On this bright, sunny, and relatively warm day following many days of below normal temperatures, I thought it’d be nice to take a walk through the past week or so and have a look at some of the birds that frequent Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Take a walk. It’s good for you.Read more
Posts filed in: Winter
Dino Quiz
When biologists conduct wildlife surveys they sometimes have to rely on only brief glimpses of their subject in order to document them. A birder often only gets a quick look at a bird, and then only a small part of the bird, in order to identify it. Many times, it’s only a flash of a wing, the head, or even the tail that’s visible as the bird moves around in the dense brush, or flies away only to duck downRead more
People and Birds in the News
Last Wednesday (1/5/11) was a busy day here at the Museum. Besides the sightings of a Barred Owl, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Cooper’s Hawk, two other raptorial birds were seen on the trails of the outdoor areas. Master Teachers Meredith Cochran and Anna Engelke were spotted walking Christopher and Misha, the Museum’s Barred Owl and Red-tailed Hawk. Both the owl and the hawk are birds which were injured in the wild and whose injuries are such that they can not fendRead more
The Owl and the Mockingbird (and the Hawk)
About 11 AM on Wednesday (1/5/11) Facilities Tech, Al Gustafson spotted a Northern Mockingbird harassing a Barred Owl in a small pine tree 30 feet or so from the east entrance to the Farm Yard. Al radioed me, and I was able to get a dozen or more photos of the bird. And, many Museum visitors were able to get close looks at a bird that most folks would have passed by unseen. Thanks Al. Barred Owls are quite common inRead more
The Fox and the Squirrel
As I stood near the top of the boardwalk, unsuccessfully attempting to photograph a squirrel stripping a pine cone of its seeds (the squirrel kept turning its back to me just as I tripped the shutter) I noticed a reddish-brown and gray colored object quickly move out from under some exposed tree roots to my right. It was a bird, a large, brightly colored sparrow. It was a Fox Sparrow. I hadn’t seen a Fox Sparrow here at the MuseumRead more
Mergs Strut their Stuff!
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
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