It is now May. Insects that we haven’t seen for months are back among us. Reptiles and amphibians are active as if winter had never happened. Many birds that have been far away in Central and South America have returned to the Museum grounds to make nests and raise families. It’s as if they never left. Keep your eyes and ears open for these creatures as you walk the paths and trails here at the Museum. I’ve gathered more thanRead more
Posts tagged: #herps
Geese are in the House and Martins are on the way
First spotted on Sunday, February 8, the two geese in the photo have returned. Every February they drop in. It’s the same two geese. It’s usually within the first or second week of the month that we first see them. February is also the month that purple martins enter the scene. They start showing up in southern Texas and Florida in early January, or even late December, but it’s not until February that they get anywhere near ourRead more
A Fine Day…Week
The last several days have been quite pleasant. The local fauna have been responding to the uncharacteristically mild nature of our current meteorological situation. In other words, it’s been real nice outside lately and some of our resident wildlife are taking advantage of that niceness. Come on out and enjoy some of this fine weather yourself, you never know when it’s going to rain, snow, sleet, or worse, so get it while you can. See youRead more
Just Add Heat!
All it took was a bit of warm sunshine and all of the critters came crawling out of the mud and from under logs, rocks and the leaf litter. The amphibians and reptiles made the news this week with new arrivals and increased numbers of previously seen species. Although I’d seen several Brown Snakes earlier in the season, the snake in the photo was the first one I’ve seen alive and making its way across the path here at the Museum.Read more
I’m excited, are you?
Mourning Cloaks, Groundhogs, more turtles, a bullfrog, and finally, Pickerel Frogs! Are you ready for some pictures? The cloak… The hog… The turtles… A bullfrog… And the Pickerel Frogs, lots of them… Sorry for getting carried away with the Pickerel Frogs, I’ve been waiting so long for them and at last, they’re here! I heard at least one Southern Leopard Frog today (3/13) but was not able to locate it in order take its portrait, maybe tomorrow. Enjoy!Read more
Bullfrogs and Meadowhawks
The unseasonably warm weather last week brought out more than a few bullfrogs. I see these frogs throughout the winter so they won’t completely disappear when the temperature drops again, as it’s already doing as I write. The warmer weather of last week also brought out the meadowhawks. Although I saw the first of the season meadowhawk on October 12, it had been a few weeks since I’d seen another. The meadowhawk above was only feet from a chalk drawingRead more
Party in the Wetlands Last Night
If I didn’t know any better, and I don’t, I’d say that the bullfrogs had a party in the Wetlands last night. With the temperatures in the seventies, and even eighties, this week it looks like the frogs have extended their breeding season. While most of the other dozen or so species of frogs and toads that breed in our little Wetlands have been put to bed or at least on break (I did hear spring peepers calling last week andRead more
Fish Crows (w/audio this time) and Herp and Ode Updates
Fish Crows continued to fly over on Tuesday (3/9). I searched my personal audio library that I keep for video soundtracks and found a file that contains the nasal calls of the Fish Crows as they wing by. Have a listen here: [audio:/wp-content/files/2/2010/03/fishcrow.mp3|titles=fishcrow] The same day, Spring Peepers, Upland Chorus Frogs, (The chorus frogs are the ones that sound like someone running their finger down a comb, the peepers are the higher pitched single notes heard)[audio:/wp-content/files/2/2010/03/chorus_peeper.mp3|titles=chorus_peeper] Pickerel Frogs, [audio:/wp-content/files/2/2010/03/pickerel-frog.mp3|titles=pickerel frog]andRead more