The level of anticipation was high as Museum staff collected around the Red Wolf Enclosure. The word had gone out that female red wolf 1794 was about to be released into the enclosure with her new companion 1784 who, himself, had been released only six days prior. The male red wolf was also anxious, pacing back and forth, looking at his new mate through the kennel’s chain link fence. He, no doubt, wondering why all of we humansRead more
Posts tagged: #life and science
Look Who’s Back!
I first noticed the grebe towards the end of the day on the 16th of October. I hadn’t seen one here in our Wetlands since 2012, September to be exact. These smallest of grebes likely to be found in the east, are by no means rare, or even uncommon. A trip to any of the big lakes in our area during late fall or winter should score a look at one. Despite their relative common local occurence,Read more
FOX
Wild gray fox pups were first noticed here at the Museum sometime around May 17 on the north side of the Wetlands close to the Lemur House. The fox were in a hollow on the opposite side of the path from the Lemur House and were visible from the path through a narrow opening in the brush. At the time it was estimated that there were anywhere from 5 to 7 of the pups in the litter. A short timeRead more
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
There was a considerable amount of flycatching going on in our Wetlands on Wednesday. Besides the local Eastern Phoebes and winter resident Yellow-rumped Warblers (butter butts) sallying forth from their willow branch perches to capture winged insects over the Wetlands’ water, two Northern Rough-winged Swallows showed up. They are aerial specialist, only perching to rest on occasion. Of the six swallow species you’re likely to see in our area, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is the one that I’ve most oftenRead more
Bluebird Update 3/25/14
All six of our bluebird nest boxes are spoken for, three have been claimed by Carolina Chickadees and three by bluebirds. Although there was minimal work done on two of the bluebird nests in the past week, just a few needles added and moved around a bit, the chickadees have been working in earnest. The little parids have completed three nests and in one instance began building on top of one of the bluebird nests before the bluebirds recaptured it. ThereRead more
A Field Guide to Whatever it is You’re Looking at
There seems to be a guide to just about anything and everything. Whatever it is you happen to be looking at someone has put together a guide to help you figure out what it is, and often, how it relates to the world. There are field guides to birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians, plants and trees. Bird guides are further broken down into eastern birds, western birds, and even groups of birds: sparrows, shorebirds, raptors, warblers, owls. There areRead more
Lemurs
Every so often I get the urge to photograph some of the exhibit animals here at the Museum. The subject of the current compulsive episode is Ring-tailed Lemurs. Besides the long and bushy ringed tail, there’s little doubt that the attraction to these animals is their inquisitive nature and, well, have a look at those peepers. Happy Thanksgiving!Read more
Are the wolves out today?
“Are the wolves out today?” I’m asked that question on a daily basis by visitors here at the Museum. Unless there is a sign indicating that the wolves are off exhibit due to veterinary care, the answer is always “Yes, the wolves are always out.” They’re not always easy to find though. Our Red Wolves typically rest during the afternoon. They’re pretty much the same color as the clay based soil here in the northern section of the Deep River BasinRead more