Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge — Attraction in Cheney

I thought this place was amazing.The 5 mile auto loop was fun. I drove around 3 times before sunset. 1st drive saw a chipmunk 🐿 2nd time round saw a mom and a young moose. 3rd time saw a hawk. Beautiful scenerary. Came back next day did the main hiking trails. Saw a large coyote that stopped and stared me down before running off. Tried the bluebird trail starting on the rough path. It’s not bad at all. Super cool trail! We left the trail and looped back through the forest navigating with all trails app. A bin cat ran out in front of us. Not long after I spotted a bull moose standing behind a tree 30 yards out. My dog loved it! It was a fantastic adventure. Tips for spotting animals at turnbull. Be patient, be quiet and be vigilant. I noticed on the auto loop I was passed 4-5 times by the same people. Go slow and be observant. I found moose no one ever saw because they drove right by it. When your looking for moose from your car. Look for dark black spots in the woods. They will be darker then any other thing around them. Next look too see if the dark spot appears to be on the ground or elevated above the ground. If the dark spot on the ground has two dark antenna features poking out of it. You probably found a moose. The ears always give them away. If there standing you will see a large dark spot with with long skinny lines underneath. These are the signs that say pull over focus the binoculars and get a better look. Many times I have also found them because they were shaking bushes while eating. They are stealthy when they are still and can be hard to notice. The opposite can be said when they are moving. Very.loud and clumsy...

Turnbull is an amazing wildlife refuge that provides habitat for various bird and mammal species.

Reminder: upon seeing a moose on the side of the road that is especially close to the car, don't get out. It's harassment.

My family and I were watching a young moose munch on some red osier dogwood stems when the next thing I know a person is standing next to my car and asking what I'm looking at. Then others got out of the car, didn't stand behind my car to use it as a blind but got in front of my car and blocked the passengers view in the back so they could capture their images.

A truck came alongside and four people came out with their cell phones to snap their images.

The moose turned away and I saw the first lady, who had been by my car, now across the water body to get a better angle.

I take photos. I love it. But the wildlife comes first. If we alter their behavior or put them in danger to get a shot, we photographers are...

Turnbull is a great place for an easy nature walk: in different seasons we've seen all sorts of birds and animals (this week we saw lots of chipmunks and so many different duck species, plus a hawk, a pelican, and many other birds flying back and forth to nesting places in the reeds and trees; in the past we've seen otters and eagles and deer, and much more). I think the paved loop path we usually walk on would work successfully for folks with mobility issues (it feels well maintained to me, and the few slopes are gentle enough to navigate with a wheelchair, etc.). While some people there are definitely serious bird watchers, I have to say it's a fun place to go if you're just someone with some curiosity about birds and a desire to stroll around comfortably in a lovely...