To Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have, as we did last week, four nests with eggs. All the eggs were being incubated, that is, there was an adult bird in the nest sitting on the eggs when the inspection door was opened. Egg counts in the nests were the same as last week indicating the females are done laying. ——————————— The Cow pasture nest box is empty. The Explore the Wild nest has 5 chickadee eggs which were being incubatedRead more
Blue Corporal and Other Odes*
Top Photo: Male blue corporal. As mentioned previously on this blog (April) blue corporals are early season dragonflies. They’ve usually come and gone by the time the “big” six species of dragonflies begin to make themselves seen. That is, the six species of skimmers (Libellulidae) that you might find at just about any body of water in the state, certainly any pond or lake throughout the warm spring, summer, and fall seasons. Those six species are: Blue dasher Great blueRead more
Nest Box Update 4.8.24
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have four active nests, three belong to Carolina chickadees, and one is maintained by eastern bluebirds. One other nest box has had nesting material placed inside by a bluebird but has been inactive for the past month. One box is empty. —————————— There’s no activity at the Cow Pasture nest box. There’s been no sign of interest by either chickadees or bluebirds. An empty berry basket is what we’ve seen each week we checkedRead more
April Is Big
Top Photo: Just out of nest, this yellow bellied slider was headed for the water when it was noticed and picked up by visitors. April has arrived, a big month in the Carolina Piedmont, a transitional month. Turtles that have spent the winter in the ground where their mothers deposited them as eggs last summer are making their way to water to begin the next phase of their lives. If they make it past this first summer they stand aRead more
Nest Box Update 4.1.25
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We now have five nest boxes with nest material inside their cedar walls. One of those nests contains bluebird eggs. One has a new chickadee nest. One is still empty. ————————— The Cow Pasture nest box is empty with no activity noticed in the area on any of the past five weeks of nest box inspections. Chickadees have built a moss, fur, and feather nest in the box at Explore the Wild. ETW nest boxRead more
Tree Swallows Arrive
Top Photo: Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) sits atop new nest box built with the swallow in mind. Ever since our new tree swallow nest box was installed in our wetland (2.28.25) I’ve been waiting for tree swallows to return from their wintering sites along the North and Central American coasts. For the past several days we’ve had at least two pairs of the insect eating aerialists sorting out who is going to use the nest box. Not only that, they’veRead more
Nest Box Update 3.25.25
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. There seems to have been a take-over of one of the nest boxes, and one bird, a bluebird, was found dead in the vicinity of that box. I think the dead bird was a coincidence, but am not sure. —————————— The Cow Pasture nest box is still empty. It is untouched. The Explore the Wild nest box is also empty. Historically, chickadees use this nest box but so far no activity has been seen inRead more
Awakenings
Top Photo: Mystery bird (See bottom of page for identification). We’re approaching the end of March and spring is moving along quickly. Here’s a few sights you might see on your walk around the outdoor loop here at the museum. Redbud is in bloom. Elm is another early bloomer. Its winged fruit is developing now. Buckeye’s palmate leaves are opening and its red-flowered racemes are ready to pop. Birds like this eastern phoebe are nesting. They nest each year underRead more
Nest Box Update 3.18.25
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We now have four nest boxes with bluebird nest material inside. Two of those nests are ready for eggs and two are not. The Cow Pasture nest box is empty. It has no nest material within. The Explore the Wild nest box is also empty. Our newest location, the Sailboat Pond nest box, contains a nearly completed bluebird nest inside its cedar walls. The Into the Mist nest box has been acquired by bluebirds. TheRead more