Top Photo: Oak (back) attempts to get a reaction from her enclosure mate Adeyha. This is the time of year I start to look for courtship or mating behavior in our wolves. All red wolves are born in April or May. Given the gestation period for red wolves averages 63 days, now through the end of February is the best time to witness breeding behavior in our red wolves. If it happens, it will happen soon. Our female seems toRead more
Quick Pics
Top Photo: Drake mallard backlit against morning sun. Just a few shots along outdoor loop at Museum of Life and Science. What have you seen out there?Read more
The Little Nuthatch
Top Photo: Brown-headed nuthatch pecks away at willow trunk. Brown-headed nuthatches are the smallest of the eastern nuthatches. In the southeast, where there are pines, there are likely these tiny, frenetic birds foraging among the outer branches and cones of the trees. White-breasted nuthatches prefer more deciduous forest habitat. Though you may see the larger (by an inch and more) white-breasted nuthatch in the same pine habitat as brown-headed nuthatches, you won’t see brown-headed nuthatches far from stands of pines.Read more
Adeyha and Anole
Top Photo: Adeyha makes appearance in red wolf enclosure. Seen more often than not inside the enclosure’s den via the den-cam, Adeyha can, at times, actually be seen walking around the wolf habitat. Here’s a few shots of the large (last weigh in at about 44 kg) male red wolf just before he sneaked back into the den to recline. Adeyha seems fond of the den, at least during daylight hours. Oak, our spirited female, likes to roam around theRead more
Keeping On Track
Top Photo: Ellerbe Creek Railway – Engineer Michael. A little out of my realm (I’m usually writing about nature), but every now and then you have to celebrate the people who keep the museum running, literally keep the place on track. The Ellerbe Creek Railway has been closed the past few days due to routine maintenance. Our facilities crew has been replacing railroad ties and recalibrating the tracks to ensure they’re safe for you and your family, friends, or entourageRead more
Three Drupe Producers
Top Photo: Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) flower buds. Just a brief reminder that Japanese apricot is about to burst into bloom, thorny olive is fruiting, and American holly still has plenty of fruit left over to satisfy the resident robins, wintering hermit thrushes, and visiting waxwings. Two of these plants are non-natives while the last, American holly, is born and bred. They all produce drupes, fruits that have one central seed surrounded by a fleshy, usually edible, part and skinRead more
Wolf Cam
Top Photo: Panoramic of the Red Wolf Enclosure. In the spirit of enhanced viewer experiences, the Animal Care and Exhibits teams work together to bring the best experience possible to members and guests at the museum. It takes team work to get the job done. A new infrared light needed to be installed in the wolf den. Invisible to wolf occupants, it brightens the view for us when used with infrared cameras. The den had to be cleared of wolvesRead more
Murray and the Wall
Top Photo: Visitors gather to view Murray Bear (center) go through his paces. Murray, our newest and youngest black bear is still settling in to his new home. All of our bears had to go through the same process of acclimating to new surroundings, and they’ve all come out of it well adjusted. Determined unreleasable in the wild due to their interactions with humans all our bears had no option but to be kept in captivity. We, the museum staff,Read more
Birds to Look Out For
Top Photo: One of two pileated woodpeckers seen near the Lemur House on 22 December. I heard the call coming from the woods next to the Lemur House, in the woods between the lemurs and the Sailboat Pond in Catch the Wind. At first I thought it the call of a flicker, but it was deeper, more liquid and more powerful than a flicker’s call. It had to be a pileated woodpecker. I’d seen and heard pileated on our campusRead more