On Tuesday of this week I noticed a large wet area on the trunk of a Carolina Maple in Catch the Wind. That could only mean one thing, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker had been at work. This is the same maple that I mention each year around this time. It seems to be a favorite of our visiting sapsuckers and it’s easy to observe (it’s right next to the path). I’ve been keeping a casual eye on this tree but hadn’t seenRead more
Posts filed in: Winter
Siskins, others, and a sign of the season to come (maybe)
The cold weather following the cold front last Wednesday night brought with it increased activity at the bird feeders in Catch the Wind. There had been one Pine Siskin hanging around for a couple of weeks and Ranger Kristin reported 6 siskins at the feeders on Sunday (1/27) but it took the cold to bring in a group of 18 of the little finches. The birds had nearly cleaned out the thistle feeder, it was getting very low on seed,Read more
What comes out on warm nights?
Bats! Tuesday and Wednesday of last week were exceptionally warm days with mild nights. It was apparently warm enough to awaken some of the local bats. I wasn’t at the Museum to witness bats actually flying over the campus on either of those nights but Ranger Rock spotted one floating in the Sail Boat Pond on Thursday morning. The bat, unfortunately, was not alive. How had this bat ended up in the water? I can’t say for sure but IRead more
Killer Kitties?
That’s not my title. It’s the title, or at least part of the title, of an NPR interview on All Things Considered. I happened to be listening to NPR on the radio on the drive home the other day. An animal ecologist, Pete Marra, from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute was being interviewed about a study he and colleagues of his had recently conducted. The study was focused on determining how many animals are killed in the states each year by us,Read more
Snowflakes
It doesn’t happen very often here in the North Carolina Piedmont, but when the temperature is just right, and the moisture level is just right, there’s the potential to get a look at some “real” snowflakes, and not the icy, mushy, freezing presip that we usually get around here. On Friday last, fowl weather was predicted by the local weather folks. There would be two bands of winter weather coming in from the west. The first band came through lateRead more
The Hollies
Last week I wrote about a small flock of Cedar Waxwings flying around the Outdoor Exhibit area of the Museum searching for berries. That’s what waxwings do. They’re nomadic and social. In winter you can expect to see flocks of these gentle birds wheeling across the countryside looking for fruit. You may not see them as often as you’d like (they are very attractive birds and worth your attention) but if you have a fruiting tree or vine nearby andRead more
Squirrel wounds
The squirrel above was at the bird feeders. The wound, which appears to be rather fresh, didn’t seem to bother the squirrel as it went about feeding. But I suppose that there’s not much the squirrel could do even if it did bother the varmint except lick the wound. I guess the question is, how did the squirrel get the injury? If it were earlier in the year I might suggest that it was a warble that the squirrel keptRead more
What’s that sound?!
Why, it’s 1414 howling! If you’re lucky enough to be in Explore the Wild when the wolves start to howling you’ll get quite a thrill. It’s both thrilling and chilling to experience these wolves doing what they used to do in the wild many years ago throughout the Southeast. The only place in these parts that you can experience Red Wolves howling nowadays, without treking out to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern North Carolina, is right here at theRead more
Waxwings!
Yesterday, I noticed a few Cedar Waxwings flying about the trees on the path leading towards Explore the Wild just above the Lemur House. I watched quietly as one bird preened, looked around a bit and then took off with a purpose in the direction of the Lemur House. “There must be more of these birds around,” I said to myself, “and there must be some ripe berries somewhere over by the lemurs.” Walking down the path I saw whatRead more