Fish Crows continued to fly over on Tuesday (3/9). I searched my personal audio library that I keep for video soundtracks and found a file that contains the nasal calls of the Fish Crows as they wing by. Have a listen here: [Audio clip: view full post to listen] The same day, Spring Peepers, Upland Chorus [...] Read more...
Though Fish Crows have been seen and heard in our area (Piedmont) for several weeks, Saturday (3/6) was the first sighting for me at the Museum. If I hadn’t heard them first I would have passed them off as American Crows. Although Fish Crows are a bit smaller the two species look very much alike. [...] Read more...
Some pre-spring happenings at the Museum… Get outdoors and have a look around for yourself, and let me know what you see! Read more...
I discovered a Shorttail Shrew on the path just around the bend from the Lemur House. The shrew was DOR (Dead on Road). This is the second time one of these little shrews was found at this location, although the last was in 2008, nearly one year ago (see Shorttail Shrew, Explore the Wild Journal, [...] Read more...
Not exactly on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop but close by, a Red-shouldered Hawk on its first day (hour) off the nest was photographed just before it gulped down the last bits of a rat brought to it by one of its parents. The hawk’s nest is at Northgate Park, a few seconds, [...] Read more...
I’ve not seen a Northern Water Snake in the Wetlands since the first week in May. Yellow-bellied Turtles continue to come ashore to lay eggs. The one pictured was alongside the path in front of the Lemur House. Following the downpours on Memorial Day, a Painted Turtle was spied crossing the paved path headed towards [...] Read more...
A Widow Skimmer (dragonfly) was seen in Catch the Wind on 24 May for the first sighting of the species this season. This sighting was a week or so earlier than last year’s first occurrence (see Widow Skimmer, Explore the Wild Journal, June 1-15, 2008). Over the past few weeks I’ve seen at least one, often [...] Read more...
There are two locations around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop where Elderberry grows, one is next to the platform midway down the boardwalk which leads into the Wetlands and the other in the swampy area between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild on the back side of the loop. They are now [...] Read more...
Finally, a Gray Fox! On May 15, as I was walking down the path from Catch the Wind towards the Wetlands, a beautiful Gray Fox came down out of the brush from the direction of the Lemur House, trotted across the pavement and up into the woods on the other side of the path. I [...] Read more...
Snakes!
March 10th was the day! A little after noon I spotted the first-of-the-season Northern Water Snake coiled up under a Baldcypress at the bottom of the boardwalk in the Wetlands. The same day, Lead Animal Keeper Kristen spied a Copperhead along the path in Explore the Wild. And today, Lead Horticulturists Joe found several Rough Earth Snakes (Virginia [...] Read more...