Season Posts

New Bird Species by , Ranger

June 14th, 2013

No, not in the Wild, but in the Butterfly House Conservatory. As you walk down the narrow path, pass through the tropical foliage, and gaze at the many colorful, fluttering butterflies inside the Conservatory, keep an eye out for a group of small brightly colored birds with large bright red bills, Zebra Finches. The birds [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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A Few More Sightings From the Wild by , Ranger

June 14th, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve come upon an adult Red Swamp Crawfish hiking across the path in Explore the Wild. I’d seen a bunch of the younger and smaller crawfish caught and used in Wetlands Teaching Programs, but hadn’t seen adults out and about for some time. The heavy rains of the past week [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Bluebird Update 6/11/13 by , Ranger

June 12th, 2013

I was a bit apprehensive as I started my nest box inspections this week. Last Friday we had a day of very heavy rain and thunderstorms and I wasn’t sure of what to expect when I opened the nest boxes. Some areas received five plus inches of rain! I had also been told by Ranger [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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What’s up in the Wild by , Ranger

June 10th, 2013

Here’s a little of what’s going on in the Wild at the Museum…a caterpillar. A damselfly. An assassin bug. A nest-building bird. A morphing frog. A tree frog who thinks it can’t be seen. And, a bird with a frog. And that’s some of what I’ve been seeing. How about you? Read the rest of this entry »

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Bluebird Update 6/4/13 by , Ranger

June 5th, 2013

At this time last week this nest box (the Cow Pasture, above) was completely empty, no nest material and certainly no eggs. A new nest has been built and so far two eggs have been deposited in the box. Last week there were four eggs in the nest which is next to the Bungee Jump. I and Ranger [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Green Heron by , Ranger

June 3rd, 2013

From April thru September Green Herons are in our Wetlands nearly every day, if not every day. However, they’re not always visible, they spend much of their time hidden from view silently perched just above the water’s surface or quietly stalking fish, tadpoles, or insects among the willow branches and roots. But, every once in [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Catbird singing by , Ranger

May 31st, 2013

Catbirds have been back for over a month but they’re more obvious now than they had been, they’re singing. Gray Catbirds are mimic thrushes. They’re in the same group of birds as Northern Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers. They sometimes imitate other birds or sounds in their local area. One catbird here at the Museum does [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Bluebird Update 5.28.13 by , Ranger

May 29th, 2013

Last week we had three active nests and three empty nest boxes. Now, there are four active nests. Only the nests at the Cow Pasture and Picnic Dome are unoccupied. The nest at the Bungee Jump still has the same four eggs as it did last week at this time, but it appears as though [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Northern Water Snake vs Copperhead by , Ranger

May 29th, 2013

It’s almost a daily occurrence, I’d be watching a water snake coiled up and snoozing in the grass on the north side of the Wetlands, point the snake out to someone passing by and they’d say, “That looks like a Copperhead,” or, “Is that a moccasin, cottonmouth?” or most often, “Is it poisonous?” The answer to [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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Phoebes, Coming and Going by , Ranger

May 27th, 2013

Sometime in March I noticed an Eastern Phoebe frequenting the vending area in Explore the Wild. Knowing that phoebes readily nest on ledges (rock ledges, wood ledges, block ledges, any kind of ledges) I hoped for a nest within easy viewing distance. There are plenty of ledges on the building that houses the restrooms and [...] Read the rest of this entry »

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