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06/24/2014 10:03 AM EDT

This is what the morning carpool looks like for a mama opossum in Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge.

Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge located 20 miles northwest of Memphis, Tennessee, in Crittenden County, Arkansas was established in 1961 to provided habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Today the refuge literally stands as a wildlife oasis in an agricultural sea. An excellent diversity of habitat exists comprised on mainly agricultural land, bottomland hardwood forest, early stage reforested hardwoods, open water and flooded cypress/willow swamp. Thirty small field impoundments totaling 190 acres have been developed for waterfowl in the agricultural area. Because of its strategic location in the heart of the Mississippi Flyway and the diverse habitat, the refuge is a prime wintering area for migratory waterfowl and a major stopping place for migrating warblers. Bald eagles, great blue herons, great egrets and anhingas nest on the refuge.

Photo: Bill Peterson – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service