This young Green Heron shows us why they're called Green Herons (note the back feathers).

Yesterday I noticed a young Green Heron fishing just feet from the Main Wetlands Overlook. I assumed it was the same heron that has been seen in our Wetlands all summer long. I’m not so sure. I saw three different Green Herons yesterday, two immatures and an unknown aged bird (I only saw the latter bird’s back amongst some dense foliage).

We may have had all three birds throughout the summer but were unable to see them all at once due to the dense vegetation in much of the Wetlands. And, since the water level has dropped most of the prime fishing areas which were previously under cover of the willows are now high and dry causing the birds to fish out in the open. By the way, these birds are not shy, you may get close looks at one of them if you stay still when you spot one.

This immature plumaged Yellow-crowned Heron seems to appreciate our Wetlands, it's been here for over a month.

Last week, Ranger Kristin mentioned to me that she had again seen the immature Yellow-crowned Night-heron that was first discovered in the Wetlands on the stormy 27th on May. Night herons tend to spend most of the day sleeping away in the dense cover of trees or shrubbery, doing most of their foraging at night, so it’s reasonable that no one had seen it since then. We often only get brief glimpses of the diurnal foraging Green Heron as it flies from one favorite hunting site to another in our Wetlands.

Yesterday while investigating the northwest corner of the Wetlands with Ranger Erin and Molly from Education, we spooked the heron. It was in the water very close to shore and flew off to a willow not far away (photo above).

I hope the night heron stays with us, finds our Wetlands suitable to its tastes and comes back next year with a friend. Besides being fun to watch, when you can find them, I think perhaps a night-heron is just what we need to keep the Wetland’s crayfish in check.

A juvenile Green Heron contemplates the water's surface, perhaps waiting for a fish, tadpole, or even a small frog to come by (6/22/11).

When I first saw the bird it still had some downy feathers wildly protruding from its crown. It’s “do” has settled down some but it still maintains the sure signs of a recently fledged bird.

Note the streaked underparts, light colored (buffy) edges to the feathers on the wing (coverts), and brownish back.

We’ve had a Green Heron or two visit the Wetlands daily since mid April. Since early May I’ve seen one of these little herons fly off in the direction of Catch the Wind, not in itself unusual because green herons seem to always fly off in that direction. More importantly, I kept seeing a heron land in the trees next to and behind the Take Off (our newest exhibit, where the Ornithopter used to be).

I suspected that the bird was nesting somewhere in the tangle of shrubs and vines that grow in that area of the Museum grounds. This site is directly behind a small swampy area. Green Herons do not nest in colonies like most other herons and egrets, and our Wetlands is a perfect location for nesting to occur. I have no proof of a nest, but I strongly suspect that our little juvenile came from very close-by.

Notice the light edges and tips to the smaller feathers of the wing, the streaked belly and neck, and the brownish feathers on the back. If you look closely you can see some green feathers showing through.

If you happen to see the little heron, watch as it stalks fish, or awkwardly stabs at dragonflies that come near it, its youth is also made obvious by its behavior.

This Green Heron, in high breeding plumage (note red legs), perches on a willow branch in the Wetlands (4/13/11).

Great-crested Flycatchers are large flycatchers that nest at the Museum. (Photo from 6/19/10)

Also in our midst yesterday (4/13) was a Great Crested Flycatcher. I heard the loud WEEP call of the bird but couldn’t locate it visually. Unlike the Eastern Phoebe, another fly-catching bird, great cresteds leave our area during winter. This myiarchus flycatcher makes three flycatchers seen, or heard, this month. I saw an Eastern Kingbird last week.

And, as I was walking down the boardwalk towards the Black Bear Exhibit I heard a faint, and familiar, squeaky sound coming from the woods to my left. What else could it be but a Gray Catbird!

I didn’t get a good look at the bird, and its song wasn’t at full volume yet, but it was exciting to hear and get a glimpse of one of my favorite birds after so long. I hadn’t seen a catbird since October.

Gray Catbirds are a common sight and sound here at the Museum from April to October. (Photo from 6/19/10)

Yesterday was the first of the season Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura). I typically see Common Baskettails before I see Common Whitetails in each spring. Were the whitetails a little early this year, the baskettails a bit late, or both? Whichever is the case, they are both flying now and available for us to marvel at as they zip about on their partols over the paths and water in Explore the Wild.

A Common Baskettail hovering over the Wetlands. (Photo from 4/8/10)

It’s a great time of year for a walk…

A Great Blue Heron "suns" on a rock in the Wetlands on one of June's many hot and humid days.

Stretching and panting, the heron readjusts itself.

Preening is just part of the routine for birds, including this Green Heron on a stump just off the boardwalk.

A big stretch of the wing.

A Great-crested Flycatcher perches on a lamp post in Explore the Wild while searching for insects to catch.

Gray Catbirds continue to sing throughout the outdoor exhibit areas.

A Gray Hairstreak nectars on Butterfly Weed in Catch the Wind.

Large and brightly colored, a Great Spangled Fritillary is conspicuous on this Butterfly Weed.

Often seen on the moist ground where they suck up nutrients, Red-spotted Purples are common in our area.

A Mourning Cloak quietly sits atop a leaf alongside the path near the entrance to the Dinosaur Trail.

Quick fliers, this Silver-spotted Skipper pauses to nectar on the tiny flowers of Dogbane near the entrance to the Lemur House.

Can you guess how each animal got its name?

What did you see at the Museum in June?

Dame's Rocket can be seen along the path in Catch the Wind.

This thorny, blackberry producing shrub can be seen throughout the Museum grounds.

Blackberry's five petaled blossoms are attractive to both humans and insects.

Butterflies find the early blooming blackberries rather tempting.

A Silver-spotted Skipper sips nectar from a blackberry blossom next to the Wetlands in Explore the Wild (note the Lady Beetle on the left).

Closely tied to the willows in the Wetlands this Viceroy pauses for refreshment. This butterfly looks a bit worn and tattered. It's missing the tips of its forewings. Perhaps it had an encounter with a bird?

More species of dragonflies and damselflies have been emerging recently. A first-of-the-season Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) was seen on 29 April as was a new species for the Museum, a Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps). I had thought that I spied one of these Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura) relatives last year, but couldn’t be certain. The sighting on the 29th confirmed it.

A male Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum) rests on an alder leaf next to the Wetlands in Explore the Wild.

On April 23, I witnessed the mating of two of the Common Snapping Turtles in the Wetlands. The turtles were tumbling around in the water just off the Wetlands Overlook in Explore the Wild.

Two Common Snapping Turtles shuffling for position as they attempt to mate in the water just beyond the Wetlands Overloook.

As was the case last year when I saw the pair (or a similar looking pair) perform their mating ritual, one of them was later seen basking on the tallest rock in the Wetlands.

Does this snapping turtle look exhausted, or saited?

Birds continue to return from their winter quarters.

This Green Heron shares a boulder with two young Yellow-bellied Sliders. This is the first Green Heron of the season for this observer (4/27).

Sightings of Great Blue Heron have been spotty for the past month, perhaps due to the birds' off-site nesting activities.

A Gray Catbird pauses in its singing for a look around.

A Great-crested Flycatcher was sen on April 29 and an Eastern Kingbird on 30 April. Common Yellowthroats are singing both in the Wetlands and up in Catch the Wind.

And finally, over the past few weeks there have been at least three separate sightings of Gray Fox in Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. This increased activity leads me to believe that the Museum’s fox population has recently increased (kits).

After a seven-month absence, a Green Heron was back on station on 28 April. As if it had never left the Wetlands, this colorful little heron (it’s very likely the same heron that was here last year) was trying to snag fish and tadpoles from the water while perched on one of the stumps just off the boardwalk in front of the Black Bear Exhibit. Welcome back!

The first Chimney Swifts of the year were seen foraging over Catch the Wind on the 26th of the month. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were seen, first at the Butterfly House April 22nd and in Explore the Wild a few days later.

A Great-crested Flycatcher was heard on 4/23 and thereafter. The first Red-eyed Vireos were seen on 4/27 and, although seen earlier in the month, two Rough-winged Swallows were seen perched on a snag in the Wetlands on the same day.

The first singing House Wren of the season was heard on 25 April. Ruby-crowned Kinglets have been heard singing their rapid, buzzy, whistly songs around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. They often begin singing before departing for points north and their breeding grounds. Wood Thrushes are back (4/25) as are Gray Catbirds, the first squeaky notes of a catbird being heard on April 22nd in the swamp adjacent to the Wetlands Overlook. If you want to see and hear what a Gray catbird looks and sounds like, check out this YouTube video.

Cedar Waxwings are still being seen. A group of 60 or so were seen in the trees above the main entrance to Explore the Wild.

Several singing Northern Parulas, a Black-throated Blue Warbler, and breeding plumaged Yellow-rumped Warblers were all seen on 26 April. Yellow-throated Warblers were first spied on 4/18 along with a single singing Prothonotary Warbler. Although at least one Yellow-throated Warbler remains in the area, the Prothonotary was not heard from again. An Eastern Palm Warbler showed up on the 22nd and a Yellow-breasted Chat was briefly heard on the 26th behind the Ornithopter.

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak was heard and then seen feeding high in the canopy on 26 April.

Like the Ruby-crowned Kinglets above, White-throated Sparrows are tuning up their vocals before leaving our area for their nesting grounds further north. Their sweet, plaintive, whistled songs can be heard from the underbrush or along wooded edges. They often get only half their song out before starting over again or quitting altogether, as if practicing so as to get it just right for their debuts on the breeding grounds. It is a pleasant song.

Common Grackles have been observed flying back and forth from the Wetlands to some uknown location behind the Ornithopter. Their bills are empty on the trip to the Wetlands, full on the way back. A Baltimore Oriole was seen on the same day and in the same tree as the grosbeak above (4/26). The grosbeak and oriole no doubt came in on the same winds.

Pine Siskins are still being seen at the Bird Feeder Exhibit in Catch the Wind.

Traditionally, the third week in September sees a push of migrating hawks through the region when the winds are from the north. More often than not, the winds were from the north during the third and fourth weeks in September. Unfortunately for those of us who like to watch hawks and also reside in the piedmont, most migrating hawks move along the ridges in the western part of the Carolinas. On 20 September, one observation site in the mountains saw over 3,000 hawks pass by on their way south with another 6,000 or so the following day, most of those being Broad-winged Hawks.

Here at the Museum the numbers were not quite as impressive. However, three Bald Eagles were observed during the period. An adult and a sub-adult were seen soaring overhead, slowly moving in a westerly direction on the 19th of September. Another adult Bald Eagle was seen in a glide to the southwest on 24 September. Besides the eagles, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Red-tailed Hawk and several Red-shouldered Hawks (our local Red-shouldereds) were seen on the 19th of September. The eagle in the image at left is not one of the birds that flew over, but it’s a good illustration of what a sub-adult Bald Eagle looks like.

I’ve not seen a Green Heron in the Wetlands since the first two weeks of September. Have they moved on? A Great Blue Heron is still making frequent visits to the area.

Chimney Swifts continue to forage above the Wetlands. They’re often quite high so you have to strain a bit to see them, or you can use binoculars (recommended, but not required, for wildlife observation on the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop).

I saw three Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the period. Neither was at the feeders in Catch the Wind. I think that they were migrants.

The local Belted Kingfisher is showing up in the Wetlands daily and staying longer. Its visits had been sporadic during the summer, but now she seems to be settling in for the duration.

A handful of Northern Flickers and a Red-headed Woodpecker were seen on the 24th of September.

Twenty or so Fish Crows were observed flying off to the west on 18 September.

Two House Wrens were seen during the period, flitting about in the underbrush that lines the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. These birds were probably locals, one was a juvenile.

Several White-eyed Vireos were seen on September 24th & 28th as were a Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart, and Common Yellowthroat, with a Wilson’s Warbler making an appearance on the 28th of the month only. Also seen on the 24th were a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Scarlet Tanager.

Green Herons are a daily sight in the Wetlands. There are at least two present at any given time. They’re doing well in the Wetlands, feeding on frogs, tadpoles, fish, and even dragonflies that fly too close to these stealthy and agile hunters. Another member of the heron family was also seen during the first half of September, a Great Egret. I saw one flying overhead coming from the direction of the Wetlands. I don’t know if this bird actually stopped in for a visit or was just inspecting the Wetlands from the air while en route to another location; I first caught sight of it as it headed east over the Ornithopter.

An immature female Cooper’s Hawk blasted by me at eye-level as I stood next to the Ornithopter. It was probably one of the birds that fledged here this summer.

The Museum’s Red-shouldered Hawks were out for a Sunday afternoon family soar on the 7th of September. Two adults and two immature birds were soaring over Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind, drifting off to the south while, in typical red-shoulder fashion, making as much noise as possible.

As far as migrant songbirds, I heard a White-eyed Vireo down in the Wetlands and saw a Common Yellowthroat. As of this writing there were still hummingbirds coming to the feeders in Catch the Wind, but nothing yet from the west (see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Explore the Wild Journal, August 16-31).

On June 24, I noticed one of the Red-shouldered Hawks drop from a perch alongside the path next to the main entrance to Explore the Wild. It glided across the paved path and dropped down hard into the short grass, grabbing and clawing at something with its sharp talons and bill. When it brought its head up, it had a small Brown Snake in its beak. It swallowed the snake whole.

Two new bird species seen during the period were Indigo Bunting and Killdeer. I would have expected the bunting back in April or May. Perhaps it was here all along and I just didn’t notice it? The bunting was singing from a Loblolly Pine in front of the Lemur House.

Killdeer, being plovers, are more at home on open grassland and barren areas. The bird that visited the Museum took two quick, erratic loops around the Wetlands trying to find a place to land, loudly calling the whole time. The resident Red-shouldered Hawk, who happened to be perched on a tall, straight snag out in the middle of the Wetlands, watched closely, its head spinning, trying to keep up with the Killdeer’s wild gyrations around the pond. The Killdeer seemed also to have upset the quiet solitude of a Green Heron who was standing on one of the short tree stumps projecting from the water – it squawking loudly and raising its hackles at the disturbance. No good mudflat to land on, the Killdeer left as quickly as it had arrived.

Wood Thrush and Hooded Warbler seem to be the only truly woodland species of songbird to still be in residence. Both were singing from the woods between the main entrances to Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild. I’ve only seen a male Hooded Warbler and don’t know for sure if there’s a female on site. Previously, a Hooded Warbler (maybe the same one) was singing down by the Lemur House.