Top Photo: Ashleaf maple, or boxelder. On a walk around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop I photographed some of the fall color during the last week of October. Here’s some of those images.Read more
Posts tagged: #gray squirrel
The Squirrel at the Train Station
Top Photo: Gray squirrel enjoying bird seed. If you’ve ever ridden the Ellerbe Creek Railroad at the museum you may have seen this or another squirrel at the bird feeders. The rodent has no fear of people, feeds at its own leisure, and is quite plainly entertaining to watch. We have “squirrel proof” feeders at our official bird feeding site, Bird Viewing, in Catch the Wind. The feeder at the Train Station is more or less a freebie. Oh, andRead more
Busy Time for Squirrels
Top Photo: Eastern gray squirrel sits on boulder chomping on nuts. Squirrel activity is high at this time. There’s lots of nest building and renovating, digging up of old buried seeds and nuts, and frequent munching. The weather has turned slightly colder and the squirrels are paying attention. Here’s some shots of resident gray squirrels doing what squirrels do while prepping for and reacting to the cold of winter. So, if you notice the squirrels seeming to be busier thanRead more
What’s Happening on the Outdoor Loop
Top Photo: The Wetlands in summer. If you’re familiar with the museum’s outdoor loop through Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild, you may be happy to know that life goes on as it always has in the past. There are, though, a few changes around the bend. Here, a few familiar sights and a few behind the scenes sneak previews. Shrubby St. John’s wort is in bloom, as it is each year at this time. The 4 foot tallRead more
Waxy Fruit Eaters
Above: Yellow-rumped warbler on wax myrtle. Yellow-rumped warblers (also know as myrtle warblers) are not the only animals that eat wax myrtle fruit. I read somewhere that some 42 bird species consume the wax-coated seeds of the shrub. Besides the above mentioned warbler, I can only remember seeing a handful of species of bird partake, ruby-crowned kinglet, eastern phoebe, and a few more. Regardless of how many birds or other animals eat the wax myrtle fruit, the grand prize winnerRead more
The Local Squirrels
The common tree squirrel in our area is the eastern gray squirrel. And yes, there is a western gray squirrel. It occupies parts of the western states of Washington, Oregon, and California. The eastern gray lives in the central and eastern states, wherever there are trees. Besides the two already mentioned, there are tassel-eared squirrels of the southwest and various forms of fox squirrels, mainly in the east but also in some of the western states. And there are theRead more
Last Chance to Get Out and Enjoy the Cold
In a day or two all of this coldness will be behind us. What little bit of snow we had will be forgotten too, a faded memory. So, if you like the cold you should get outside now and enjoy it. While you’re out there, check any remaining patches of snow for animal tracks, see who’s been wandering around the neighborhood while you’ve been warm and cozy inside. Go out and see what you can find. Every track tells aRead more
Quick Quiz
Take a look at the photo below and see if you can identify the subject. If you said “the tail of an eastern gray squirrel,” you’d be correct. Now that you know what it is, did you know that eastern gray squirrels grow little tufts of white fur on their ears in winter? Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are everywhere in the east. From east Texas to Saskatchewan and east to the Atlantic Coast gray squirrels are a familiar sight.Read more
It’s Time to Eat
Top Photo: Gray squirrel enjoys food from a relatively safe location, trash bin. The red wolf in the above photo has something hidden behind the pine tree to its left. The animal keepers entered the red wolf enclosure today (1/30/15), as they do every day, to feed the wolves. The keepers typically toss about meat balls throughout the enclosure, on rocks, in clumps of grass, halfway up the hillside in the enclosure, for the wolves to sniff out andRead more
Some Goings On
Just a handful of things that you might want to keep an eye out for while walking along the Outdoor Loop Trail this spring at the Museum of Life and Science. Whenever an “outside” pair of geese fly into the Wetlands, the resident gander takes offensive action towards the intruder. Sometimes a simple flyby suffices to send them on their way. Other times, it may get physical. Enjoy your walk!Read more