I was on a mission to secure aquatic invertebrates from the Wetlands for Nancy Dragotta-Muhl (Learning Communities). It was Magic Wings Festival time and she wanted to have some insects on display at her table outside of the Butterfly House for folks to see as they wandered around the area listening to the rhythms of [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Bluebird Update May 10, 2012
May 10th, 2012Another week gone by and more changes. Things move along quickly in the bird world and our little Bluebird Trail is a good illustration of that rapid change. The bluebirds that nested in the box near the Train Tunnel, which lost most of its nestlings, have started to rebuild. I observed both the male and [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Which Way does the Wind Blow
May 4th, 2012I was checking out the local bird listserv, Carolinabirds, and saw a posting that had a link to a web site which displays the current wind direction and speed accross the entire country (it may take a while to load). At this moment (1:10 PM 5/3/12) the winds in our area are coming from the southwest [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Bluebird Update May 3, 2012
May 3rd, 2012It seems that my concerns about the bluebirds in the nest box near the Train Tunnel were well founded. As I neared the nest box Tuesday (5/1) for the weekly inspection I could see flies buzzing around the entrance hole, not a good sign. As I got closer, I caught the unmistakable scent of death. [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Skimmers
May 2nd, 2012Two skimmers have begun to show themselves around the Wetlands. They are the Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) and the Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicollis). These two dragonfly species can be seen at nearly every pond or river in the state so there’s nothing unusual about their appearance. In fact, they’re two of the most common and [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Who’s that coming up the path?
April 30th, 2012Friday (4/27), a group of crows were making an incredible racket back up in the woods towards the Outdoor Classrooms here at the Museum. They were on to something, an owl, maybe a hawk, and they were going at it with vigor. Something up the in the pines had the crows terribly upset and they [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Scorpions
April 27th, 2012A few weeks ago I was standing on the boardwalk leading to the Wetlands Overlook staring down at the water below me. I noticed something moving very slowly just below the water’s surface. It looked like a walking stick. It could only be one thing, a Water Scorpion (Ranatra fusca). Water Scorpions are not scorpions, [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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FLASH – Hot off the Press!
April 26th, 2012After Posting Bluebird Update April 26, 2012 I went out to check the Butterfly House nest box. The parent bluebirds were not brining food into the box but were apparently waiting out the nestlings. I’ve seen them do this many times, the parent usually with a juicy caterpillar or other food item in its bill, sitting outside the [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Bluebird Update April 26, 2012
April 26th, 2012The bluebird nest box at the Train Tunnel, which had five nestlings in it last week looks to have four this time around. The inside walls of the box, the nest, and nestlings themselves were wet when I opened the box this Tuesday (4/24/12) and I was a little concerned. We’ve had several days of [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Eating what’s in Season
April 23rd, 2012The Museum’s gray squirrels have shifted their diet from elm to mulberry. The dark succulent berries of the mulberry trees are ripening as I write and the squirrels have found them. I found them too, and they are delicious! I don’t know a mammal or bird that would pass up a big juicy mulberry. It’s [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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