Top Photo: New father Oka watches over his three pups in the red wolf enclosure. While Martha stays within the safety of the wolf enclosure’s den by day (she’s visible on camera) Oka remains vigilant on the ridge above the den. He’s also been responsible for bringing food in the form of lab rats to Martha and the pups, who try, but have yet to break the solid food barrier. Here’s a few photos to introduce you to the, asRead more
Posts filed in: Summer
Nest Box Update 6.3.25
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. All but two nest boxes are empty. Of the two that are active, only one is truly active having bluebird eggs within. The other hasn’t been touched in weeks. —————————— The Cow Pasture nest has a smattering of twigs placed in the box weeks ago by a house wren but is currently inactive. The Explore the Wild, Sailboat Pond, Into the Mist, and PKE nest boxes are all empty with no nest material ofRead more
Summer’s Here!
Top Photo: Male eastern pondhawk. Summer’s here and the time is right for basking in the sun. The young male eastern pondhawk in these two photos (above and below) is perched on a rock just off the floating walkway in our wetland. It can be identified as a “young” male by the green color on its thorax, which will become blue as the dragonfly matures. I’ve shown lots of pictures of basking aquatic turtles in the past few weeks. SoRead more
Nest Box Update 5.13.25
Top Photo: Eastern bluebirds eggs. All nest boxes appear to be quiet, mid-way through the season. There are currently two nest boxes with nesting material. The remaining four are empty and waiting for a second brood. ——————————— The nest box at the Cow Pasture has twigs placed inside by a house wren but it doesn’t appear as though it’s been added to in the last week. The Explore the Wild, Sailboat Pond, Into the Mist, and Parking Deck East nestRead more
Nest Box Update 4.30.25
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. There have been strange goings-on along our little bluebird trail here at the museum. Two nest boxes which had had healthy chickadee nestlings have been discovered to now have dead or missing nestlings or eggs from the nests. One nest box is still unchanged and has bluebird nest material within. One previously empty nest box has what appears to be a clue in the fatalities and disappearances of our chickadee nestlings, two twigs. —————————— TheRead more
Mimi and Her Spring Shower (and other bear stuff)
Top Photo: Mimi relaxing. It’s spring, The air temps are rising and all of our bears are out enjoying the changing season. Mimi can sometimes be found in the plunge pool of the black bear enclosure. She genuinely seems to enjoy just sitting there. It’s an exclusive springtime thing, she’ll swim and wade later in the summer, immersing herself in the two deeper pools of water at her disposal below the falls. All the bears, our 21 year old femaleRead more
Nest Box Update 4.22.25
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We still, as we did last week, have four active nests. However, we now have nestlings instead of eggs in all four of those nests. ——————————— As has been the case all season, the nest box at Cow Pasture hasn’t been touched. It’s empty. Last week there were five chickadee eggs in the nest box at Explore the Wild. Though there may be one egg still left under the nestlings pictured here, it will probablyRead more
Approaching Fall
Top Photo: Larva of larger elm leaf beetle skeletonizing elm leaf in Catch the Wind. We’re fast approaching fall. It has cooled some but not overwhelmingly so. There’s been a break in the barrage of high 90 degree days and stifling humidity. The tropical heat and humidity are temporarily on hold. But a break, no matter how small or short-lived, is a break. You can feel a difference. I’m mostly happy with it. So, here are a group of animals,Read more
Howling Foam
Top Photo: Excited by the sound of sirens in the distance, the red wolf pups howl in response. Some mornings the wolves howl multiple times, always stimulated by passing sirens. The precipitating frequency seems to be consistent. Fire trucks are preferred. Mornings are the active period of day for the family. The pups, however, may be excited by the most mundane of things at any time. They were very suspicious of a floating mass of foam bubbles in the poolRead more