Bluebirds!!

Well, it’s that time of year again when the wild creatures of our little world here at the Museum begin to procreate, to bring more wild creatures into the world (actually, there’s probably not a month out of the year when there is not some sort of procreation going on out in the wild). Our bluebirds have begun to build nests in at least four of the six nest boxes placed out for them. One of the nest boxes holdsRead more

And the sap is flowing!

On Tuesday of this week I noticed a large wet area on the trunk of a Carolina Maple in Catch the Wind. That could only mean one thing, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker had been at work. This is the same maple that I mention each year around this time. It seems to be a favorite of our visiting sapsuckers and it’s easy to observe (it’s right next to the path). I’ve been keeping a casual eye on this tree but hadn’t seenRead more

Bluebird Update May 17, 2012

I got a late start with the nest box inspections this week as I was out for a few days. I did, however, have a peek inside all of our six nest boxes on Wednesday (5/16) and there are a few things to report. The nest box up near the Train Tunnel, which last week had a half completed pine straw nest, now holds four pristine eggs. This nest, I’m happy to report, was dry as can be. We’ve experiencedRead more

Bluebird Update April 12, 2012

I inspected all six of our bluebird nest boxes on Tuesday April 10 and there are definitely some changes to report. The nest that had contained 4 chickadee eggs on April 3 now has 5 eggs and 2 tiny hatchlings. The birds apparently have added 3 more eggs for a total of seven, and, two of the previously laid eggs have hatched. It’s difficult to convey how small and fragile those little hatchlings are. Pictures help, but you have toRead more

Bluebird Update April 5, 2012

We currently have six bluebird nest boxes here at the Museum. All of the boxes were donated by Ken Kernodle and friends back in March of 2010 with the addition of two new boxes installed this year. The boxes were checked as to their current occupancy on April 3 & 4 and were all found to contain nests. Four of the boxes contained bluebird nests with four to five eggs each, one box contained a Carolina Chickadee nest with fourRead more

Brief Fall Update

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Northern Flickers, Winter Wrens, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets have all been seen here at the Museum. We’re still waiting to see the first White-throated Sparrow of the season. The cool weather brought in by a cold front yesterday had the local birds feeding heavily at the Bird Feeders in Catch the Wind. Even though the air was much cooler than the previous several days, the sun was intense, turtles were out taking advantage of its warming rays.Read more