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Winter Break

Although the temperatures for the day were still below normal for this time of year, January 13 did bring with it a slight break in the cold we’ve been experiencing lately. I was able to shed one layer of clothes for the day. Further proof of a definite warm-up was evidenced by a Groundhog seen browsing in the grass next to the Ornithopter in Catch the Wind. This mid-January date is nearly two weeks before Groundhog Day! Unfortunately, I don’t haveRead more

Getting Ready for Winter

Of the mammals that reside on the Museum property, two have been conspicuously preparing for the oncoming winter season. They are both members of the same family (Sciuridae) but each has a different life style (one is a tree squirrel, the other a ground squirrel) and they have different strategies of how to cope with the cold. Gray Squirrels cache food away for later use for the times when their fair-weather food items become scarce. During the warmer months they eat roots,Read more

Explore the Wild’s Wild Animals

Groundhogs are being seen throughout the outdoor exhibits, especially at the Bird Feeder Exhibit in Catch the Wind. Another less frequently encountered mammal on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Windloop has been seen at the feeders as well, a Gray Fox. On August 28th one was seen directly below the feeders with one eye on the seed at the base of the feeders and another on the birds above. The same day, a fox was seen near the Wetlands Overlook. Fox tracksRead more

Raccoons and Rodents

A family group of Raccoons was observed making the rounds in the Wetlands on the 29th of the month. Each day, raccoon tracks can be seen in the increasingly wide, muddy shoreline which encircles the Wetlands. Often, tracks can be seen crossing the pavement where the raccoons had, the night before, left the water and crossed over the pavement during their nightly routines. (They usually hit the trash receptacles on their way around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop,Read more

An Unfortunate Small Mammal

I discovered a Shorttail Shrew on the path just around the bend from the Lemur House. The shrew was DOR (Dead on Road). This is the second time one of these little shrews was found at this location, although the last was in 2008, nearly one year ago (see Shorttail Shrew, Explore the Wild Journal, June 16-30, 2008). This was the third time a Shorttail Shrew was found within a hundred yards of this spot. Each was found a footRead more

A Crafty Canid and Sibling Sciurids

Finally, a Gray Fox! On May 15, as I was walking down the path from Catch the Wind towards the Wetlands, a beautiful Gray Fox came down out of the brush from the direction of the Lemur House, trotted across the pavement and up into the woods on the other side of the path. I was struck by its appearance — it seemed to be very healthy and fit, its coat in excellent shape. Most of the Gray Foxes manyRead more

Where are the Groundhogs?

Look for Groundhogs at the top of the boardwalk near the entrance to Explore the Wild, in the rocks at the bottom of the boardwalk as it levels out in the Wetlands, between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild on the back side of the loop, and at the Bird Feeder Exhibit. There’s no guarantee, but if you’re looking for a Groundhog, it’s most likely to be seen at one of those locations.Read more

Mystery Tracks on Ice

On the morning of February 7th, I noticed a set of tracks leading across the ice in front of the boardwalk as it descends into the Wetlands. The tracks were muddy and a bit distorted and enlarged due to the melting ice. Throughout the day the temperatures climbed from the 30s to the 70s. The tracks appeared to be that of a fox, although their true identity will never be known for sure since, by noon, they had gradually turnedRead more