Top Photo: Red Wolf Sabine scouts the ridge at the top of the Red Wolf Overlook. Adult red wolves Carolina and Jacques have returned to the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY, this time with five pups born here at the museum. We wish them well. In their stead we have welcomed Sabine (2506F) and Mac Tire (2274M). There should be little trouble separating the two wolves as they move about the enclosure. Sabine’s pelage stands out among redRead more
Posts filed in: AZA
Small Things
Top Photo: Tiny monarch caterpillar (1st instar) feeds on milkweed. At hatching, monarch butterfly larvae are small, about 2 – 5 mm small. They molt four times during their caterpillar phase (five instars) growing larger each time. The larva in this post, since being photographed, has disappeared. If it made it through the caterpillar stage it would be a chrysalis or perhaps an adult butterfly by now. I looked over the milkweed the original adult oviposited on, and the caterpillarRead more
High and Dry (almost)
Top Photo: Water level dropping by the day. For weeks, no rain, the water level in our wetland kept dropping. When it looked as though the pond would become a meadow, a night of thunderstorms with heavy rain replenished the water. Though the level is still below average most of the muddy clay bottom is again wet (water level was at full as of 8 July). The turtles can swim instead of lugging it across the mud. The geese, too,Read more
Nest Box Update 7.4.26
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird, male. We have one active nest. The three bluebirds in the nest will likely be the last birds to fledge from our bluebird trail this season. ——————————— The Cow Pasture, Explore the Wild, Sailboat Pond, Into the Mist, and Parking Deck East nest boxes are all empty. The Parking Deck West (PKW) nest box contains what looks to be three healthy bluebird nestlings. ———————————— I may be off slightly in my timing but I suspect theRead more
Life Goes On
Top Photo: Considered invasive wherever they’ve been introduced, American bullfrog and red swamp crawfish are known for their ability to alter and take over habitats. Here’s some photos to guide you through the dry times (we’re in a drought, but life goes on). Even though we’ve been high and dry in our wetland the cattails continue to grow. Many birds have fledged in the past several weeks, like this young Carolina wren. This is an adult common grackle staking outRead more
Nest Box Update 6.20.26
To Photo: Eastern bluebird, male. The one active nest we had last week, is still the only active nest. The Parking Deck West (PKW) nest box has three bluebird eggs inside its pine needle cup. ———————————— The Cow Pasture, Explore the Wild, Sailboat Pond, Into the Mist and Parking Deck East (PKE) nest boxes are all empty, no activity. There are three bluebird eggs in the nest at the nest box on the west side of the parking deck. Read more
Nest Box Update 6/6/2026 – 6/13/2026
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird, male. We have only one active nest. There’s minimal nest material in two of the nest boxes, but it hasn’t been worked for weeks. One nest box which was started by bluebirds in early May, became a project in progress by house wrens, has now switched back to bluebirds and is ready for action. —————————— The Cow Pasture, Explore the Wild, Sailboat Pond, Into the Mist, and Parking Deck East nest boxes are all empty andRead more
Red Wolf
Top Photo: A new world opens up to the red wolf pups. Born on May 5, our three male and two female red wolf pups are now freely moving around their enclosure. They’re staying fairly close to the security of the den, but moving further each day. The photos here deal with a brief few minutes when Carolina, the pups’ mother, called the pups out for a feeding and brief play period. Jacques, for unknown reasons, asserted his dominance overRead more
Nest Box Update 5.2.26
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird, male. We have no nestlings in any of the nest boxes. Two are empty, one has a partial chickadee nest inside, another has a new bluebird nest under construction. Still another has a bluebird nest being built over an old chickadee’s nest. One nest box has just fledged their chickadees. The Cow Pasture nest box is empty, no activity. Explore the Wild nest box, after having lost 5 nestlings, is currently empty. Four chickadees fledged fromRead more