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 Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) is one of more than 540 refuges throughout the United States managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service.
TNWR lies at the upper Washita arm of Lake Texoma in S.E. Oklahoma and is administered for the benefit of migratory waterfowl in the Central Flyway. Most of the refuge's 16,464 acres, including the 4,500-acre Cumberland Pool, were acquired in 1946. The refuge gets its name from a famous Chickasaw Indian Chief and
shares it with a nearby century-old town.
The refuge offers a variety of aquatic habitats for wildlife. The murky water of Cumberland Pool provides abundant nutrients for innumerable microscopic plants and animals. Seasonally flooded flats and willow shallows lying at the Pool's edge also provide excellent wildlife habitat. Upland areas vary from grasslands to wild plum thickets to oak-hickory-elm woodlands. Crops, primarily wheat and corn, are grown on approximately 900 acres to provide forage and grain for waterfowl.
 As you drive into Tishomingo NWR toward the headquarters, dense hardwood forests line the road. Within the shelter of southern red oak, post oak, blackjack oak, hickory, pecan, mulberry, and American elm trees live white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, armadillos, opossums, and fox squirrels. Cottontails venture from forest to fields, always on the lookout for hungry hawks. From spring through early fall, leaves rustle with the activity of migratory songbirds. Warblers and vireos join year-round residents like red-headed woodpeckers.
Other habitats sheltering wildlife include wild plum thickets that give way to grasslands. Along the river bottom, you might spot raccoon tracks among the willow, cottonwood, and box elder. Late fall and winter mark the best time to see wildlife from the observation tower that juts up east of Big Sandy Creek and close to headquarters. Here, you can look through a mounted spotting scope to watch flocks of waterfowl and deer herds eating crops planted just for them. It is also a good spot to set up for photographing geese when wind and lighting conditions are right. Beyond the fields, look for wading birds along the shoreline and ducks in the lake. Occasionally,
bald eagles will be seen perched in dead trees at the field edge. Interpretive signs help identify birds. Jemison Lookout, near Nida Point, provides a beautiful view of the Cumberland Pool year-round. The Craven Nature Trail winds through a mile of woodlands along Dick's Pond, where visitors might see a beaver lodge, herons, ducks or other wildlife. While walking that trail, I saw two
bald eagles circling above, but there were too many trees present for a clear shot.
 From October 1 until March 1, the Wildlife Management Unit is closed to all public recreation, but there are still numerous areas open during that time. Photography opportunities are good year-round, but my favorite time to visit is in the winter when thousands of migrating ducks and geese are present on the refuge. Besides photography, TNWR offers wildlife watching and hiking throughout most of the refuge from March 1 through September 30 and in limited areas during the rest of the year. TNWR is roughly a two-hour drive from my home but well worth the trip. The photography is always good there.
It is a place where it is easy to imagine a past era when great herds of wild animals grazed the prairies and bird flocks darkened the skies.
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