Knob Creek Naturalist

09/04/2026

Six days after finding my first Snowy Egret at McDougal Lake, I returned and found three hunting together. Later that morning, two more appeared elsewhere on the lake.

The trio moved along the shoreline like little velociraptors, and one made an incredible dash for a fish.

Watch the full film on YouTube at K**b Creek Naturalist.

https://youtu.be/z9Z9DSgpI-U

**bCreekNaturalist

09/03/2026

If you have any interest in bats, wildlife conservation, or nature photography, there’s a pretty special opportunity coming to Mammoth Cave National Park this Saturday.

Dr. Merlin Tuttle will be speaking at 11 a.m. as part of Mammoth Cave’s annual Bat Day.

Tuttle has spent decades studying and advocating for bats around the world, and his work has helped change the way people understand one of our most misunderstood groups of mammals. What especially interests me is the way he has combined field biology with photography—using compelling images of bats not just to document them, but to change public attitudes toward them.

His presentation, “The Secret Lives of Bats,” will cover bat behavior and adaptations, their importance to ecosystems and people, and the conservation work being done through Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation.

And the rest of the day is worth sticking around for.

There are presentations throughout the afternoon on bat acoustics, Kentucky’s imperiled bats, cave restoration, bat research and flight biomechanics. Then from 7–9 p.m., researchers near Mammoth Cave’s Historic Entrance will capture bats, collect data, assess their health and identify the species they encounter while visitors watch the research being conducted.

Saturday, September 5
Mammoth Cave National Park
Dr. Merlin Tuttle — 11 a.m.
Bat research demonstration — 7–9 p.m.

The entire Bat Day program is free, and no advance registration is required.

More information and the complete schedule:
https://www.nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/bat-night.htm

I’m planning to be there for Dr Tuttle’s presentation. This looks like one of the better opportunities we get in Kentucky to learn about bats directly from some of the people who have spent their careers studying them.

Bat Day

09/02/2026

Another study in natural chiaroscuro.

Last week I shared an immature Snowy Egret illuminated against nearly black water. These two photographs came from separate encounters, but both offered another version of the same thing I had been looking for: a bird briefly isolated by sunlight while most of its surroundings disappeared into shadow.

The Great Blue Heron stood almost motionless as the light traced its eye, bill, neck and folded wing. The Snowy Egret created a much more fleeting moment, lifting above the water with its wings illuminated and its reflection breaking apart below.

They are very different birds and very different photographs, but in both cases the light became as important as the subject.

Which one is your favorite?

08/28/2026

A foggy morning at McDougal Lake turned into a first for me.

I watched a smaller white bird moving through the swampy edge, and once the fog lifted, the black bill, snowy plumage, and active hunting style made the identification clear: a Snowy Egret.

Watch the full field note on YouTube at K**b Creek Naturalist.

https://youtu.be/l1N2m_rP140

08/27/2026

A "lifer" is a species someone has seen for the first time in their life.

This Snowy Egret was a lifer for me. What I did not know at the time was that it was also the first documented Snowy Egret at McDougal Lake.

What began with cormorants disappearing into the fog became one of my favorite wildlife encounters of the summer.

The full story premieres tomorrow on YouTube at K**b Creek Naturalist.

https://www.youtube.com/**bCreekNaturalist

**bCreekNaturalist

08/26/2026

Chiaroscuro is the use of strong contrast between light and shadow to give a scene depth and drama. I've had a particular picture in mind for months now. I just needed the right animal and the right light to make it happen.

As this immature Snowy Egret moved along the shaded shoreline, narrow openings in the vegetation briefly placed it in brilliant sunlight against nearly black water. Its white plumage and reflection emerged from the darkness while most of the surrounding habitat disappeared.

I’ll be sharing more from this Snowy Egret encounter later this week, including lots of video as found it at McDougal Lake.

Make sure to subscriber to my YouTube channel to see the video's in full:
https://www.youtube.com/**bCreekNaturalist

08/21/2026

Spring does not arrive all at once. It reveals itself through the details: fresh beaver sign, geese defending their space, turtles returning to the logs, loons crossing open water, and a young fox watching from the edge of a pasture.

Watch Signs of Spring in full on YouTube at K**b Creek Naturalist.

https://youtu.be/0krp38Bxw-8

**bCreekNaturalist

08/20/2026

A little preview of what’s coming Friday.

I’ve been working on a new video for K**b Creek Naturalist, and this little fox is part of the story.

The new video goes live Friday on YouTube. If you enjoy following along with the wildlife, birding and photography adventures, subscribe so you don’t miss it.

https://www.youtube.com/**bCreekNaturalist

**bCreekNaturalist

08/19/2026

A few birds from the last couple of weeks.

A Tree Swallow flying through some incredible morning light, a Black-bellied Whistling-Duck from a trip to Indiana, a ridiculously tiny Killdeer chick, and a Belted Kingfisher that actually sat still long enough for a photo.

Late summer has been pretty good.

**bCreekNaturalist

08/15/2026

At Sloughs Wildlife Management Area and John James Audubon State Park, a morning in Henderson County reveals wildlife at every turn.

A raccoon searches the shallows for food, coyotes move through the tall grass, and one feeds on a red-winged blackbird. High above the ground, two young bald eagles share their nest with their mother and prepare for the day they will finally leave it behind.

Filmed in Henderson County, Kentucky.

K**b Creek NaturalistField notes from wild places