After what was probably the warmest December on record here in North Carolina, the icy weather is upon us. Don’t get me wrong, I’d greatly appreciate a winter with a much reduced heating bill, where I didn’t have to put on layer upon layer of clothes (I’m outside most of the day), and snow, well, snow just didn’t happen. But, it is January and it’s supposed to be cold, even here in the heart of Carolina. This morning, I took aRead more
Posts filed in: Winter
Sapsucker
While walking through Explore the Wild I heard the cat-like call of a yellow-bellied sapsucker to my right. A closer look revealed two sapsuckers in a holly tree picking and eating the red berries of the small tree, a good opportunity to get a few photos. The two sapsuckers went back and forth from the trunk to hanging on branches to harvest the fruit of the holly. Here’s a few shots of the birds, both males. Read more
Let’s Set Sail!
Over the next several weeks or so, Nature Watch will have a guest blogger posting about a new type of environment – our ocean! The Museum of Life and Science is partnering with the Cassar Lab in the Nicholas School of Environment Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences at Duke University, for a look into the life and work of oceanographic researchers. We are inviting you to be a part of the journey to discover what happens on a research expeditionRead more
A Slider out for a Stroll
Top Photo: Yellow-bellied slider retreats into shell after being discover on path. I sometimes mention in the blog, the fact that any sunny and relatively warm day during winter, we at the Museum are likely to see turtles out basking on the rocks and stumps in our wetlands. Yellow-bellied sliders seem to come out of their slumber on the bottom of the pond quite easily, a warm day or two is all it takes. We’ve had many unusually warmRead more
Antipodes
Antipodes is an island, or group of islands, southeast of New Zealand. The word itself, antipodes, means something that is the exact opposite of something else. The root is from the Greek or Latin, anti, opposed or against and pous, foot. Speaking geographically, antipodes is or are two geographic places on opposite sides of the globe. Growing up, I can remember playground discussions about what would happen if you dug straight down into the earth and came out the otherRead more
December?
Top Photo: What December should look like. It’s December, for sure, but it’s been an unusually warm December, so far. We should enjoy it while we can. And, that’s just what Animal Keeper Autumn did the other day as she and Misha, our red-tailed hawk, went for a walk around the Museum’s outdoor campus. If you like turtles, this is a good time to see them. In fact, you may see some of our “light-sleeping” yellow-bellied sliders out and about onRead more
Hooded Mergansers
Since the arrival of the first of the season, lone male merg back at the end of October, their numbers have steadily increased. Over the past few weeks the congregation in our Wetlands has ranged from the twenties and thirties, into the forties. I counted 41 mergansers on 5 December. They have been very busy pair bonding and feeding. They show a preference for feeding under and around the Main Wetlands Overlook where many golden shiners have concentrated. But, as mentioned in a previous post, theRead more
New Species
Top Photo: A new species for the museum. I was watching and photoing the heron in the above image when I noticed the bird glance skyward. And, as I’ve said many times here on this blog, “when a bird looks up towards the sky, it’s a good idea to follow suit.” There’s likely to be something interesting up there. At first I saw nothing as I turned and looked to the area of sky in which the heron seemed toRead more