February Happenings

It’s February. What happens in February besides cold north winds, Groundhog Day, the Super Bowl, and two of our past president’s birthdays? Why, our two seasonally local Canada Geese arrive in our Wetlands and hazel alder comes into bloom. That’s what happens in February. I do not know where these two geese spend the rest of their year, but they arrive here in our Wetlands each February. Unless the water freezes over they will remain here till late spring orRead more

Cold Outside

  That’s right, it’s cold outside. It’s been in the teens most of the day (2/19) with single digits forecast for tonight and early tomorrow.     You can always go out and see who or what has been leaving tracks in the snow.             Don’t let the cold keep you from enjoying the out-of-doors. Of course, dress warmly, but don’t let lack of heat stop you from doing what you want to do. Oh,Read more

A Stranger in Our Midst?

  The tracks above were found on the pavement on the north side of the Wetlands here at the Museum. The tracks came from the edge of the muddy water, onto the pavement and continued directly across the path and into another wet area on the other side of the path. The animal had apparently been walking along the mud at the edge of the water and decided to cross the path. It looks to me like a coyote’s tracks.Read more

Photo Ops

There are many opportunities to capture interesting photogrpaphic images while on a walk around Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. Timing and luck play their parts, and of course the amount of time one spends on the outdoor loop here at the Museum helps expose one to more opportunities, but one thing is for sure, you have to be there in person to photographic whatever it is that’s happening. Here’s some of the images I captured last week. TheRead more

Mystery Tracks on Ice

On the morning of February 7th, I noticed a set of tracks leading across the ice in front of the boardwalk as it descends into the Wetlands. The tracks were muddy and a bit distorted and enlarged due to the melting ice. Throughout the day the temperatures climbed from the 30s to the 70s. The tracks appeared to be that of a fox, although their true identity will never be known for sure since, by noon, they had gradually turnedRead more

Tracks

It doesn’t snow very often here in central North Carolina. When it does snow, it usually doesn’t last long, melting within a day or two, sometimes disappearing the same day. I try to get out as early as possible when there’s a covering of snow to have a look around and see what creatures have been stirring. A dusting of snow often reveals the comings and goings of many creatures that may be easily overlooked otherwise; a squirrel hopping alongRead more