Paul's Lake@Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge on a cold winter day!

Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is the oldest National Wildlife Refuge in the state of Texas, having been established in 1935. It is located about twenty miles south of Muleshoe, the seat of Bailey County. It is some fifteen miles north of Morton on Texas State Highway 214.

The refuge includes several intermittent salt lakes, some of which have been modified to extend their wet periods. Paul's Lake, on the east side of Highway 214, is spring fed, and hosts wildlife during times when the other lakes are dry.

The 5,000-acre refuge is a stop for migratory waterfowl flying between Canada and Mexico. If sufficient water is present, during the winter it hosts tens of thousands of sandhill cranes. The largest number of cranes ever recorded was 250,000, during February, 1981.

This sketch was done on location with pen and ink and watercolor in my 5 x 8 watercolor moleskine sketchbook.

First sketch of the new year!

Spent a few hours today in the northwest part of the Texas panhandle.  This is the first of a couple of sketches that I did on location at the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge.  The area is home to migrating sandhill cranes.  They begin arriving in december and will remain until March....then they begin their migration to their summer breeding grounds 2500 miles away in northern Canada.  Amazing and beautiful bird...not bad eatin' either!