There seems to be a guide to just about anything and everything. Whatever it is you happen to be looking at someone has put together a guide to help you figure out what it is, and often, how it relates to the world. There are field guides to birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians, plants and trees. Bird guides are further broken down into eastern birds, western birds, and even groups of birds: sparrows, shorebirds, raptors, warblers, owls. There areRead more
Posts filed in: Mammals
Sleepy Fox
Yesterday (1/4), with the temps in the low thirties (and wind chills in the twenties), one of our resident wild gray foxes found a cozy, sunny spot to lie down and rest. Only feet from the main path through Explore the Wild, the fox apparently felt that its cryptic coloration would conceal its location. I was lucky enough to spot the little canid. It’s always a thrill to see one of these little guys, don’t you agree? I suppose, though,Read more
Sleeping Wolves
While the wolves sleep, the birds reap. Animal keepers enter the Red Wolf Enclosure daily to both clean up and to drop off fresh meat in the form of meatballs. The meat is placed in various locations around the enclosure. Much of it’s picked up and wolfed down before the keepers leave the enclosure, but there’s often small tidbits left behind. I’ve often seen cardinals drop in to sample the raw meat. And Carolina Wrens sometimes fly in to pickRead more
Afternoon Reflections on the Wetlands, and a Sleepy Wolf
After I took the following four photographs I realized that they are all of the same subject but at different levels of zoom. They were not shot in the same sequence as they appear here but minutes apart with other photos in between. There was obviously something that drew my eye to that spot. And, a sleepy wolf. What do you think this wolf is dreaming about, the breeding season to come? a rawhide chew? a run through the woods?Read more
Gray Squirrel
Just some photos of Eastern Gray Squirrels around the campus. Bye.Read more
Warm and Wet
The past few days have been rather warm and humid, if not rainy. That will all change soon, there’s colder air moving our way. But until that cold front rolls over us, enjoy the warmth as some of our wildlife has been. I don’t think the warmer weather matters very much to the mergansers, as long as the water doesn’t freeze and they can get at the fish and tadpoles beneath the surface, they’re happy. The mergansers above seem toRead more
Lemurs
Every so often I get the urge to photograph some of the exhibit animals here at the Museum. The subject of the current compulsive episode is Ring-tailed Lemurs. Besides the long and bushy ringed tail, there’s little doubt that the attraction to these animals is their inquisitive nature and, well, have a look at those peepers. Happy Thanksgiving!Read more
Photo Ops
There are many opportunities to capture interesting photogrpaphic images while on a walk around Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Timing and luck play their parts, and of course the amount of time one spends on the outdoor loop here at the Museum helps expose one to more opportunities, but one thing is for sure, you have to be there in person to photographic whatever it is that’s happening. Here’s some of the images I captured last week. TheRead more
The Life O’ possum
After hearing the sad news about the passing of Galileo, the Museum’s resident, exhibit opossum, and talking with Keepers Sarah and Jessi about the longevity of said animals, I decided to do a little research. I suppose I should have known opossums have a short life span. I mistakingly assumed they lived perhaps 4, 5, or even 6 years. I was incredulous when told they can only be expected to live about 2 years. Hamsters live longer than that! InRead more