Wet sawdust covered this skink as it watched me from a hole in a dead tree. The unusual coating made this spring encounter at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge especially memorable.
Skink in Wet Sawdust at a Familiar Refuge Log
I found this skink near the auto tour road at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. It was early on the morning of April 30, 2023.
I often check a certain log when wildlife activity seems slow. Skinks regularly appear there after the sun has been up for a while.
On this visit, a large skink was hanging from an opening in a dead tree trunk. Wet sawdust covered much of its head and body.
The sawdust was the first detail that caught my attention. It made the skink look as though it had been digging or moving inside the decaying wood.
I photographed it for several moments. It then slipped back into the opening and disappeared.
Why Dead Wood Attracts Skinks
Tree stumps, fallen logs, and hollow trunks provide useful cover for skinks. The narrow spaces offer shelter from weather and potential predators.
Decaying wood can also hold insects and other small prey. That makes an old log useful for both cover and feeding opportunities.
The damp sawdust on this skink added another clue about the conditions inside the trunk. The interior likely held moisture from recent weather or natural decay.
Skinks may also use protected spaces during colder parts of the year. My post about the Hibernation Habits of Five-lined Skinks explains how these reptiles use sheltered places when temperatures fall.
Photographing the Skink from the Auto Tour Road
I stayed near the road and photographed the skink without moving closer to the tree. The 500mm focal length gave me a close view while leaving the animal space.
The morning light revealed the skink’s scales and the damp pieces of sawdust. A fast shutter speed helped protect the photograph from movement if the skink suddenly retreated.
Camera and Exposure Details
- Camera: Canon EOS R7
- Lens: Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
- Aperture: f/10
- Shutter speed: 1/1600 second
- ISO: 1000, Auto ISO
- Exposure compensation: 0
- Focal length: 500mm
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma
- Date and time: April 30, 2023, at 8:19 a.m.
I enjoy encounters like this because they reward close observation. An ordinary dead tree can hold far more activity than it first appears to contain.
This skink remained visible for only a short time. The wet sawdust turned that brief sighting into one of the morning’s most distinctive photographs.