I sometimes post about aircraft that I see cross over our heads here at the Museum. Yesterday (12/4/14), a cloud filled and misty day, I witnessed an Air Force C-17 flyover. Not the largest plane in operation today but a big one just the same, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III was designed to carry troops and cargo to remote air strips. It only needs a runway of 3500 feet (dirt or paved). The plane has a wingspan of 169.8 feet, lengthRead more
Posts filed in: Winter
What’s on her Mind?
Whatever it is that’s on our female’s mind, I can safely report to you that both wolves, our new male 1784 and female 1794, are getting along well. During the female’s first week or so at the Museum, she didn’t allow the male to come near her. She would bare her teeth at his approach. But just yesterday, I saw both of them walking together side by side. The male is still being cautious, taking nothing for granted inRead more
Cabbage White and prone Great Blue
I was standing at the Red Wolf Overlook talking with guests, and admiring the wolves who were actively moving about the enclosure, when I spotted a white butterfly wafting past and over the heads of the assembled crowd. It alighted in a red cedar. I walked over to take a few photos. I knew it was a cabbage white when I first saw the insect. The only other white butterflies of its size in our area are the whiteRead more
Ice Storm
A week ago today, as I lie peacefully dreaming of the spring to come, I was awakened by the unmistakable CRACK, POP, and POW of branches and tree trunks snapping and crashing to the ground. When I fell asleep hours earlier it was raining. My rude awakening made me realize that this night’s rain had been freezing on contact with the trees, ground, and every other surface open to the sky. It was accumulating by the minute adding unbearable weightRead more
Jordan Lake Eagles
Just checked the Jordan Lake Eagle Cam and there are two eggs in the nest. When I first tuned in the eagle was not on the nest, the two eggs were clearly visible. There is now and adult brooding (not dwelling gloomily on something but incubating). http://www.ustream.tv/jordanlakeeagles https://www.facebook.com/JordanLakeEagleCam Enjoy!Read more
Bluebirds +
Thanks to the folks in the Exhibits Department here at the Museum who supplied me with two lengths of stove pipe and a handful of hardware, I was able to fabricate and install two new predator guards on our bluebird nest boxes last week. We now have three of our six nest boxes protected. The three boxes with guards had lost nestlings in the past (I suspect rat snake, very adept climbers). Whether or not the guards will actually deterRead more
The Feeders
OK, in the past few weeks we’ve had days with snow, ice, and some very cold temperatures. We’ve also had a solid week, seven days, with temps in the sixties and seventies. And now, it’s chilling down again. Not long ago the local birds were singing a happy tune. Now it seems all they care about is putting on fat, the bird feeders in Catch the Wind are busy! Here’s just some of the birds looking to put on weightRead more
A Chorus of Frogs
As I mentioned in a previous entry in this journal, Spring Peepers and Upland Chorus Frogs had been calling vigorously during the warm weather of last week. We certainly have chorus frogs here at the Museum but they are difficult to locate visually. The best place to look for them is the U-shaped pond next to the Bungee Jump in Catch the Wind. Upland Chorus Frogs are small (about 1″ – 1.5″) and typically cease their singing when approached byRead more
Female Redhead
In a recent post I highlighted two pair of Redheads that dropped into the Wetlands for the day. The following day the birds were gone, presumably continuing on to wherever it was they were originally heading. A line of heavy storms moved through our area on Friday, two days after the four redheads were with us. Soon after the heaviest of the rain passed, I noticed a lone redhead swimming in our Wetlands, a female. There’s no way to knowRead more