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Who’s Who

Just a quick revisit with our red wolves and to reinforce who’s who. Top photo: Female #2062 left and male #1803 right. Both wolves may be active throughout the day. The keepers, however, typically enter the enclosure in mid morning to clean up and randomly place food around the habitat. Following the keepers’ departure the wolves can be seen sniffing out the bits of food left by their attendants. Have fun!Read more
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Red Wolf Update

Just a quick follow-up on our recently arrived red wolves. Both male #1803 and female #2062 seem to be adjusting well to their new home, although female 2062 is still a bit shy. She tends to stay at the top of the enclosure’s ridge when people are present at the overlook. Neither, however, are difficult to locate. In fact, they’re typically quite mobile, frequently moving about. Our female seemed very excited to find the beef knuckle tossed in by theRead more

Red-shouldered Hawk

A common sight here on the museum’s campus is the red-shouldered hawk. This one is fluffed up against the cold as it perches on a branch while surveying the swamp below for movement. Birds often fluff themselves up in cold weather, trapping air between the feathers effectively raising their R-value. Our resident red-shoulders are fairly tame, that is, they’re quite used to people. I’ve walked past them at a distance of less than ten feet without causing alarm. You couldRead more

Snow

We don’t often get snow in December, that usually happens in January or February in our rather mild section of the continent. Even then, it’s rarely a huge amount of snow, although it doesn’t take much frozen precip to bring us to our knees here in the south. But, that’s another story. When it snows here, and if you like snow, like to look at it and play in it, you’d be wise to go out and take advantage ofRead more

Cold Weather Snake

The sharp eye of Animal Keeper Katie caught sight of a black rat snake clinging to a Carolina maple tree trunk in Catch the Wind on Wednesday (3/15/17). It’s not unusual to spot a rat snake here on campus, they’re a common sight. What’s unusual is that the temperature was in the mid-thirties at the time. It’s tempting to say this snake was caught out in the cold unexpectedly. After all, the entire month of February here in the CarolinasRead more
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News Flash from the Red Wolf Enclosure!

I had just walked up to the Red Wolf Enclosure Overlook when I noticed the male wolf approach and sniff the female’s rear quarters. I quickly fumbled for my camera. The camera was in its case strapped to my belt. The zipper on the case had lost its pull-tab—tough to get the case open. This, and building anxiety at my not moving fast enough, delayed my ability to get in the first few shots of the event. For the pastRead more

February Blooms

As happens each February, hazel alder is in bloom here at the Museum. Hazel alder (Alnus serrulata) is a small tree or large shrub which grows along ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers throughout the state. It’s deciduous, which as you know, means it loses its leaves each fall. The male catkins and female flower buds appear in fall. They bloom in early spring before the alder’s leaves appear. February is spring for this plant here in piedmont North Carolina. TheRead more

Face of Contentment

The barred owl pictured here was just feet from the main path in Explore the Wild. The bird was being harassed by crows, but upon my arrival the corvids retreated leaving the owl in quiet solitude. The owl remained on its perch most of the day looking, as owls often do, peaceful, content, and wise.Read more