The first groundhog of the season was spotted on February 8 running across a service road and then over the path near the boardwalk leading to Explore the Wild. I assume that this marmot is the “Boardwalk Hog.” There is a groundhog burrow just below the fence at the head of the boardwalk that leads to Explore the Wild. The animal that I saw was last seen swiftly moving in that direction. There are many groundhog burrows throughout the MuseumRead more
Posts tagged: #groundhog
Fall
There’s little doubt that fall is here. Warblers and other migrant birds are trickling through, the raccoons, groundhogs, and fox are feeding more heavily, and, as mentioned in a previous post, snakes are moving about more. Here’s just a few more signs of the season before us. And, not necessarily a sign of fall but perhaps a sign of exhaustion towards the summer season… Have we seen this snapper behavior before? That’s all for now.Read more
Beaver in the Bear Enclosure!!??
If you happen to be at the Black Bear Overlook and see a smallish (compared to the bears) gray-brown mammal pop its head up, look around, and then scoot along the grass, it’s not a beaver, it’s a Groundhog. Several people have come up to me in the past month and told me that they had seen a beaver in with the bears. Although beavers and groundhogs are both mammals, rodents, and look somewhat alike, the critter in the bearRead more
Groundhogs!
It may be in the mid 90s on this fine September day, but despite the heat it’s once again time for Groundhogs to begin fattening up for their winter slumber. Groundhogs look cute and cuddly, and the six or so groundhogs that reside here at the Museum are no exception, but I’m compelled to remind all that stroll the outdoor exhibits that they are wild animals and should not be approached. Should you see one these large ground squirrels busilyRead more
Winter Break
Although the temperatures for the day were still below normal for this time of year, January 13 did bring with it a slight break in the cold we’ve been experiencing lately. I was able to shed one layer of clothes for the day. Further proof of a definite warm-up was evidenced by a Groundhog seen browsing in the grass next to the Ornithopter in Catch the Wind. This mid-January date is nearly two weeks before Groundhog Day! Unfortunately, I don’t haveRead more
Getting Ready for Winter
Of the mammals that reside on the Museum property, two have been conspicuously preparing for the oncoming winter season. They are both members of the same family (Sciuridae) but each has a different life style (one is a tree squirrel, the other a ground squirrel) and they have different strategies of how to cope with the cold. Gray Squirrels cache food away for later use for the times when their fair-weather food items become scarce. During the warmer months they eat roots,Read more
Explore the Wild’s Wild Animals
Groundhogs are being seen throughout the outdoor exhibits, especially at the Bird Feeder Exhibit in Catch the Wind. Another less frequently encountered mammal on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Windloop has been seen at the feeders as well, a Gray Fox. On August 28th one was seen directly below the feeders with one eye on the seed at the base of the feeders and another on the birds above. The same day, a fox was seen near the Wetlands Overlook. Fox tracksRead more
Raccoons and Rodents
A family group of Raccoons was observed making the rounds in the Wetlands on the 29th of the month. Each day, raccoon tracks can be seen in the increasingly wide, muddy shoreline which encircles the Wetlands. Often, tracks can be seen crossing the pavement where the raccoons had, the night before, left the water and crossed over the pavement during their nightly routines. (They usually hit the trash receptacles on their way around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop,Read more
A Crafty Canid and Sibling Sciurids
Finally, a Gray Fox! On May 15, as I was walking down the path from Catch the Wind towards the Wetlands, a beautiful Gray Fox came down out of the brush from the direction of the Lemur House, trotted across the pavement and up into the woods on the other side of the path. I was struck by its appearance — it seemed to be very healthy and fit, its coat in excellent shape. Most of the Gray Foxes manyRead more