Top Photo: Eastern Bluebird eggs. We now have fifteen eggs in four active nests. Nine eggs belong to bluebirds while six are chickadee eggs. —————— The egg count in the bluebird nest at the Cow Pasture remains at four. I didn’t see a bluebird while inspecting the box. Even so, the birds must surely be incubating since they haven’t added to the brood in a week. The Explore the Wild and Into the Mist nest boxes are empty. There areRead more
Toad Time, Skink, first Slider Hatchling, and a Goose!
Top Photo: American toad calls out from wetlands. Like magic, American toads were out breeding in numbers on 24 March. It looked to me, though, most of the toads I witnessed splashing about, calling out, and attempting to mount one another were unsuccessful in finding suitable mates. It seemed most of the toads, if not all, were males. Females are larger than males. All the couplings I saw were short-lived and consisted of rather small individuals. Males will mount otherRead more
A Change in the Air
Top Photo: Yona (right) approaches Little Bear at pool in Black Bear Enclosure. Its wasn’t long ago that Yona Bear was a loner among loners, always off by herself. She was aggressive towards the other bears in the enclosure. It seemed, she had a chip on her shoulder. Black bears by nature are solitary creatures, but Yona, our second youngest bear of the four in the enclosure, was even more of an isolationist. She was habitually off on her own,Read more
Nest Box Update 3.21.23
Top Photo: Eastern Bluebird eggs (from previous season). We now have four active nests. Two nests belong to chickadees and two to bluebirds. Neither chickadee nest has eggs, There are four eggs in one bluebird nest and a single egg in another. —————— The nest box at the Cow Pasture has four eastern bluebird eggs inside its cup. At the end of the day, last Tuesday, it had two eggs. There were no birds to be seen during this week’sRead more
You Have to Go Outside to See It
Top Photo: Canada geese float about in wetlands. You can’t help but see the Canada geese drifting about on our three acre pond in Explore the Wild. They’re big, loud, and recently, there’ve been ten of them present, five pairs. With the installation of the floating walkway in our wetlands you may have the opportunity to get quite close to the geese. Of course, they sometimes walk along the main path grazing on the grass as they go, so youRead more
Nest Box Update 3.14.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs (nest from previous season). Three of our six nest boxes are occupied, two by bluebirds one by chickadees. One of the bluebird nests has egg activity. —————— When I peered into the nest box at the Cow Pasture I saw much the same as I saw last week, a finished bluebird’s nest. Other than a few pine needles shuffled about, it looked as though it hadn’t been touched in a week. It wasn’t until IRead more
More Spring
Top Photo: Northern Mockingbird establishes its territory. Note leaf buds sprouting from tree branches. As temperatures settle back from highs in the mid to upper 70s to seasonal norms of 50s and 60s, more signs of spring are being seen around campus. Here’s some examples. The day following the capture of the photo above, fresh young leaves emerged from the buds of the fig tree our mockingbird was claiming as his own. Blue violet is common along paths in ExploreRead more
Nest Box Update 3.7.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs (previous season). We now have three nest boxes being attended to. Two of the nests are being worked on by eastern bluebirds while one is the property of a pair of Carolina chickadees. The Cow Pasture nest box has a completed bluebird nest. A female was nearby as we opened the nest box for a peek. The Explore the Wild and Into the Mist nest boxes are empty with no sign of activity. The ParkingRead more
Spring Is Here!
Top Photo: Redbud, about to burst wide open. March 1 is the first day of Spring. Many wait till the equinox to proclaim the season, but for me it’s the first day of March. Most meteorologist agree. Besides the photo of the redbud above, here’s a group of photos which may help confirm the arrival of the season. A single soft-white flower and a single rounded, lobed, leaf means bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). Red juice from the stem can be usedRead more