A pair of Hooded Mergansers are still swimming and fishing in the Wetlands. It’ll be interesting to see how long they hang around. Last spring, they had departed by the third week of March. Red-shouldered Hawks have been putting on quite a show recently. After reporting that I had seen a Red-shouldered Hawk hunting in [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for March, 2009
Snakes, and a Toad Reprise
March 31st, 2009At least one Black Racer was reported by one of the Museum staff during the final weekend of the month, and the first Northern Water Snake was spotted on the 29th from the circular platform midway down the boardwalk that leads into the Wetlands. The large snake was sunning, coiled up on a tangle of [...] Read the rest of this entry »
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.
The First Dragons and Damsels, a few early Leps
March 31st, 2009Finally, odes! That is, dragonflies and damselflies. The first Fragile Forktail that caught my attention this season was on March 18 when one individual was seen taking its first flight after emerging. This sighting is nine days later than the first sightings of this species last year, which occurred on the 9th of March. By [...] Read the rest of this entry »
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.
Redbud and a Pansy
March 31st, 2009The Redbuds are showing their colors, although not yet at full power. It may be my anxious anticipation that makes them seem so, but Flowering Dogwoods look to be ready to burst into flower any day. The images at left illustrate what the Redbud and Flowering Dogwood looked like at the start, and end, of [...] Read the rest of this entry »
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.
Groundhog Days
March 15th, 2009Several Groundhogs have been seen foraging at various locations around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. Keep an eye out for them. Read the rest of this entry »
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.
Nuthatch Landlords? Hollies under Assault?
March 15th, 2009There are still two pairs of Hooded Mergansers present in the Wetlands. There is one pair of Canada Geese present. Red-tailed Hawks continue to be seen daily and Cooper’s Hawks have been noticed flying and perching in the vicinity of the previous year’s nest site. And, as mentioned above, Red-shouldered Hawks are once again showing [...] Read the rest of this entry »
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.
Basking Sites at a Premium, Amphibs Exploit the Season
March 15th, 2009By the end of the first week of this period the Wetland’s turtles, frogs, and toads were out in numbers. Yellow-bellied Turtles and Painted Turtles were basking on logs, rocks and any other object projecting from the water, with little room to spare. The young Yellow-bellied Turtle in the image at left (perhaps a two-year-old) [...] Read the rest of this entry »
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.
Aquatics, Early Butterflies, and Bees and Wasps
March 15th, 2009Although the first few days of March were cold and snowy, by the end of the first week it had warmed enough so that many insects, absent for months, were once again busily going about their daily routines. Aquatic insects observed in the Wetlands during the first half of March were Whirligig Beetle, various diving [...] Read the rest of this entry »
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.
Full Speed Ahead
March 15th, 2009With temperatures in the 70s and 80s during much of this period, things were happening fast and furious out on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. The Redbuds are budding, the elms are producing seeds, and many of the various shrubs and trees around the loop are showing flower buds or new leaf growth. [...] Read the rest of this entry »
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.
There are no comments on this journal entry. Start the conversation.