Top Photo: Circle marks spot of barred owl nest. Barred owls are year-round residents here at the museum. They’re not always seen, but they’re always here. Some years the owls are spotted on a regular basis, but most years their presence is only realized though an occasional, resonate “Who cooks for you-all” or even just a single “you-all” coming from somewhere back in the woods near the stream that runs through our campus and eventually into Ellerbe Creek. This year,Read more
The Phoebe Fledge
Top Photo: Juvenile eastern phoebe waiting for food from one of its parents. On Thursday morning of this past week, I noticed a pathetic, wheezy, weeping sound coming from the palms along the sides of the path on the Dinosaur Trail, the unmistakable whining of a young bird on, or just off, the nest. It didn’t take long to locate the bird. It was an eastern phoebe, just fledged. There were at least two more of the little flycatchers upRead more
Nest Box Update 4.25.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. After last week’s total of five occupied nest boxes we now have only two. The good news is, we saw 18 birds fledge this past week. ———————— The nest box at the Cow Pasture fledged four eastern bluebirds. What was most surely a newly arrived male house wren, built a prospective nest for itself and a mate while the nest box was still warm from the bluebirds. It remains to be seen whether this nestRead more
Nest Box Update 4.18.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We now have eighteen or nineteen nestlings and five eggs in five active nests. One nest box remains empty. ———————— The nest box at the Cow Pasture still has its four bluebird nestlings. I suspect they will fledge within a day or two. I don’t expect to see them there next week. The chickadees at the Explore the Wild nest are still incubating their five brown speckled eggs. The nest box at Into the MistRead more
Mimi Enjoys a Swim
Top Photo: Mimi Bear prepares to go for a swim. Born in 2004, Mimi is the oldest of our four black bears. She spends much of her time sleeping on the boulders out in front of the cave in the black bear enclosure, especially in the cooler months of the year. But when it begins to heat up, you’ll likely catch her taking a dip in the moat in front of the main bear overlook. She fancies a solitary morningRead more
Nest Box Update 4.11.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. With five active nests and eggs or nestlings in each of those five nests, it seems we’re off to a good season. There are fourteen nestlings and ten eggs in the nests. ———————— The Cow Pasture nest holds four growing bluebird nestlings. These birds were the first to hatch and will be the first to fledge. The Explore the Wild nest box has five chickadee eggs inside. They were being incubated when we arrived atRead more
Spring Heats Up for Plants, Animals, and Staff
Top Photo: Tent caterpillar hustling across path. The caterpillar pictured above has made it’s way down out of its secure, communal silken tent in a nearby cherry tree. It’s in search of an even more secure location to pupate, under siding, tree bark, crevice or other hidden location. By late spring to summer it will become an adult moth and deposit eggs on a twig of another cherry tree, or perhaps the very same tree it crawled out of. TinyRead more
Nest Box Update 4.4.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. As of 4.4.23 there are five active nest boxes with a total of fifteen eggs and at least four nestlings. The four nestlings are bluebirds. There are five eggs yet to hatch in another bluebird nest. There are ten unhatched chickadee eggs. ———————— The nest box at the Cow Pasture had four bluebird eggs last week. Today, there are four nestlings. At last week’s inspection (3.28.23) the nest box in Explore the Wild was empty.Read more
The Ode Season
Top Photo: Female blue corporal clinging to siding of restroom building at Cafe Plaza. Odes* are finally being seen around campus. At least four species are confirmed, blue corporal, lancet clubtail, green darner, and common whitetail. Both blue corporal and lancet clubtail are early season species and make brief appearances each spring. Blue corporals prefer still water but can occasionally be found around slow streams and rivers. They typically perch on or near the ground. However, the one pictured wasRead more