Most of us are familiar with bracket fungus, whether we know it or not. Bracket fungus, or shelf fungus, is the typically small fungus that grows on the sides of tree trunks or logs. They look like little shelves. There are a couple of large bracket fungi growing from an oak tree on the Dinosaur Trail. [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for October, 2010
Snakes!
October 28th, 2010I’ve seen three snakes since last Saturday (10/23), a Black Rat Snake, a Northern Water Snake, and a Brown Snake. The rat snake was on an overturned stump near the head of the Dinosaur Trail on Saturday. It was still there Wednesday (10/27). The water snake was on the path next to the Wetlands Overlook. It [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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The Look of the Wetlands
October 27th, 2010Descending down the boardwalk into the Wetlands… It’s worth the hike. Read the rest of this entry »
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What are those Birds Eating?
October 23rd, 2010As you walked along the trail through Explore the Wild on your last visit to the Museum, you may have noticed tiny “wet” spots on the pavement on the north side of the Wetlands and again past the Lemur House on your way to Catch the Wind, as if it had been lightly raining. If, [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Caching Blue Jays
October 21st, 2010In October of 2008 I wrote about Blue Jays hoarding acorns and how they may have played a role in reforesting the east after the most recent glacial period. The other day I noticed Blue Jays flying back and forth over Catch the Wind. I forgot about those raucous birds until this morning (10/21) as [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Groundhogs Too!
October 20th, 2010Last month I posted a piece about our resident, wild, groundhogs. This is just a reminder that if you see one of these big ground squirrels, look, get a photo, say Hi, but please try to stay well back from the animal. The groundhogs are very active at this time of year and are out [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Quiz Birds
October 20th, 2010I thought I’d post a few images of birds to see if anyone can identify them, a bird quiz (for everyone except Nathan, sorry). Both species were shot at Falls Lake this past Sunday (10/17), which is actually a rather good clue, if you keep up with the local bird listserv. The first is a [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Ravens 1, Eagles 0
October 19th, 2010Still no eagle, but I did see a Common Raven fly over Catch the Wind on Saturday (10/15). The large black bird was quickly flying north while being pursued by two crows, one of the smaller corvids flying above it, the other dive-bombing it from behind! You may be surprised to hear that I’ve seen more [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Migrants, Avian and Lepidopteran
October 16th, 2010The first White-throated Sparrow of the season showed up at the feeders at Flying Birds in Catch the Wind on Thursday, 14 October. Although I’ve been predicting an eagle for the past few weeks (wishful thinking), I really expected one yesterday (10/15) as the winds and timing were conducive to the passage of the big [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Wolf Spider
October 14th, 2010I usually see wolf spiders on the ground, this small wolf (about 3/8″ from head to tip of abdomen) was crawling about on goldenrod next to the Wetlands, sending silk airborne to be caught up somewhere, and presumably anchored there. The silk never made it very far. It kept getting caught up on people as they [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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