Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. There seems to have been a take-over of one of the nest boxes, and one bird, a bluebird, was found dead in the vicinity of that box. I think the dead bird was a coincidence, but am not sure. —————————— The Cow Pasture nest box is still empty. It is untouched. The Explore the Wild nest box is also empty. Historically, chickadees use this nest box but so far no activity has been seen inRead more
Posts filed in: Season
Awakenings
Top Photo: Mystery bird (See bottom of page for identification). We’re approaching the end of March and spring is moving along quickly. Here’s a few sights you might see on your walk around the outdoor loop here at the museum. Redbud is in bloom. Elm is another early bloomer. Its winged fruit is developing now. Buckeye’s palmate leaves are opening and its red-flowered racemes are ready to pop. Birds like this eastern phoebe are nesting. They nest each year underRead more
Middle March Sightings
Top Photo: Pickerel frog (Lithobates palustris, formerly Rana palustris). Pickerel frogs are calling from the wetlands. I saw several on the path in Catch the Wind, Explore the Wild, and on the service roads after the chilled rain during the second week of March. A few were flattened by vehicles. Some apparently survived and made it to the water. More frogs have joined the chorus this week. One of the two larger trees in the following photo has been struck byRead more
Nest Box Update 3.11.25
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have two nest boxes which contain nest material, both the work of eastern bluebirds. Another nest box had a visitor checking out its contents and location during the past week but has yet to commit. The Cow Pasture and Explore the Wild nest boxes are empty. The Sailboat Pond, too, is empty though it has, over the weeks, been inspected by both bluebirds and chickadees. The Into the Mist nest box is inactive. TheRead more
The Beginning of March (Spring)
Top Photo: Groundhog (Marmota monax). Groundhogs, or woodchucks, are members of the squirrel family, a ground squirrel. The one shown here lives under a large oak stump that lays on its side in Wander Away opposite the Sailboat Pond in Catch the Wind. If you’re quiet while passing through Wander Away you might get a glimpse of the large rodent. Can you spot the Canada Geese in the photo below? We currently have three pairs vying for territory in theRead more
Nest Box Update #1
Top Photo: Bluebird eggs from a nest in 2024. We have activity in two of our six bluebird nest boxes. We also moved one of our nest boxes to a new location. The area on the south and west sides of the Butterfly House is currently a construction zone. The nest box that was located behind the Butterfly Conservancy has been moved to an area on the southwest side of the Sail Boat Pond in Catch the Wind. We currentlyRead more
A New House for the Tree Swallows
Top Photo: New tree swallow nest box in wetlands. For the past three years we’ve had tree swallows nesting in a nest box meant for waterfowl, wood ducks or hooded mergansers to be specific. That’s fine. We welcome all birds. In fact, great crested flycatchers have used the box in the past, as well as the intended wood ducks. We discourage mammals such as raccoons. Those wily creatures have used one of our wood duck nest boxes in the pastRead more
End of Winter Musings
Top Photo: Oka patiently waits for his companion Martha. Mating season for red wolves is January and February. With a 63 day average gestation period most red wolf pups are born in April or May. The majority of red wolves we’ve housed here at the museum were active during January and February, and have indeed been photographed while tied together. I’ve most often photo’d the wolves while they were mating during the third week in February. Martha, our female, spendsRead more
Handsome Ducks and Pond Sliders
Top Photo: Ten hooded mergansers that showed up in our wetlands the first half of February. A handful of photos of a modest raft of hooded mergansers and a small bale of sliders on a warm February day. All it takes is a few days of sunshine with temps in the fifties and the yellow-bellied and red-eared sliders will be out basking. Have a good one! Ranger GregRead more