Archive for February, 2012

Give me Some Kind of Sign by , Ranger

February 29th, 2012

signs of the season… Read more about Chip. There are so many signs that point to spring it’s difficult to zero in on just a few. Here’s two very obvious bird signals of the change that’s coming. The two geese in the photos below arrive at the Museum’s Wetland each February. I’ve been calling them [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Catch the Wind by , Ranger

February 24th, 2012

Mid seventies, a steady breeze, and hormones compels this hawk to flight! Read the rest of this entry »

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Purple Martins have arrived!! by , Ranger

February 23rd, 2012

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 [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Watching TVs by , Ranger

February 23rd, 2012

Several weeks ago as I walked down the boardwalk into Explore the Wild I noticed a Turkey Vulture (TV) soaring low over the trees at the NE corner of the Wetlands. I thought, “There must be something dead over there.” A few days later I saw a TV clumsily fly down through the trees in [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Out and About in mid February by , Ranger

February 18th, 2012

All photos shot on the balmy 18th of February.   Read the rest of this entry »

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Winter Landscape with Snakes by , Ranger

February 17th, 2012

You might think that at this time of year that all snakes are safely tucked away for the winter, not so. Although I haven’t personally seen any snakes slithering across the landscape here at the Museum (I did see one on New Year’s Day along the Eno River), our resident Red-shouldered Hawk has seen them, at [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Purple Martin Update 2012 by , Ranger

February 11th, 2012

Believe it or not, Purple Martins, those large dark swallows with a purple sheen to their plumage, have already been spotted in our fair state. One martin scout was reported as being seen on February 9 in Godwin, NC. I wish the best of luck to all of those birds represented on the map as [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Floral News by , Ranger

February 11th, 2012

Thanks to the mild temperatures this winter, the Mahonia (Mahonia sp.), Grape-holly, or whatever it is that you prefer to call it, on the Dinosaur Trail has been in bloom continuously since the fall. It now has berries where once, bright yellow flowers lured honey bees, various flies, and ants to perform the pollination duties. [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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First Groundhog! by , Ranger

February 10th, 2012

The first groundhog of the season was spotted on February 8 running across a service road and then over the path near the boardwalk leading to Explore the Wild. I assume that this marmot is the “Boardwalk Hog.” There is a groundhog burrow just below the fence at the head of the boardwalk that leads [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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The Bounty by , Ranger

February 8th, 2012

The bounty of fish is gone. The shiners that once lay within easy reach of all who munch fish in our little Wetlands have either dispersed or been dispatched. No more can the egret and herons pick off shiners at their leisure at the edge of the Wetlands. They now have to work for every [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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