Frogs persist in the Wetlands. Besides the BullFrogs being harvested by the Red-shouldered Hawk in the small swamp adjacent to the Wetlands Overlook, a Pickerel Frog was seen busily hopping along the grass near the restrooms in Explore the Wild on the relatively warm day of 24 January. Where it was going, and the reason for its haste, can only be supposed. A Painted Turtle and a couple of Yellow-bellied Turtles were out basking in the bright sunshine of theRead more
Posts filed in: Winter
Creeper Pods
Seed pods of Trumpet Creeper can be seen hanging from the now brown, leafless vines throughout the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop, most noticeably on either side of the path next to the Wetlands Overlook and behind the Sailboat Pond. These 4”-8” long pods (image at left) contain small winged seeds. I’m not sure if many bird species include these seeds in their diet, but I saw an American Goldfinch pecking at one of the half-open pods.Read more
Birdapalooza
January 10th was a fun day. It was Birdapalooza at the Museum. I see a lot of people during my day out on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop, and by all accounts, Birdapalooza was a rousing success! Besides there being many special programs in the main building and other areas on the Museum grounds, I led a Bird Walk around the Wetlands and through Catch the Wind. Many of the birds that I had staked out earlier remainedRead more
Busy Beavers
In the Wetlands, the Beaver (or is it Beavers) has (or have) been very busy lately. Besides damming the culvert where the water exits the Wetlands (underneath you as you descend into the Wetlands on the boardwalk) as soon as it’s cleared of the many twigs, branches, leaves, and mud that keeps the water from flowing through it, the beaver has been steadily gnawing away at the willows and other trees around the Wetlands. Beaver “sign” is everywhere. From theRead more
Excavations Underway, Visitors from the North
For the past month or more, a male Red-bellied Woodpecker has been excavating a hole near the end of a broken branch of a Loblolly Pine. The pine is just outside the entrance to the Lemur House. The bird will, presumably, use the hole to roost in during the cold winter nights, and perhaps to nest in later in the year. This industrious woodpecker is not always at the site, but is usually on the job from a little afterRead more
Winter frogs, and a Strange Turtle Encounter
Frogs persist in the swamp across from the Wetlands Overlook. On warm days, especially when the sun warms the shallow water of the swamp in late morning to early afternoon, frogs begin to move about in the water. I’ve not actually seen one of these frogs, that is, before one of the resident Red-shouldered Hawks, who patiently wait for them to stir pounces on them from above. Even then, it’s usually a quick glimpse as the hawk adjusts its gripRead more
Two Fruits
If, on your stroll around the Wetlands, you happen to notice small red, berry-like fruit on thorny, bare twigs along the water’s edge, you’re looking at Rose Hips. The small, red fruit of the various wild roses are eaten by many birds and animals on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. Also, Sycamore “balls,” the fruit of the Sycamore Tree, are another food source for the birds and animals that make their homes at the Museum. Of the birdsRead more
Looking Back: Birds
With the closing of the year it’s perhaps time to look back and see what we’ve observed on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. Below, in the appropriate segments, I give totals for some of the species seen since January of last year. There were 101 species of bird observed during 2008 at the Museum including such unlikely species as Double-crested Cormorant, Black-crowned Night-heron, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Osprey, Bald Eagle (3), and Northern Harrier. All of those species wereRead more
Looking back: Herps
With the closing of the year it’s perhaps time to look back and see what we’ve observed on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. Below, in the appropriate segments, I give totals for some of the species seen since January of last year. Following a week of relatively warm, cloudy, misty, and drizzly weather, a Yellow-bellied Turtle was seduced by the bright sunshine of December 21 into basking on a rock in the Wetlands. Unfortunately for the turtle, theRead more