The Big Gray Bird Nesting on the Island!

If you happen to be walking down the boardwalk into the Wetlands and see a large gray bird sitting on what looks like a nest… look closely at the bird. The bird is a Great Blue Heron, and it’s resting, not nesting. The resident heron sometimes retires to the island to rest during the day. It does most of its hunting for fish, tadpoles, frogs, and crayfish within the cover of the willows on the north side of the Wetlands,Read more

Falcate Orangetip!

Yesterday, after writing about the early butterflies that have been showing up recently, I happened upon a Falcate Orangetip (Anthocharis midea). And, I was lucky enough to get a photo the little butterfly. Falcates don’t sit still for long as they zip along the woodland understory so it’s always exciting to be able to get a photo of one. Falcates are early season butterflies, as you may have guessed. The males emerge first in early to mid March, the femalesRead more

Female or Male?

Female Hooded Mergansers have yellowish bills which are slightly darker on the upper surface and towards the tip. They also have brown eyes. It was pointed out to me by sharp-eyed Ranger Kristin that one of our “female” Hooded Mergansers has an all dark bill. The bird in question also has bright yellow eyes. The dark bill and bright eyes of the bird in the bottom photo make it an immature male merganser, not a female. Good spot, Ranger Kristin!Read more

Butterflies are flying!

On Saturday, March 5th a Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis) landed on one of the river rocks that make up the border around the U-shaped pond in Catch the Wind. I’ve been seeing butterflies for several weeks, but this is the first one that sat long enough for me to get a photo. And, if they (the butterflies) don’t sit still it’s not always easy to identify them, especially one like the Question Mark that has a close relative that looksRead more
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Where’s Spring?

There’s still a few weeks to go before it’s officially spring, but as far as I’m concerned, it has arrived. So, here’s some springtime happenings out in Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Alders are one of the earliest of woody plants to bloom and the plants here at the Museum have had flowers on them for the past few weeks. The male flowers on alders are in the form of catkins, the female flowers are tiny, red spikedRead more

My, how they’ve grown!

In January, I posted a link to a live feed of a Bald Eagle’s nest at Jordan Lake. At the time the two chicks in the nest were quite small, having just hatched. Have a look at them now! They’re just about the size of the parents, one of which is feeding the two eaglets as I watch it live at 14:24, on March 3 (Thursday).Read more

BEKI Male Comes Home

The male half of the locally nesting Belted Kingfisher pair has returned to the Wetlands from wherever it was that he spent the last six or seven months. I think he’s back a bit early this year. I don’t remember seeing him until sometime in March in the past. I’ve already seen the male chasing about the Wetlands with a fish dangling from his bill trying to impress, or entice, our female. Love is in the air!Read more
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The Red-shouldered Stoop

It’s not summer yet. Heck, it’s not even spring yet, but the local Red-shouldered Hawks are certainly thinking about the seasons in front of them. The fine weather of the previous week brought out the red-shoulders in numbers, and they were definitely in an amorous state of mind, soaring over the Wetlands, talons dangling below them. Their aerial displays and loud, constant vocalizations could hardly be missed by any earthbound humans below. There were a few Red-tailed Hawks about too.Read more