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Give me Some Kind of Sign

signs of the season… Read more about Chip. There are so many signs that point to spring it’s difficult to zero in on just a few. Here’s two very obvious bird signals of the change that’s coming. The two geese in the photos below arrive at the Museum’s Wetland each February. I’ve been calling them Lucy and Goosey, Lucy’s the female. I typically don’t name birds, but these two have become so familiar that, well, why not! How do IRead more

Purple Martins have arrived!!

No, no the martins have’t arrived here at the Museum, but elsewhere in North Carolina for sure. This from the local bird ListServ carolinabirds: From: Henry Link <linkh@bellsouth.net> Date: February 22, 2012 1:24:04 PM EST To: Carolinabirds <carolinabirds@duke.edu> Subject: Guilford County Arrivals Guilford County’s “Martin Man”, Danny Royster called this morning to report seeing the first Purple Martin in his backyard north of Greensboro on Feb. 17. He had ten Purple Martins yesterday and a FOY [First of Year] TreeRead more

Watching TVs

Several weeks ago as I walked down the boardwalk into Explore the Wild I noticed a Turkey Vulture (TV) soaring low over the trees at the NE corner of the Wetlands. I thought, “There must be something dead over there.” A few days later I saw a TV clumsily fly down through the trees in that same area. “There’s GOT to be something dead over there.” I thought. And then, a few days after that, I heard two crows callingRead more
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Winter Landscape with Snakes

You might think that at this time of year that all snakes are safely tucked away for the winter, not so. Although I haven’t personally seen any snakes slithering across the landscape here at the Museum (I did see one on New Year’s Day along the Eno River), our resident Red-shouldered Hawk has seen them, at least three that I know of, probably more. While talking with the Explore the Wild Team of Animal Keepers and Volunteer here at the Museum,Read more

Purple Martin Update 2012

Believe it or not, Purple Martins, those large dark swallows with a purple sheen to their plumage, have already been spotted in our fair state. One martin scout was reported as being seen on February 9 in Godwin, NC. I wish the best of luck to all of those birds represented on the map as purple dots (above link), we still have plenty of winter remaining. The temperature drops as I sit here typing. It will be in the twentiesRead more

Floral News

Thanks to the mild temperatures this winter, the Mahonia (Mahonia sp.), Grape-holly, or whatever it is that you prefer to call it, on the Dinosaur Trail has been in bloom continuously since the fall. It now has berries where once, bright yellow flowers lured honey bees, various flies, and ants to perform the pollination duties. These plants should provide a good crop of berries for the birds this year. Common Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) is showing its first sprouts of theRead more
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First Groundhog!

The first groundhog of the season was spotted on February 8 running across a service road and then over the path near the boardwalk leading to Explore the Wild. I assume that this marmot is the “Boardwalk Hog.” There is a groundhog burrow just below the fence at the head of the boardwalk that leads to Explore the Wild. The animal that I saw was last seen swiftly moving in that direction. There are many groundhog burrows throughout the MuseumRead more