Tag Archives: Red-shouldered Hawk
On Decmebr 16th as I walked the trail through the outdoor exhibits of the Museum where it enters Explore the Wild near the Lemur House, there was a small snake stretched out on the pavement. The temps were in the forties but the little patch of sun that the snake was in was probably a [...]
Two bird species that have become regular fixtures in the Wetlands, at least during the winter, are Red-shouldered Hawk and Hooded Merganser. Both species can be seen daily, or nearly so, depending on the weather conditions. The Red-shouldered Hawk is present year-round and is the most common hawk species seen at the Museum, often hunting [...]
The first couple of weeks in October were rather cloudy and wet. Whenever the sun did show itself, the turtles of the Wetlands took advantage of it by hauling out and basking in its warm rays. Young and old alike were out on all available perches. Mostly Yellow-bellied Turtles, but even a large snapper was [...]
Posted in Fall, Reptiles and Amphibians | Also tagged basking, Bullfrog, explore the wild, Fall, Gray Treefrog, Green Treefrog, slider, Snapping Turtle, wetlands, Yellow-bellied Turtle
On the morning of September 26th, while walking along the boardwalk in Explore the Wild, I noticed a small brown, duck-like bird floating on the still, dark water. The bird was midway across the water but I knew almost immediately what it was. It was a grebe. A quick look through my binoculars verified that [...]
Posted in Birds, Fall | Also tagged Black-billed Cuckoo, duck, eagle, explore the wild, flicker, House Wren, migration, ncmls, Osprey, pied-billed grebe, sapsucker, thrush, warbler, wetlands
After being absent for nearly 3 months, 14 Canada Geese flew into the Wetlands, looked around some, fed, and then preened for several hours before taking flight for points unknown. The geese looked to be a family group (probably two families) as the bulk of them appeared to be young birds, perhaps on their first flight [...]
Posted in Birds, Summer | Also tagged American Goldfinches, American Redstarts, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Canada Geese, Carolina Chickadees, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Empidonax flycatcher, Great Blue Heron, Great-crested Flycatchers, Green Herons, Hooded WarblerPine Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Mallards, Red-winged Blackbird, Solitary Sandpiper
Five Mallards showed up during this period. They appear to be a family group since there are both males and females present and all are in fresh brown plumage (adult males would be showing at least some green on the head, if not a completely green head at this time). Did Mallards once again secretly [...]
Cooper’s Hawks are nesting nearby but I’ve not found a nest. Red-shouldered Hawks are a daily sight overhead around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop. An Eastern Kingbird (pictured) and a Common Yellowthroat were seen or heard for the first time this season on the first day of May.
Aloft at the Museum