Top Photo: Two adult red-tailed hawks silhouetted against the clouds as they soar above Butterfly House. Note that each bird is molting. The two red-tailed hawks above successfully nested on the museum grounds. They’re regular nesters. I rarely see eastern cottontails on our 84 acre campus, until this year. I’ve seen more this spring and summer than I have in perhaps the last 14 years of hiking the museum’s trails. Predator numbers must be down. Besides the red-tailed hawks above,Read more
Nest Box Update, Plus Pigeon News
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. All of the nest boxes are empty except one. The Cow Pasture nest box fledged its six bluebirds last week, to the day. The Explore the Wild nest box still has a bluebird nest within but has not been added to since March. The nest box at Into the Mist is empty. As we approached, a house wren flew from the nest box on the east side of the parking deck. Inside the box wasRead more
Frog For Lunch
Top Photo: Green heron hunts from perch in wetlands. Green herons are in attendance more than they’re seen in our wetlands. Though they occasionally give out a loud KEEYER call, they’re more often silently perched or stalking prey in the shallow water of our wetland. Here, in a series of photos, a green heron has captured a frog and attempts to dispatch its victim. It tries to turn the amphibian so as to swallow the animal head-first, while being carefulRead more
A Good Day
Top Photo: American mink on floating deck (photo-Ranger Dakota). Mink are elusive, frenetic, always on the move. Though I’m not sure how intentional their elusivity is. They simply go about their business quickly and quietly, keyword, quietly. In my encounters with the chocolate brown mustelids I’ve always been completely ignored by the weasel, until, that is, I paid too much attention to the animal. In those cases where I’d tried to get close up photos, or otherwise followed too closelyRead more
Nest Box Update 6.21.22
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have two fledged bluebirds and four more in the same nest which are ready to fly the coop. The other five nest boxes are empty and waiting for occupation. The Cow Pasture bluebirds which numbered six last week, are fledging. There were four bluebirds tucked into the nest against our intrusion this morning, two had already fledged. The coaxing parents were in the trees above us as we peeked into the nest box. I’llRead more
Nest Box Update 6.14.22
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. There’s one active nest. It should be void of birds within the week. The Cow Pasture nest box is the only one with occupants. It’s difficult to distinguish one bird from the next, crammed into the bottom of the nest, but I managed to count half a dozen birds. The six bluebird nestlings may fledge before the next nest box inspection, a week from now. The Explore the Wild and Into the Mist nest boxesRead more
And Along Came Summer
Top Photo: Eight-spotted forester and dogbane. Summer’s here and the time is right for checking out nature. Sure it’s a little hot, but you might just as well accept it and get out there. You’ll be missing a lot of interesting sights if you don’t. Here’s some photos of some of what you might see. There’s a patch of dogbane in front of the Butterfly House which attracts numerous flying insects to its tiny flower’s nectar. One such insect isRead more
Nest Box Update 6.7.22
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. Two active nests include nine nestlings, six newly hatched bluebirds and what appears to be three house wrens. The Cow Pasture bluebird eggs have hatched. The birds’ eyes have yet to open. The parents are steadily supplying their offspring with plenty of protein. I can clearly count six nestlings. The nest box at Explore the Wild remains empty. Into the Mist has attracted no further activity in its nest box. Though I counted six nestlingRead more
Tree Swallows Fledge
Top Photo: Two young tree swallows wait at entrance hole to nest box. The nest box pictured here was installed in the wetlands during the first half of March. Though the nest box was intended for either wood ducks or hooded mergansers, by the first week of April tree swallows were actively building a nest in the spacious structure. I’m happy to say that tree swallows have now fledged from the nest as of Saturday, the fourth day of June.Read more