In the six plus years that I’ve been here at the Museum I’ve never seen a Redhead in the Wetlands. There were four redheads swimming, diving, preening, and resting in our little quarry of a wetland on Wednesday morning (2/19/14). Redheads are diving ducks. They feed by diving under the water to retrieve submergent plants, mollusks, aquatic insects, and even small fish. Redheads spend the summer on the northern prairies and intermountain regions of the North American West where theyRead more
Posts filed in: Winter
Hoar Frost
I recently posted an image of fern frost which I discovered on the hood of my van one frosty morning last week. I often see this type of frost on cold mornings on the interior of the storm windows of my house (if you live in a newer house with energy efficient double pane windows you’re less likely to see frost on your windows). But there are other types of frost, and they form in different ways. The two thatRead more
The Week Ahead
You can expect to see more scenes as depicted in the above photo for the duration of the week, the temperatures are expected to be in the 60s with at least one 70 thrown in. I saw six turtles out basking this morning. I expect to see more this afternoon. In fact, I expect to see many more later today. The turtles are waking up and I’m anticipating that every available perch, every rock, boulder, log, and bit of shoreline outRead more
Fern Frost
The van was covered with snow the day before this photo was taken. I cleaned it off (the van) the next morning and didn’t move it the entire day/night. I’m not sure of the wind velocity, but think it was calm overnight, clear sky and calm. The temperatures were in the mid to high twenties. Interesting pattern, don’t you think? Read more
Purple Martins in the snow
As reported last week Purple Martins are on their way north. The first arrivals in North Carolina have been seen, just in time for the snow, sleet, freezing rain and cold. The birds were spotted in the southern portion of our state in Maxton (2/9) and Godwin (2/10) NC. Both of those locations are on the coastal plain about 56 miles distance from one another. These birds are insectivorous, wish them luck.Read more
And a Red-shouldered too!
Not a day goes by that I don’t see or hear a red-shouldered hawk here at the Museum. I’ve been allowed to observe them hunting and courting. I’ve been able to get close looks at them in various plumages and molts. I’ve even seen them catch a variety of prey as diverse as frogs and toads, snakes, rats, and even fish. It’s my opinion that red-shouldereds will eat whatever comes their way, as long as it’s not too large toRead more
Speaking of Eagles
Anyone wanting to find out what the nesting Jordan Lake Bald Eagles are up to can do so at the Jordan Lake EagleCam. You’ll have to sit through an ad or wait about 30 seconds staring at the screen before the live camera kicks in but if the eagle is present, it’s worth it. If you subscribe to Facebook it may be easier to go in through that site. It’s still called the Jordan Lake EagleCam (FB) but here you can pickRead more
Purple Martin Arrivals 2014
For those of you who have an interest in Purple Martins, those large iridescent purple swallows of summer, they’re on the move and slowly making their way north. Here, see for yourself at The Purple Martin Conservation Association Scout Arrival Study page. So far, the early arrivals (scouts) have been seen in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. It won’t be long till one is spotted right here in North Carolina! Enjoy.Read more
High Flying Birds
It all started while on the Main Wetlands Overlook. I was talking about the previous week’s weather, birds, and other creatures with photographer Kevin Odom. There were currently alto cumulus and cirrus clouds above and I wondered if a front was moving in on us. Suddenly, in came a great blue heron. The bird landed on a boulder out in the Wetlands, looked around a bit and began to preen, a good opportunity to get some nice photos. Then, KevinRead more