my previous post here for an introduction.  My family and I enjoy going out and enjoying nature at Muddy Creek while getting some exercise.  If you are in the Mobile, AL area, I highly suggest you check it out.

Conditions at Muddy Creek

Muddy Creek exitThis visit, we were fortunate that it was both warm (70’s F… welcome to winter in the south…) and it had rained in the past week or so.  There was actually water in Muddy Creek.  My wife told me the first time they went, they saw a water snake.  I can only assume it was a water moccasin which I really, REALLY, don’t like (they creep me out).  These snakes have, in the past, caused me to run screaming like a little girl.  Well, I guess I didn’t really scream… I needed all the oxygen to escape.  Anyway, I am much better now.

I would have liked to have a picture of a killer snake but no water moccasins this time.  We did see a small green snake that practically posed for pictures.  I try to take as many pictures as I can to both have a visual record of our trip and practice my photography skills.  Often there are interesting examples of wildlife to enjoy but alas, no armadillos were seen at this time, Type I or otherwise.  There were also some really cool fungi growing on trees.  Made for some nice pictures. [Read more…]

Welcome to the Muddy Creek Wetlands Management Area

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Muddy Creek Interpretive Nature Trail signDo you enjoy hiking?  Are you close to Mobile, AL (specifically, are you close to here)?  Why not give the Muddy Creek Wetlands Management Area a try.

My family and I have visited Muddy Creek several times within the past few months.  For the first 18 or so years of my life, I lived within 6 miles of this place but did not find out about it until this year.  Better late than never…

What is the Muddy Creek Wetlands Management Area?  According to the State Port Authority and the sign at the entrance:

This 200 acre tract is owned and managed by the Alabama State Port Authority as a natural area available to the public for hiking, wildlife observation, environmental education, and scientific research.

The mitigation area was established to mitigate, or make up for, unavoidable wetland impacts occurring on State Port Authority project sites

The forests and fields found here are being restored to a close approximation of their natural conditions through the removal of invasive exotic plants and the replanting of native species. A diligent monitoring program insures that exotic species do not re-invade while the new plant communities are becoming established.

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Hiking and armadillo classification

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I enjoy the outdoors.  My family and I were fortunate enough to go hiking in the Muddy Creek Wetlands Management Area.  I have lived in Mobile, AL almost my entire life (most of it within 6 miles of Muddy Creek) but had never heard of it until my wife and kids went on a field trip there.  It is a great place to get some exercise and be out in nature.

In nature, there are animals.  Some animals are cute and cuddly and some would rather eat, bite, or otherwise harm you than look at you.  Some animals are all around us but we never see them.  Along the trails at the Muddy Creek Wetlands Management Area there are a variety of animal tracks to identify and learn about.  If you are lucky, you might even see a live critter that is stranger than the common birds or squirrels.  You might see….. an armadillo.

I like armadillos.  Not sure why.  I have been interested in them enough to be fascinated with any product made in their image.  I have a pewter armadillo, one made of glass, a Beanie Baby armadillo, etc.  I am not obsessed with them, but I am fascinated.  That leads me to the common practice of their identification.  I am no scientist, but I have come up with my own armadillo classification system.

My system for classifying armadillos is fairly simple.  There are no in-depth examinations needed, no books to reference.  There are only a few questions needed:

  1. Is the armadillo walking around?
  2. Is the armadillo in one piece?

There are three types of armadillos: Type I, Type II, and (you guessed it) Type III.  The definitions of the types are as follows:

  • Type I – Armadillo is up walking around. This type is the most rare and sought after by the amateur armadillo watchers
  • Type II – Armadillo is stationary, in one piece, and often found on the side of the road. This type is more common than the Type I and has been seen posed with a bottle
  • Type III – Armadillo is flat, often in more than one piece, and sometimes mistaken for raccoons, opossums, and other flat critters

So, how do you tell what type of armadillo you have spotted?  Ask yourself the questions.  Is the armadillo walking around? if Yes – Type I, if No, go to question two: Is the armadillo in one piece? if Yes – Type II, if No, Type III.  Simple, to the point, efficient.  When I tell my wife I just saw a Type I armadillo, she understands.  She may not believe me (remember, they are rare) but she understands.  Still not sure, check out this video that explains it all.

We all have our funny little quirks.  They are what makes life memorable.  So the next time you see an armadillo:

Is it walking around?

Is it in one piece?

What type of armadillo did you just see?

Happy hiking…

UPDATE: See the exciting video explanation for armadillo classification