Last week I tweeted about a Canada Goose apparently eating smartweed in the Wetlands. I also mentioned that not many creatures will eat the pungent weed. Other then a few caterpillars, the Smartweed Caterpillar (Acronicta oblinita) and the Tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens), I personally haven’t witnessed much in the way of smartweed consumption among our fauna (there seems to be a caterpillar adapted to eating just about every plant in existence). There’s little doubt that many creatures use smartweed for cover, shelterRead more
Posts filed in: Winter
If you need further proof…
that spring is in the air, take a walk along your favorite hiking trail, around the block in your neighborhood, or better yet, come on over to the Museum and stroll around Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Take a look at just a few of the things I’ve been noticing: During the past few weeks, I’ve noticed our resident Eastern Phoebe making occasional trips under the boardwalk. Phoebes have nested under the boards since I’ve been at theRead more
Drum, drum, drum
The daylight hours are increasing, the weather getting warmer and the local birds are singing, some birds, that is. Woodpeckers, as vocal as they can sometimes be, don’t have a sweet song to sing to attract a mate or proclaim their territorial boundaries. They, instead of singing a tune to announce their intentions, seek out the most resonant piece of tree limb, trunk, clapboard siding or rain gutter and drum out their message. There are eight species of woodpecker thatRead more
Canadian Geese?
First, let’s talk about the name. The common, and proper, name for the big brown goose with the long black neck and white chin is Canada Goose. A Canada Goose may indeed be Canadian, but they may also be American, it all depends upon which side of the US/Canada border it was hatched. The geese we have in our Wetlands are most assuredly American in origin, they were certainly hatched here in North Carolina. Their species name is Canada GooseRead more
Of Red Wolves
The photo above was taken on Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11:00 AM. The photo below was taken on Friday, February 15, 2013 at 10:54 AM. If you don’t know what’s going on in the photos, the wolves are mating, or rather, have already mated and waiting for the swelling to go down before they separate, which is normal. The timing of this mating is interesting and may give us a clue as to when to look for this behavior inRead more
Turtles and, Oh Yeah, Spring!
Keep an eye out for turtles on the rocks and tree stumps in the Wetlands as you stroll through Explore the Wild. Yes, even in winter we see turtles out basking here at the Museum, especially on bright sunny days in the high fifties, sixties and above. It’s mostly sliders, but this past Tuesday (2/12) I even saw a painted turtle taking advantage of the relatively warm winter sunshine. This weekend is forecast to be quite chilly, so you mayRead more
Hovering Hermit Thrush!
Hermit Thrushes are not especially adept at clinging to the sides of things the way a nuthatch, titmouse, chickadee, or even a bluebird is. Nor are they adept at hovering like a hummingbird, or perhaps a kinglet, who do quite a bit of hovering in case you didn’t know. No, Hermit Thrushes spend much of their time on the ground foraging among the leaf litter or foraging in fruit laden trees and vines. I often see a Hermit Thrush feeding onRead more
Just a few shots from the Wild
What have you seen today?Read more