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Some Old Familiar Faces

The fine weather of the past week has brought out some old friends. A large female northern water snake that likes to spend her spring days basking in the sun under the still bare branches of the dawn redwoods at the base of the boardwalk is back doing just that. Look for her on the right side of the boardwalk as you walk down the last descending portion of the boardwalk.       Although a few common snappers haveRead more

Bluebird Update 3.31.15

I can now say that there is at least some nest material in each of our six nest boxes here at the Museum. And, one nest has a few eggs. Here’s the low down. The Cow Pasture nest box, which for the past two weeks has had nothing at all inside its cedar walls, now has one single pine needle. A male bluebird has been in the box and signaled his interest in perhaps starting a nest. Will more pineRead more

News From the Wild

Top Photo: Two young males and a female hooded merganser. It’s definitely spring and things are happening fast.  Here’s a handful of observations from Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Still hanging in there as part of our wetlands avifauna are three hooded mergansers. The trio consists of two males in juvenal plumage and a female (not sure of her age).         While the ducks were resting on an island just off the boardwalk in ExploreRead more

Bluebird Update 3.24.15

If you were to scan through the photos below and compare them to the photos from last week’s Bluebird Update you may notice similarities in the photos. There’s not been much progress in any of the nests. There are, though, two new developments to report. The nest box behind the Sailboat Pond in Catch the Wind has a fully executed chickadee nest within and a bluebird has shown at least fledgling interest in starting a nest at the Picnic DomeRead more

Fish Crows

It’s usually the middle of March when I first hear and see fish crows each year. Oh, I sometimes hear the single calls of one or two of the somewhat migratory crows in the first couple of weeks of March, but it’s mid March when bands of the crows start moving through. Groups of the birds come bouncing through the sky, their nasal calls filling the air. They seem to be having fun, happy to be back from wherever itRead more

Of Note

On the 81 degree day of Tuesday, March 17, a bald eagle was spotted (thanks to Al – Facilities) soaring over Catch the Wind. Thanks to a few Museum guests, I spotted the first of the season (for me) northern water snake. And, towards the end of the day, a raccoon was foraging along the path in Explore the Wild.         By the way, if you happen to see a raccoon here at the Museum which is close toRead more

It’s Bluebird Time, 2015

It’s bluebird time again. I cleaned our six nest boxes last week (3/10), getting them ready for the birds to move in. With the weather as nice as it is today (expected to get well into the 80s) it actually felt like nesting season as I went around checking the nest boxes. My hopes were high as I peeked into the first nest box. The Train Tunnel nest box showed no sign of occupancy, no pine needles laid out onRead more

It’s worth the risk.

It’s a risky business, this coming down to the water to breed. It pays to be discrete. There are many things that can eat you, if you’re a frog.     Most frogs in our area don’t necessarily spend all their time in water. Many species can be found some distance from water when not breeding. Pickerel frogs are one of those species. They are, however, breeding at this time of year and therefore in our Wetlands in numbers attemptingRead more