Top Photo: Male catkins of hazel alder are in bloom and spreading their pollen. February is the time for alder to reproduce. The yellow-green male catkins fertilize the red female flowers via airborne pollen. This stand of alder is on the north side of the museum’s wetlands. Most woodpeckers make a living pounding their heads, via their long pointed bills, against wood. The activity is multi functional. They could be excavating a nest hole in spring, a winter roost, drummingRead more
Spring Is In The Air
Top Photo: Canada geese are back. It’s not officially spring, but signs of its arrival are peeking through. Canada geese usually show up in February. With them comes the first signs of spring. The geese are here to attempt a nest. This has become a popular place for our state’s non-migratory, local breeding Canada geese. Many local birds were out and about showing off spring behavior, like the downy woodpecker below. This male was drumming on a much too thinRead more
Cold Changes
Top Photo: The wetlands after a brief snow event. Cold temperatures and snow bring about changes in bird behavior, directly and indirectly. Birds that typically stay north sustaining themselves on fruits and seeds don’t necessarily need to migrate south due to the cold. As long as they have food they can usually cope with the temperature. However, heavy snow burying food sources and frozen ponds will put most birds on the wing, song birds and waterfowl alike. Birds like purpleRead more
More Merganser Behavior
Top Photo: Hooded merganser pair bond display. The number of mergansers present in our wetlands has steadily decreased as the waterfowl pair up and take off to their own exclusive local ponds. Below is a brief clip of three males vying for the attention of a seemingly disinterested female merganser. The pair bond is made upon arrival on the wintering grounds, or soon after. The birds may even display copulatory behavior onsite to save time during spring’s return to their breedingRead more
Merganser in the Wetlands
Top Photo: Some of the fourteen hooded mergansers in the wetlands at the end of December. From mid-November to about the middle of April hooded mergansers are a common sight in our wetlands. Some days you may see a lone merg in the pond and other days there may be a dozen or more. The birds fly back and forth between local area ponds. But unless the pond is frozen over there’s bound to be a merganser or two presentRead more
New Years Feeder Birds
Top Photo: Northern Mockingbird (not really a feeder bird, but I like the picture). Here’s 19 species (18 birds, 1 mammal) to keep an eye out for at Bird Viewing in Catch the Wind (there’s a cluster of bird feeders at the site). None of the birds (or mammal) are rare. All are year-round residents except four, a woodpecker, a sparrow, a warbler, and a thrush (October-April). Most of the birds visit the feeders on a regular basis. If youRead more
It’s as Cold as Ice (bears, wolves, hawks)
Top Photo: Ice forming on waterfall at Black Bear Enclosure. Cold night temperatures have been freezing the water flowing over the rocks at the waterfall in the bear enclosure. The cooler air has also been making the bears increasingly drowsy, which makes seeing them more challenging to the human observer. Our bears tend to sleep more during the colder days of the year. They don’t go into full hibernation, the temperatures don’t stay cold long enough here on the Piedmont.Read more
Gray Squirrel and the Hawk
Top Photo: Red-tailed hawk cruises over the museum’s airspace. As cold weather descends on us, our resident eastern gray squirrels reinforce the insulation in their nests. The one in the following photos apparently caught the attention of one of the local red-tailed hawks. The redtail came in for a closer look as the squirrel made haste for the nest. Alerted by Animal Care Patrick (Pattie) to all of this activity, I was able to get a few shots to share.Read more