We have many turtles living in our Wetlands of at least five different species. This is the time of year when we see some of those turtles up on dry land hiking about the landscape. There are at least three reasons for aquatic turtles to crawl out of the relative safety of their watery habitat, to bask in the sun, to seek out a new stream, lake, or pond to live in, or to lay eggs. We see some ofRead more
Posts filed in: Spring
Groundhog Juveniles
Two young Groundhogs have been seen munching on the grass along the side of the path just past Catch the Wind on the back side of the Outdoor Loop. I first saw them with Mom on the 16th of this month and have seen them several times since, with and without Mom. Keep a lookout for these little guys.Read more
Bluebird Update May 17, 2012
I got a late start with the nest box inspections this week as I was out for a few days. I did, however, have a peek inside all of our six nest boxes on Wednesday (5/16) and there are a few things to report. The nest box up near the Train Tunnel, which last week had a half completed pine straw nest, now holds four pristine eggs. This nest, I’m happy to report, was dry as can be. We’ve experiencedRead more
Giant Waterbug w/eggs
I was on a mission to secure aquatic invertebrates from the Wetlands for Nancy Dragotta-Muhl (Learning Communities). It was Magic Wings Festival time and she wanted to have some insects on display at her table outside of the Butterfly House for folks to see as they wandered around the area listening to the rhythms of global music in the plaza. One haul of the net from the brown water of the Wetlands yielded two Giant Waterbugs, insects in the familyRead more
Bluebird Update May 10, 2012
Another week gone by and more changes. Things move along quickly in the bird world and our little Bluebird Trail is a good illustration of that rapid change. The bluebirds that nested in the box near the Train Tunnel, which lost most of its nestlings, have started to rebuild. I observed both the male and female tending to the nest on Tuesday (5/8) and again the following day. I want to keep a close eye on this nest so thatRead more
Which Way does the Wind Blow
I was checking out the local bird listserv, Carolinabirds, and saw a posting that had a link to a web site which displays the current wind direction and speed accross the entire country (it may take a while to load). At this moment (1:10 PM 5/3/12) the winds in our area are coming from the southwest after sweeping NW across Florida, turning north across Georgia and South Carolina, and finally curving around towards the northeast in North Carolina. That same windRead more
Bluebird Update May 3, 2012
It seems that my concerns about the bluebirds in the nest box near the Train Tunnel were well founded. As I neared the nest box Tuesday (5/1) for the weekly inspection I could see flies buzzing around the entrance hole, not a good sign. As I got closer, I caught the unmistakable scent of death. As I slowly opened the side panel of the box a nestling shot out past me, “Good, at least one survived.” The nest, and inRead more
Skimmers
Two skimmers have begun to show themselves around the Wetlands. They are the Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) and the Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicollis). These two dragonfly species can be seen at nearly every pond or river in the state so there’s nothing unusual about their appearance. In fact, they’re two of the most common and familiar of all dragonfly species. What their appearance does do is mark the passing of the season. Most of the early season dragonflies have comeRead more
Who’s that coming up the path?
Friday (4/27), a group of crows were making an incredible racket back up in the woods towards the Outdoor Classrooms here at the Museum. They were on to something, an owl, maybe a hawk, and they were going at it with vigor. Something up the in the pines had the crows terribly upset and they wanted it gone, or at least they wanted to make its life miserable for a while. I was up at the Sailboat Pond watching ExhibitsRead more