Feeder Watch

Slow and steady is the best way to describe the activity at the bird feeders in Catch the Wind. The local residents are visiting the feeders as usual but there have been few winter birds yet. Our first Pine Siskin didn’t show up until the second week in January last winter and I don’t often see Fox Sparrows until sometime in January, so there’s no need to sound the alarm. That’s not to say that there are no winter species hereRead more

Coop

As I drove the golf cart along the path through Catch the Wind towards Explore the Wild I saw Ranger Rock standing on the side of the path intently staring at something in the upper swamp, a small wooded swamp on the northeast side of the campus. I parked the vehicle and quietly walked towards Rock. It was an overcast but warm December day. Ranger Rock had gotten the Bungee Jump set up for business ahead of time and decided toRead more
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Cooper’s Hawk or What!

I was very excited when I first spotted the bird in the above photo. I was making the final run of the day, driving from Explore the Wild into Catch the Wind. Glancing over at the swamp between those two areas of the outdoor exhibits I saw the hawk perched about twenty some feet above the floor of the swamp on my left. Why the excitement over a Cooper’s Hawk? I see them fairly often here at the Museum throughout theRead more
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Spring Update

Although at times it doesn’t feel like it, it really is spring. And, this is an update as to some of what has been going on outside here at the Museum during the past spring-like week. I saw the first of the year Falcate Orangetip on 16 March. They, like the mild spring temperatures, are a bit behind schedule. Last year the first sighting was March 6, the year before it was March 8 before I spied one. On TuesdayRead more
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Be careful out there little titmouse

I was sitting at the bird feeders at Bird Viewing in Catch the Wind. I was watching the titmice, chickadees, and other birds busily feeding in front of me when suddenly, they scattered. A whoosh of wings came at me, then abruptly turned and landed in a tree about 30 feet to my left, hidden in the shadows. In the midst of all this I heard a high pitched, shrill whistle come from somewhere over by the feeders. There, onRead more

Catching Up

As predicted, dragonflies have been steadily emerging from the deep. I’ve seen numerous Common Whitetails and Common Baskettails, fresh out of their nymphal skins, fly off to a safe place to further dry and harden before starting their life cycles anew; feeding, mating, and ovipositing in the Wetlands. Hatchling Yellow-bellied Sliders continue to be seen hiking down the paths and trails of the Museum heading for the Wetlands or other suitable bodies of water in which to take up residence.Read more
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Great Backyard Bird Count

This past weekend I, along with Rangers Kristin and Sara, participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count. The count is a joint project organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society, and Bird Studies Canada. The count spans four days but you only have to count one day if time is short, and only fifteen minutes of that day if you’re really pressed for time. The requirements for participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count are a willingness toRead more

Cooper’s Hawk and the Robin

During the month of July, I casually monitored the progress of two young Cooper’s Hawks that fledged here at the Museum. I would sometimes see the birds through the trees hopping and flying from limb to limb, but more often I would hear them whining for food back among the pines on the north side of the path through Explore the Wild. Occasionally I saw one of the adult Cooper’s Hawks carry in a newly captured passerine to feed to theRead more