Nest Box Update 6.17.25

Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have one active nest with what looks like five nestling bluebirds. All five remaining nest boxes are empty except one which hasn’t been touched in weeks. ————————————— The Cow Pasture nest box still contains the twigs placed in the box by a house wren, but it hasn’t had any other activity since they first appeared in the box earlier in the season. The ETW, Sailboat Pond, and Into the Mist nest boxes are allRead more

Red Wolf Pups

Top Photo: New father Oka watches over his three pups in the red wolf enclosure. While Martha stays within the safety of the wolf enclosure’s den by day (she’s visible on camera) Oka remains vigilant on the ridge above the den. He’s also been responsible for bringing food in the form of lab rats to Martha and the pups, who try, but have yet to break the solid food barrier. Here’s a few photos to introduce you to the, asRead more

It’s as Cold as Ice (bears, wolves, hawks)

Top Photo: Ice forming on waterfall at Black Bear Enclosure. Cold night temperatures have been freezing the water flowing over the rocks at the waterfall in the bear enclosure. The cooler air has also been making the bears increasingly drowsy, which makes seeing them more challenging to the human observer. Our bears tend to sleep more during the colder days of the year. They don’t go into full hibernation, the temperatures don’t stay cold long enough here on the Piedmont.Read more

Grass, Passerines, Ducks, Hyla, Fungi, and Mammals (lemurs, red wolves, and w-t deer)

Top Photo: Grasses blow in the cool wind from the floating walkway in the wetlands in Explore the Wild. Seed production and dispersal is part of fall. The seed produced by the grasses in the wetlands will carry far and wide with the help of the wind. As of November 20, there were still a few green tree frogs hanging on in Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild. They were juveniles. Alder blooms in February. The male catkins andRead more

Finding Martha: and Oka too

Top Photo: West side of red wolf enclosure. Our new resident red wolves (Martha and Oka) have come from a facility which did not have them on daily display. They’re not used to having people at front and center of their habitat. They will, I’m sure, get used to human visitors, but it may take time. Our male Oka spends most of his day sleeping on the far west side (left side) of the enclosure curled up or stretched outRead more

Off To New Digs

Top Photo: Two of five pups born on April 21, 2024 at Museum of Life and Science. The five red wolf pups, Cedar, Juniper, Maple, Sassafras and Tupelo and two adults Oak and Adeyha, that we now house will soon be transferred to the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY. Come by to see them. Wish them well. Good luck!Read more

Howling Foam

Top Photo: Excited by the sound of sirens in the distance, the red wolf pups howl in response. Some mornings the wolves howl multiple times, always stimulated by passing sirens. The precipitating frequency seems to be consistent. Fire trucks are preferred. Mornings are the active period of day for the family. The pups, however, may be excited by the most mundane of things at any time. They were very suspicious of a floating mass of foam bubbles in the poolRead more

More Spring Sightings and a Red Wolf Observation

Top Photo: Male common whitetail. Common whitetails are everywhere. Ponds, lakes, even slow moving rivers and streams are home to this ubiquitous skimmer. The standout white/blue abdomen and dark marks on the wings lend to the easy recognizability of the male. The female too, is easily recognized by the three dark markings on each of her four wings. They both tend to perch low to, or directly on, the ground. Another early season dragonfly making an appearance is the blueRead more