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Bald Eagles

Three Bald Eagles passed over our air space today (5/7/13). I was talking with Ranger Rock at the Bungee Jump about the chickadee and bluebird nests here at the Museum, when he looked up and saw one, then two, large birds soaring in the gray, overcast sky above. Both birds were Bald Eagles. And finally, almost fifteen minutes after the first two eagles passed, a third came into sight riding the beginnings of the same thermal as a Red-tailed Hawk. I’veRead more

Turtles, Phoebes, and Wood Ducks

I typically start seeing turtle hatchlings in March, those nestlings that have overwintered in the nest. This year it was April that brought out the nestlings. The nestlings were discovered in a variety of locations from the Butterfly House to Into the Mist, and of course, on the path next to the Wetlands. All hatchlings were sliders, either yellow-bellied or possible yellow-bellied x red-eared hybrids. This is always an exciting time of year, and many kids had an opportunity toRead more

Bluebird Update 4.30.13

Once again it’s time for the weekly Bluebird Update. All nests are progressing as they should, or rather as I hope they would, except one curious development with the nest in the infamous Sail Boat Pond nest box (we’ll get to that later). The “Cow Pasture” bluebirds have hatched. It’s difficult to see but it appears that only four eggs out of the original five have hatched. I can see only four beaks in the photo below but it’s possibleRead more
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Kingfisher Quest

The Quest On April 16, I was inspecting the bluebird nests here at the Museum. I was not working that day but happened to be in town and didn’t want to miss any exciting happenings inside the nest boxes, so I took a peek. As I crossed the main parking lot I heard the unmistakable rattle of a kingfisher overhead. I looked up. There, streaking through the blue sky were three kingfishers. The birds seemed on a direct course for EllerbeRead more

Bluebird Update 4.23.13

Tuesdays are bluebird days. As I do every Tuesday during this time of year, I checked the nest boxes on our Bluebird Trail here at the Museum and the news is good. All seems well on the trail this week, no predation, new eggs laid and some eggs hatching. The Cow Pasture nest has shown no change, it still has five unmolested eggs. They should hatch any day now. The Chickadees in the nest next to the Bungee are now parents,Read more

Bluebird Update 4.16.13

Although absent from the Museum for several days, I managed to stop by and check the bluebird nest boxes while in town on Tuesday morning (4/16/13). Here’s what I found. The “Cow Pasture” nest has two additional eggs since the last nest inspection for a total of five. The Chickadee in the nest next to the Take Off in Catch the Wind is incubating her five tiny eggs. It appears that there has been some activity in the nest boxRead more
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Love is most definitely in the air!

Spring is here and those animals that haven’t found a mate are seeking one, or two. On Arpil 5 a Common Snapping Turtle crawled out to dry a bit and perhaps get rid of some of its accumulated algae and parasites before seeking a mate. I had seen three other snappers a few days before but this is the first that I’d seen out basking. It didn’t take Big Red (a large female Northern Water Snake) very long to hook up withRead more
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Bluebird Update 4.9.13

Lots of news to report today. We’ll start at the “Cow Pasture.” Last week this nest box contained a completed nest but lacked eggs. It now has 3 beautiful blue eggs. The nest box at the meadow next to the “Take Off” which was empty last week now has a completed chickadee nest with eggs. The bird was incubating when I approached the nest, flew out of the entrance hole and scolded me from a nearby tree while I openedRead more