I did, however, manage to get a few photos of some interesting happenings out on the Outdoor Exhibits trails…

Parasaurolophus with a new snow cap

The Wetlands covered with ice and snow.

The snow that covered the ice of the Wetlands is a great place to look for animal tracks. Here, a Raccoon walked across the ice and back.

These tracks are a mix of Raccoon (bottom left) and River Otter. The otter, or otters, made several passes.

A close view of the otter tracks, note the five toes.

Finding tracks in the snow is fun, but it’s fleeting. The snow that these tracks were left in are now mush, washed away by the rain.

There were many tracks in the snow on Tuesday morning (Feb 2), tracks of birds, feral cats, Gray Fox, as well as the animals depicted here in the photos. Just a few short hours later, they were all gone, vanished, as if the creatures that made them had never been there.

It’s often tracks left in the snow that alerts you to the animals in the area, their passings never being discovered if not for the snow.

The swamp between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild.

The Groundhog which made an appearance on January 13th also came out of hiding on Groundhog Day.

Living near the edge of the swamp above, our early rising Groundhog apparently made an appearance on Groundhog Day as well (Its tracks are visible near the center/right of the photo.)

A close view of the Groundhog's tracks at the entrance of its burrow.

Enjoy the snow while it lasts!

The Red-shouldered Hawk is present year-round and is the most common hawk species seen at the Museum, often hunting from a perch somewhere in the Wetlands or up in the swamp between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild on the back side of the trail that winds through those areas. In winter, due in part to the lack of leaves on the trees, the hawk is a bit more obvious as it sits silently (most of the time these hawks are quite boisterous) in one of the Wetland’s Willows ready to pounce on any frog, small rodent, or bird that happens to make a false move.

Red-shouldered Hawk silently perched six feet above the waters of the Wetlands.

While I stood and watched the perched hawk (no more than 20 feet or so beyond the path) hoping to see it in action, a Red-tailed Hawk called loudly and persistently from above. Red-taileds are another hawk regularly seen during winter. Red-tails are larger that red-shouldereds. They are also typically much less vocal, and I thought it odd that this one was sounding off so with such gusto.

Red-tailed Hawk soaring above the Wetlands.

Apparently, the Red-shouldered Hawk thought the other hawk’s enthusiasm was odd as well as it seemed distracted by the Red-tailed Hawk, peering up at it as it circled above.

Red-shouldered Hawk hawking a very exciting Red-tailed Hawk circling above.

I never discovered why the Red-tailed Hawk was so excited, but I saw it (I assume it was the same bird) later that day circling above the Wetlands with another Red-tailed Hawk. It was a rather spring-like day and perhaps the hawk’s display was a premature (by a couple of months) attempt at courtship.

The Hooded Mergansers arrived on the scene the first week in November. Their numbers fluctuate between two and about a dozen, although I’ve seen as many as 15 in the Wetlands.

Hooded Mergansers taking up their old familiar resting and preening spot in the Wetlands.

When these ducks arrive they begin to form pair-bonds and can put on quite a show in their courtship displays. The males (from two to as many as six or more) follow the female around the water, strutting, pumping and chasing around, at the same time uttering a rolling, croaking sound as they vie for the female’s attention.

Four male Hooded Mergansers surround a lone female (dark object in center) as they vie for her attention.

Males strut their stuff while the female swims by.

The birds give a low-pitched croak-like call as they literally bend over backwards in an attempt to persuade the object of their attention, the female, that they are worthy.

The birds don’t actually mate at this time, but simply form the bonds that will hold them together until the breeding season arrives. The Copulatory Display (and actual mating), will probably take place in February or March just before these birds head back north, and is quite another show entirely. Oddly, considering the effort put into the pair-bonding, the male departs the nesting area after incubation begins, leaving the parenting duties to the female.

The northwest corner of the Wetlands.

The first week of December brought with it several days of heavy rain. The Wetlands water level had risen a foot or more above normal but was quickly draining after the rain had stopped.

Area of tadpole concentration. The arrow shows the location of the drain pipe. The narrow curved line shows the approximate high-water mark.

As I walked past the area in question I looked down to see if the tadpoles were still present following the deluge and noticed some the shriveled, brown leaves on the bank intermittently moving. I brushed aside one of the leaves. A large brown Bullfrog tadpole appeared. Turning back more leaves revealed more tadpoles. I tossed a few into the water. Apparently the tadpoles had become stranded when the water receded.

A Bullfrog Tadpole (actually two) stranded on the "beach."

The rest of the day (and next day as well) more than two dozen of these stranded tadpoles were reunited with their kin by passing Museum Guests (both children and adults), school groups, and Museum Staff all pitching in to help out the tadpoles. It was quite enjoyable to see everyone get excited about joining in and helping with the effort.

Several questions emerged as a result of this little drama. Why hadn’t the tadpoles simply swum back into the water as the level fell? Should we have put them back in the water? After all, if they weren’t smart enough to know that the water level was dropping, intelligent enough to know that if they stayed where they were when the water level fell, that they’d be left high and dry, should we have saved them? If they lived for at least two days under the leaves, wouldn’t they survive longer, maybe wriggle down into the mud to stay moist (a dried up tadpole is a dead tadpole)? Does it harm the tadpoles to pick them up?

Five of the dozens of tadpoles left on land after the deluge (all were living and placed back into the water).

I don’t know the answer to all of those questions. Most of the tadpoles that overwinter (Bullfrog and Green Frog tadpoles may take a year or more to mature) tend to settle into the bottom under the mud, leaves and other debris during the cold months. Perhaps these tadpoles thought that they were doing just that, settling in. However, most of the tadpoles that I see in that corner of the Wetlands are very active, which is what attracted my attention to them in the first place.

Perhaps it would be best to let the tadpoles fend for themselves, there’s certainly no lack of tadpoles in the Wetlands, a few less wouldn’t make much of a difference. As I write this, another night of heavy rain has just ended and I’m sure that there will be more tadpoles lying under the leaves in that little corner of the Wetlands. I’ll probably leave them be.

As far as picking up tadpoles, I do know that amphibian skin is very sensitive and that whatever is on the hand of the person (soap, oils…) who picks up an amphibian may be transferred through the skin of that amphibian, possibly doing it harm. The tadpoles stranded alongside the Wetlands would almost certainly have died if not placed back into the water. If some were injured due to being picked up, I can’t say, but they surely would not have survived if left where they were.

Several large Yellow-bellied Turtles (Sliders) out basking.

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 spotted enjoying the brief bit of sun.

A young Yellow-bellied Turtle soaking up some sun.

This large Common Snapping Turtle hauled itself out on a rock for what may be its last chance at "catching some rays" till next spring.

The last few days of September and first couple of days of October brought many young treefrogs emerging for the first time from the water of both the Wetlands and the U-shaped pond at Flap the Wings in Catch the Wind. These newly morphed frogs were mostly Gray Treefrogs and quite small.

Fresh from the pond, this young Gray Treefrog rests on Pickerelweed. You can still see a trace of its tadpole tail on its rear.

Gray Treefrogs are variable in color, but notice the white mark under the eye, a good field mark for this species.

Several other, slightly older, Gray Treefrogs were also seen. Still only half grown, they had already begun to take on the characteristics of adult frogs.

During the same period, young Green Treefrogs, which had been easy to find for most of the summer, began to move away from the Wetlands. They were often seen on leaves, small branches, and even sign posts, far from water, sometimes in small groups. Towards the middle of the month, they were a bit more difficult to locate.

A young Green Treefrog clings to the branch of a small shrub some distance from the Wetlands.

Two small Green Treefrogs sharing space near the Lemur House.

Perching space is sometimes at a premium.

Red-shouldered Hawk scans the water below for a careless frog to make a move.

Bullfrogs are more difficult to find as the season moves along. However, the local Red-shouldered Hawk keeps a sharp eye out for any frogs that do make an appearance. On your next stroll around the Wetlands, keep an eye out for the hawk. If you see it perched in a tree, its head bobbing this-way-and-that trying to zero in on even the slightest movement below, stop and watch a while, you may be lucky enough to see it snatch a frog out of the water and carry it off to eat.

The first Pied-billed Grebe in the Wetlands since March 2008.

The grebe flipping around tadpole for a head-first swallow.

I hadn’t seen one of these little grebes in the Wetlands since March of 2008 when one, then two, showed up and stayed for about five weeks, leaving sometime during the first half of April. At the time, I had hoped that the pair would attempt to nest in the Wetlands.

Our new visitor to the Wetlands is unlike the previous grebe guests, which stayed clear of the boardwalk while people were present. This one apparently has no fear of people and swims right up to the boardwalk, diving, preening, and resting within feet of whoever may be standing there.

Preening is an important part of a bird's daily routine.

Pied-billed Grebes feed on fish, tadpoles, crayfish, and aquatic insects, diving and swimming underwater in pursuit of those items.

Happy grebe with a Wetlands shiner.

An unlucky crayfish in the bill of the grebe.

Grebes propel themselves underwater with their feet. Unlike ducks, which have webbed feet, grebes have lobes on their toes. They can put on quite a show while chasing fish about the water.

Grebe scooting along underwater in pursuit of fish (swimming towards viewer).

These little grebes (which are more closely related to loons than ducks) have the ability to both dive and “sink” beneath the water creating little, if any, splash in doing so.

Grebe in the process of "sinking." They sometimes use the sinking behavior to silently slip away, unseen, from potential predators

A grebe’s feet are positioned well back on its body. This rear placement of the feet is great for swimming but not so good for walking. Ducks too, have feet situated close to the rear of their bodies, although not quite as far back as in grebes.

The feet of grebes are situated well to the rear.

You’ve no doubt seen a duck waddling along on land. Well, imagine the duck’s waddle amplified several times; something between a duck and a penguin. You’re not likley to see a grebe on land except while nesting (which, technically, is not on land at all but usually on a floating matt of vegetation) or during a heavy storm when they are sometimes literally grounded by the weather. Grebes need to run some distance along the water to take flight. With the feet so far back on their bodies they can’t get up enough speed on land to get airborne. A grounded grebe is a very vulnerable grebe indeed.

A wise grebe keeps one eye on the sky.

While watching the grebe dive for fish just off the boardwalk leading down into the Wetlands, I noticed the bird glance skyward. I too looked up, just as an Osprey cruised by overhead. I doubt that an Osprey would attempt to take a grebe (stranger things have happened), but it’s a good idea for a bird like a grebe to keep an eye skyward; a passing eagle, or even the local Red-shouldered Hawk, would probably give it a go.

And then, there were two!

The second grebe arrived 10 days after the first.

The two grebes appear to be inseperable, diving and fishing together in the Wetlands and putting on a show for all who care to view it.

Elsewhere on the Outdoor Exhibit Area, birds have been moving through in fairly good numbers. Both Northern Flickers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers (10/2) arrived during the first half of October along with House Wren (10/1), Wood, Gray-cheeked, and Swainson’s Thrushes, many American Robins, Scarlet Tanagers, and even a Black-billed Cuckoo made a quick appearance, flying within feet of me before fading into the thick vegetation to the right of the Red Wolf Enclosure on 7 October. The thrushes, tanagers, and sapsuckers have been gobbling up the Flowering Dogwood berries which seem to be so abundant this year here at the Museum.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets have arrived (10/2), or at least have been seen in passing and warblers too, have been moving through, including a Nashville Warbler (10/7). Yellow-rumped Warblers are on the scene (10/2). Their arrival traditionally marks the beginning-of-the-end for warbler migration in the fall.

We should expect to see White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos very soon.

American Sycamore prefers wet areas.

Sycamore’s white upper bark stands out against the clear blue skies of fall. This tall hardwood does especially well near water. Look up and enjoy the view as you stroll the outdoor exhibit areas of the Museum.

Many bird species eat Pokeweed berries.

The deep purple berries of Pokeweed are quickly disappearing, leaving only the magenta stems of the plant to glisten in the afternoon sun. Gray Catbirds relish Poke Berries as do many of the other mimic thrushes and thrushes that are passing through our area at this time of year.

The Wetland's willows showing subtle changes.

The low autumn sun shines through the fading leaves of the Wetland's lotus.

Look for Morning Glory as you stroll the Outdoor Exhibits, as well as other flowers which save their best for this time of year. Goldenrod, Spotted Horsemint, Tickseed Sunflower, and Smartweed brighten up any walk around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop.

Morning Glory comes in a variety of colors.

Goldenrod's bright yellow flower clusters attract many insects.

You have to bend down for a closer look to fully appreciate this plant.

Many fall flowers are yellow, like this Tickseed Sunflower.

It's said that, if eaten, smartweed will make your mouth smart. I'm told that it has a spicy hot taste.

Flowering Dogwood’s bright, red fruit is primed and ready to be eaten.

The ripe red fruit is favored by numerous birds and animals.

Many species of birds and several mammals eat the dogwood’s fruit and it appears as though this was a good year for seed production by the dogwoods.

Note the "wings" on the main stem between the leaflets.

Dwarf, or Winged Sumac, is know for it’s leaves turning brilliant scarlet in fall.

Another tree which has a long list of birds lined up to eat it’s fruit is Black Tupelo, or Blackgum (Nyssa Sylvatica). It’s dark blue or purple fruit is eaten by some 30 species of birds.

Black Tupelo, or Blackgum (Nyssa Sylvatica).