“Is that a worm or a snake?” shouted a Museum guest as she stared down at the ground at a small, slender, brown creature frantically wiggling along the macadam on the north side of the Wetlands. Standing about thirty feet from the woman I could see the critter, but couldn’t tell exactly what it was. Getting closer, I could see that it was a snake. I flipped the little snake over to see the pink of its belly to confirmRead more
Posts filed in: Spring
Big Blue and the Bull
The Great Blue Heron is back, and hungry! A Bullfrog makes a nice meal for a heron. Our resident heron (below) has captured a large male frog. With a firm grip on the frog, the heron wades over to a nearby island to safely prepare the frog for consumption. The frog must be rendered motionless before it’s gulped down. A squirmy, wiggling frog may accidentally be dropped in the water and could be lost among the weeds and algae, tooRead more
Insects Come Alive
With the heat comes the insects. As the season moves along more and more insects have begun to hatch, emerge, or arouse. As you already know (if you’ve been reading this journal), insects spend the cold months as either eggs, larvae, pupae, or even as adults, tucked away in some crevice, under the ground, underwater, or in the trunk of a tree or other such safe haven. Spending their time underwater feeding, resting, and growing, odonata are now emerging fromRead more
May Flora
Japanese Honeysuckle is in bloom. An exotic species, and an invasive one, Japanese Honeysuckle is still a favorite of many people for both its fragrance and taste. People either love Japanese Honeysuckle or they hate it. Here’s just one paper on the subject. Mulberry is ripening and many birds are gulping down the berries as soon as they do. What’s wrong with this picture? No, it’s not snow. It’s seed dispersal in action. Since the first of April, the Black WillowsRead more
Flowers, Butterflies, Odes, Birds, Snappers, and the Fox
Dame’s Rocket and Blackberry are in bloom. Butterflies find the early blooming blackberries rather tempting. More species of dragonflies and damselflies have been emerging recently. A first-of-the-season Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) was seen on 29 April as was a new species for the Museum, a Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps). I had thought that I spied one of these Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura) relatives last year, but couldn’t be certain. The sighting on the 29th confirmed it. On April 23, I witnessed the matingRead more
Birdbox Update 5
I’d been hearing House Wrens since April 20, but hadn’t seen one. On April 28, I heard one singing from the area behind the Sailboat where a bluebird nest box has been installed. This box was inspected on April 10 and although bluebirds had constructed a nest inside, it didn’t contain eggs. I hadn’t seen any activity around the nest for several weeks and had written it off. A House Wren is now putting the box to use. Male House Wrens arriveRead more
Birdbox Update 4
The Bluebirds that have decided to nest in the bird box in the clearing next to the Ornithopter have been feeding young – the eggs have hatched! On Friday (4/23) I observed the adults carry in food and carry out, you guessed it, fecal sacs. So, at least some, if not all, of the eggs have produced young. I haven’t seen any activity at the nest box next to the Sailboat Pond and although a nest was constructed within theRead more
Avian Arrivals and Some Flowers.
Returning this week (4/17-4/24) from points south were Chimney Swift, Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, House Wren and White-eyed Vireo, all locally nesting birds. The female Belted Kingfisher has once again made herself scarce, presumably sitting on eggs. I briefly saw the male on Friday, 23 April. Black Locust is in bloom as is Old Man’s Beard (not the guy on the left, but the tree, Fringetree). The former can be seen on the opposite side of the water from the WetlandsRead more
Birdbox Update 3
The Carolina Chickadees that have decided to nest in the Bluebird Box at Flying Birds (bird feeders) in Catch the Wind have successfully hatched their eggs. I saw the parents carry in small green caterpillars and other morsels of food and carry out a fecal sac. More to come.Read more