Today (1/4/11) there were two pair of mergansers in the Wetlands, and they were struttin’ their stuff! As I inspected the boardwalk that leads down into the Wetlands for icy spots this morning, I noticed another pair of mergs on the now mostly open water. The birds were doing their pair bond dance, or courtship display. Although the mergansers appear to already be paired, the males apparently have the need to reinforce those bonds when other males are in theRead more
Posts filed in: Winter
Mergs return!
After an absence of several weeks, two Hooded Mergansers were in the Wetlands this morning (11/31/10). The Wetlands is still mostly frozen over, but the mergansers perhaps know that the forecasted temps in the 50s and 60s today and tomorrow will thaw it out completely. Welcome back.Read more
Pig Rock, can you find it?
The rock in the picture below, which looks remarkably like a pig (which is why I call it pig rock), is somewhere on the Museum grounds. Do you know where? Let me know if and when you’ve found it.Read more
A Tiny Wren
A tiny dark bird flew past me as I stood at the split in the trail leading to the Red Wolf Exhibit in Explore the Wild. The bird flew down into the grass and immediately began chipping and hopping along, searching through the grass for insects or other invertebrates to munch upon. These little birds can often be found along rivers and streams with some regularity, but most folks just pass them by as the birds forage half-hidden among theRead more
After the Snow
Just three shots of what Explore the Wild looks like two days after the unusually early snowfall of December 25-26, which is already beginning to melt. Enjoy the snow while it lasts.Read more
Winter’s Here!
The calendar says that winter has arrived. What’s been going on in Explore the Wild? Raccoons make nightly sorties around the Wetlands in search of food, which can be anything from persimmons to tadpoles, or a raid on the trash receptacles along the paths of the Museum (the trash bins are emptied each day before closing so the pickings are slim there). Raccoons are not the only animals roaming Explore the Wild. The tracks below were left in the snow aRead more
Which Pine is it, anyway?
Nearly everyone you talk to in North Carolina knows, or has heard of, Loblolly Pine, if for no other reason than that it’s a rather interesting and fun to say name (we’ll get to the name later). When you walk around the trails of the outdoor exhibits here at the Museum you can’t help but to see these tall straight pines everywhere you look. They’re quite common in the Piedmont of North Carolina. There’s another pine here at the Museum,Read more