Spring continues to move along and the flora and fauna here at the Museum rolls along with it. Thousands, no, millions of neotropical migrant birds are moving through our area, flowers are inviting insects to pollinate themselves, tadpoles are becoming frogs, fish eggs have hatched, and an old friend showed up in the Wetlands. Warblers, thrushes, cuckoos, swallows, and many other birds are migrating north at this time. Most migrate at night (less likely to be seen by hungry hawkRead more
Posts filed in: Spring
Bluebird Update 4.28.15
This week’s inspection of the nest boxes has confirmed that there are now 3 species utilizing our modest bluebird trail here at the Museum. House wrens, after having been responsible for emptying two nests of chickadee and bluebird eggs at the nest boxes at the Sailboat Pond and Picnic Dome have decided to build in the Picnic Dome nest box. This bird, or birds, may later move on without actually nesting, but for now it has taken over full controlRead more
A Primrose, a Pea, and Snakes!
Pink evening primrose, or pink ladies, are just coming into bloom in Explore the Wild. There are two patches of these attractive flowers within fifty feet of one another in Explore the Wild, one on either side of the vending area. Partridge pea, a plant that I try to cultivate in Catch the Wind here at the Museum has started to sprout. The seed leaves broke the surface last week and are starting to show the beginnings ofRead more
Baby Turtles and Buttercups
Top Photo: Recently hatched eastern musk turtle. Now showing… Come on out and see for yourself! Read more
Bluebird Update 4.21.15
First, the good news (yes, there is bad to follow). We have two (maybe three) female bluebirds incubating, and four new bluebird eggs. And, at least two chickadee eggs have hatched. Now the bad news, two of the nests have been pilfered, all of the eggs which were once in the nests are gone. And I know who did it. The nest by nest: I was glad to see a female incubating in the nest box at the Cow Pasture.Read more
Some Spring Happenings
Top Photo: Immature plumaged hooded mergansers lingering in wetlands. I’ve been negligent in my duties and haven’t been reporting as often as I’d like to on the goings on in Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. So much is happening, as it does every spring, that it’s tough to keep up. Here’s just a couple of handfuls of things that we’ve seen in the Wild over the past few weeks (not necessarily in chronological order). During the first weekRead more
Bluebird Update 4.14.15
It was only one week ago when the nest box at the Cow Pasture contained a mere two pine needles. It now has a complete nest and one bluebird egg behind its wooden walls. It took these bluebirds a while to get started, but they wasted little time since the last time I checked this box. I suspect I’ll find more eggs in the nest box next week. Last week the nest box next to the Bungee Jump (Take Off)Read more
Running with the Wolves
After five months of watching our female red wolf (1794) behaving with raw aggression towards our male (1784), watching her go through estrous with no change in her attitude towards the male, indeed being more aggressive at his approaches, and watching our male walk around the enclosure with his head hung low, our female has apparently had a change of heart. Anthropomorphic disclaimer notice. On Saturday morning, close to noon, both wolves were seen splashing around in the water,Read more
Bluebird Update 4.7.15
There’ve been some changes in some of the nests. Some of what were once chickadee nests are now bluebird nests and four new eggs have been deposited. Here’s what I found on Tuesday, April 7 on my weekly inspections of the nest boxes. The Cow Pasture nest has seen a very minor addition to the single pine needle that I found in the nest box last week, another pine needle. And the original had been moved, the spare furnishings haveRead more