3 Comments

Look Who’s in Town!

I haven’t seen a Pied-billed Grebe in the Wetlands here at the Museum since the fall of 2009, three years ago. I first noticed the current grebe on September 19, one week earlier than the first time I spied the 2009 grebe. That bird stayed with us into December of that year. Hope this one stays a while too! We usually lose our Green Herons to the migratory urge in late September, so we may not be seeing this one for muchRead more
2 Comments

More things to look for

While walking up the boardwalk from Explore the Wild I noticed a large jumping spider perched in the middle of the walkway. The spider was black with bold white markings. As the spider turned to face me, I noticed green chelicerae, or jaws. If you’ve never had a close look at a jumping spider I urge you to do so, they can be quite colorful. When I first saw this spider I thought that it was a Bold Jumping Spider (PhidippusRead more
1 Comment

The Changing of the Season

Each year around this time I post to this Journal and proclaim the beginning of fall. The calendar says it’s still summer but I’m always about a month ahead of the calendar and, frankly, so is the actual seasonal change. It was sometime during last week when I first felt the change. Maybe it was all of the caterpillar activity or the large number of grasshoppers that I’ve been seeing in their final instar, their last nymphal stage of developmentRead more
4 Comments

Snappers and Mergansers, and Migration Notes of Interest

At least one pair of snapping turtles have already been seen mating here at the Museum and, as we’ve observed in years past, one of the big Chelydrids was seen basking on a boulder in the middle of the Wetlands soon afterwards. The second half of March is typically the last we see of our visiting mergansers, although the latest that I’ve seen them here was April 10, which gives them about another week and a half in the area.Read more
4 Comments

A Strange Song

Friday (3/2/12), I heard a strange yet vaguely familiar bird song as I walked down the boardwalk into the Wetlands. The song was coming from the slope to my right as I descended the first leg of the walkway. Many birds are in song at this time, certainly cardinals, chickadees, towhees, Pine Warblers, and Song Sparrows among others. But this was different, it wasn’t a local. It was probably some winter resident gearing up for when it arrives on itsRead more

Purple Martins have arrived!!

No, no the martins have’t arrived here at the Museum, but elsewhere in North Carolina for sure. This from the local bird ListServ carolinabirds: From: Henry Link <linkh@bellsouth.net> Date: February 22, 2012 1:24:04 PM EST To: Carolinabirds <carolinabirds@duke.edu> Subject: Guilford County Arrivals Guilford County’s “Martin Man”, Danny Royster called this morning to report seeing the first Purple Martin in his backyard north of Greensboro on Feb. 17. He had ten Purple Martins yesterday and a FOY [First of Year] TreeRead more
2 Comments

The Butter-Butt

This year’s “Butter-Butt” goes to Ranger Kristin who saw the first Yellow-rumped Warbler (a.k.a. Butter-butt) of the season – beat me by about two minutes (10/5/11). However, she’s the one that pointed out the Butter Butt that I saw, so I probably wouldn’t have seen it if she hadn’t pointed it out. Congratulations Ranger Kristin! There are still more seasonal firsts to be had so don’t despair. The first Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and White-throated Sparrow, among others, have yetRead more

Copperheads: Part II

Not more than twenty minutes after seeing the first copperhead in Explore the Wild (8/26/11), another call came in from Rachael (Entomology Specialist) that a snake was on the path near the head of the Dinosaur Trail. Rushing off to that location, we discovered a larger Copperhead more accustomed to the presence of humans, it was leisurely crawling across the pavement and headed for the woods. Leave it alone and it will leave you alone. Unfortunately the snake crawled under aRead more