Top Photo: Male common whitetail. Common whitetails are everywhere. Ponds, lakes, even slow moving rivers and streams are home to this ubiquitous skimmer. The standout white/blue abdomen and dark marks on the wings lend to the easy recognizability of the male. The female too, is easily recognized by the three dark markings on each of her four wings. They both tend to perch low to, or directly on, the ground. Another early season dragonfly making an appearance is the blueRead more
Posts filed in: AZA
Red Wolf Play
Top Photo: Oak in the grass. Oak, our female red wolf on display in Explore the Wild, is the more active of the two wolves in the enclosure. You’re more likely to see the sleek Oak trotting about the enclosure than the big lumbering male Adeyha. Here, in true Oak fashion, she romps in the tall grass of the compound. On the other side of the enclosure… The object of Oak’s attention is a deer pelt given her by theRead more
Nest Box Update 3.5.24
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs from previous season. We have one active nest with a new addition from the previous week. There has been no activity in any of the other 5 nest boxes. The Cow Pasture, Explore the Wild, and Into the Mist nest boxes are all empty, no nest material and no sign of interested birds in the area as each nest box was opened and inspected this morning. The Parking Deck East nest box had one additionRead more
More Quick Pics
Top Photo: Amur maple seeds. It’s a warm day in February, just the weather for strolling around campus. Here’s a mere handful of what you might see while you’re out there this week. There’s much more out there than this small sample of goodies suggests. So what are you waiting for, get out and have a look around!Read more
Red Wolf Behavior
Top Photo: Oak (back) attempts to get a reaction from her enclosure mate Adeyha. This is the time of year I start to look for courtship or mating behavior in our wolves. All red wolves are born in April or May. Given the gestation period for red wolves averages 63 days, now through the end of February is the best time to witness breeding behavior in our red wolves. If it happens, it will happen soon. Our female seems toRead more
The Little Nuthatch
Top Photo: Brown-headed nuthatch pecks away at willow trunk. Brown-headed nuthatches are the smallest of the eastern nuthatches. In the southeast, where there are pines, there are likely these tiny, frenetic birds foraging among the outer branches and cones of the trees. White-breasted nuthatches prefer more deciduous forest habitat. Though you may see the larger (by an inch and more) white-breasted nuthatch in the same pine habitat as brown-headed nuthatches, you won’t see brown-headed nuthatches far from stands of pines.Read more
Adeyha and Anole
Top Photo: Adeyha makes appearance in red wolf enclosure. Seen more often than not inside the enclosure’s den via the den-cam, Adeyha can, at times, actually be seen walking around the wolf habitat. Here’s a few shots of the large (last weigh in at about 44 kg) male red wolf just before he sneaked back into the den to recline. Adeyha seems fond of the den, at least during daylight hours. Oak, our spirited female, likes to roam around theRead more
Three Drupe Producers
Top Photo: Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) flower buds. Just a brief reminder that Japanese apricot is about to burst into bloom, thorny olive is fruiting, and American holly still has plenty of fruit left over to satisfy the resident robins, wintering hermit thrushes, and visiting waxwings. Two of these plants are non-natives while the last, American holly, is born and bred. They all produce drupes, fruits that have one central seed surrounded by a fleshy, usually edible, part and skinRead more
Wolf Cam
Top Photo: Panoramic of the Red Wolf Enclosure. In the spirit of enhanced viewer experiences, the Animal Care and Exhibits teams work together to bring the best experience possible to members and guests at the museum. It takes team work to get the job done. A new infrared light needed to be installed in the wolf den. Invisible to wolf occupants, it brightens the view for us when used with infrared cameras. The den had to be cleared of wolvesRead more