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.

With plenty of rain and no deep freezes during spring, it was a fairly good year for the berry, seed, and nut crop. Many people in the Triangle area are reporting lower than usual numbers of certain birds at their feeders, particularly northern seed-eating species. This is anecdotal, but it would seem that the birds may be favoring the “wild” crop of seeds and berries instead of the seeds provided by local bird feeders. One good cold snap, snow or ice storm and many of those feeders will be loaded with those “errant” birds. I’ve noticed no shortage of birds at the Museum. There are plenty of birds feeding and foraging throughout the Museum grounds on the Wax Myrtle, Sweetgum, and other wild crop of fruits, nuts, and seeds, so keep your eyes open as you stroll around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop.