Keep a lookout for these birds as you stroll through the Butterfly Conservatory.

Although small, these birds should be easy to locate, they’re very vocal.

The birds are native to Australia and Indonesia and are a popular cage species. Obviously granivores (the bill shape) seed has been put out for them near the rear of the Conservatory.

Four of the little finches have been released. They are rather vocal and like to stick together so you should have little problem finding the birds in the Conservatory.

Welcome finches!

This Red Swamp Crawfish rears back and challenges passersby on the path in Explore the Wild.

Last week I posted about a mourning dove building a nest in a willow tree in the Wetlands. The nest is complete and the bird is apparently sitting on eggs. I have one concern, the nest is directly over the water. Dove nests are typically rather flimsy affairs, any nestling that happens to fall out of the nest will have a tough time making it to shore.

This mourning dove seems to be sitting on eggs.

And finally, I noticed a young Garter Snake in the grass alongside the path.

This young Garter Snake was just off the path in Explore the Wild.

Garter snakes have been seen at all times of the year here at the Museum. Although I’ve seen a fair share of them on the ground, I’ve most often see them dangling from the talons of a Red-shouldered Hawk. Be careful little garter!

When disturbed they will often flatten out their body and head which creates a more intimidating profile, even coiling up and striking at a curious onlooker.

The broad head of a venomous snake is the illusion created by the flattened head of this adult garter.

Taking a defensive stance, this garter is ready to strike. The snake is nonvenomous but intimidating.

Garter Snakes are common in our area, even more so in the mountains to our west. They are more cold tolerant than many of the other local snakes, which helps explain why they’re active year round.

Keep your eyes peeled, you never know what might pop up here at the Museum!

I had also been told by Ranger Rock that, out of curiosity, he had looked inside the nest box next to the Bungee Jump on Saturday morning and had found three dead birds inside. Nevertheless, I steadfastly and optimistically performed my duties and inspected each nest box.

Last week the nest box at the Cow Pasture next to the Train Tunnel had three bluebird eggs, it now has five.

Happily, the Cow Pasture nest survived Friday’s powerful storms. There was even an increase in the clutch size (6/11/13).

The nest box in the meadow next to the Bungee Jump held three tiny bluebird nestlings the last time I opened the box. But according to Rock, it now held three dead nestlings. That’s not what I found when I unlatched the door and swung it open. There were no dead birds, just an empty nest!

I can’t explain what happened to the nestlings that Rock saw in the nest a few days earlier. Rain must have entered the box, the birds suffered hypothermia and perished. How they were removed from the nest box remains a mystery.

An empty nest greeted me as I peeked into the nest box at the Bungee Jump in Catch the Wind (6/11/13).

After having fledged three chickadees the nest box behind the Sail Boat Pond is still vacant. It has been cleaned and is ready to go.

There were two adult birds, a male and a female, on or near the nest box in the Amphimeadow when I approached the box. When I looked inside I found four healthy nestlings. They should fledge by the time I next look inside the box.

These four bluebird nestlings will probably fledge by next week (6/11/13).

Is there going to be a new nest in the nest box next to the Picnic Dome? We’ll have to wait and see (6/11/13).

There has been no further progress in the nest box near the Picnic Dome. Last week it had the beginnings of a new bluebird nest inside. The box had been empty for two weeks and I was hoping that I would find a completed nest with eggs when I went in for a peek on Tuesday. It still had the single layer of Loblolly pine needles that had been there last week.

As I approached the nest box at the Butterfly House I could see the face of a female bluebird peering out at me. The bird stood her ground as I neared the box. She held on even as I knocked on the side of the box. It was only after I opened the door that she flew off to a nearby pine tree to watch me invade her nest.

Watching me as I approached the nest box, this female was busy incubating when I came calling (6/11/13).

Here’s what the female was sitting on (6/11/13).

We now have three active nests of 10 bluebird eggs, 5 in one nest and 5 in the other, and 4 bluebird nestlings. There are currently three inactive nests. One nest previously contained three bluebird nestlings that apparently had succumbed to the rain and thunderstorms of last week. Construction has been halted on one nest by a pair of bluebirds and the other nest box has seen no activity in at least two weeks.

The nest boxes contain:

10 bluebirds eggs

4 bluebird nestlings

3 empty or inactive nests

See you next week!

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtaill caterpillar’s “eyes” are meant to scare, not stare (Catch the Wind).

A damselfly.

A Southern Spreadwing Damselfly. Notice how the wings are held out to the side, spread out (Wetlands).

An assassin bug.

A Wheel Bug nymph (on bungee, left side) wears a warning on its abdomen, “Don’t touch me!” As adults, a bite, or rather a poke, with their proboscis can be painful (Animal Department Gator).

A nest-building bird.

Mourning Dove nest under construction. Bird is on the left, nest on the right, “Can you see me?” (Wetlands)

A morphing frog.

Looking more like a salamander or lizard, this creature is about to become a bullfrog (Wetlands).

A tree frog who thinks it can’t be seen.

This Gray Tree Frog should stick with the trees, its camouflage doesn’t work well on Rice Paper Plant leaves (Dino Trail).

And, a bird with a frog.

Jabbing at something in the water, this green heron hopes to hit pay-dirt (Wetlands).

Ureka!

A closer look reveals a partial tail on this little frog. It will never make the transition to full adult.

And that’s some of what I’ve been seeing. How about you?

A new bluebird nest and two blue eggs at the Cow Pasture (6/4/13).

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 Kristin peeked into the box Saturday (6/1) and there were only three eggs. What happen to the other egg? The egg had to be removed sometime between Tuesday morning (5/28) and Saturday afternoon (6/1). I assume the missing egg was removed by one of the parents.

Despite the missing egg, there is good news. The nest now contains three tiny bluebird nestlings.

Tiny and difficult to see, these three nestlings at the Bungee Jump nest appear to have just hatched (6/4/13).

The three chickadee nestlings have fledged from the nest behind the Sail Boat Pond. I was a bit surprised that they had fledged, they looked so small and fragile last week. However, my records show that they hatched on or before May 21 which is plenty of time for them to have grown and fledged, over two weeks time.

All that remains in the nest behind the Sail Boat Pond is moss, fur, and a jumping spider on the far wall (6/4/13).

Now for the Amphimeadow nest box. If you remember from last week, there were five bluebird eggs within this nest. There are now four nestlings. All nestlings seem to be doing well. As I opened the box, one lifted its head, its gaping mouth at its fullest.

Four nestlings, one agape, greeted me as I opened the nest box in the Amphimeadow (6/4/13).

I can’t explain what happened to the fifth egg in this nest. As with the missing egg in the nest box next to the Bungee Jump it is no longer there and the assumption is that one of the parent birds removed it.

After having fledged five chickadees and being vacant for two weeks, the nest box next to the Picnic Dome contains the beginnings of a new bluebird nest.

I expect that this nest at the Picnic Dome will have at least a few eggs by next week (6/4/13).

And lastly, the Butterfly House nest. Last week this nest box had one lonely egg nestled within its pine straw cupped bluebird nest. It now contains five bright blue gems.

An additional four eggs in the Butterfly House nest since last week (5/4/13).

So, here’s where we stand. We have five active nests, all bluebird. One is under construction, two contain a total of 7 eggs (2 in one, 5 in the other), and two nests hold 7 nestlings (3 in one, 4 in the other). The one empty nest, the nest at the Sail Boat Pond, has recently fledged 3 chickadees and is being readied for new occupants.

See you next week!

Green Heron sharing the Wetlands with the turtles.

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 a while I hear a loud squawky “skew” coming from the brush or catch a glimpse of one of these small herons out in the open.

Patiently waiting for a small fish or tadpole to come within striking distance.

And there it is!

Unfortunately the heron above missed its target. There will, however, be many more opportunities for this heron, we have lots of small fish and tadpoles in our Wetlands.

A Green Heron perches briefly before heading off into the willows on the far side of the Wetlands to stalk its prey.

I’m going to be on the lookout for nesting here at the Museum this season. I spotted some activity near the Bungee Jump (Take Off) in Catch the Wind last year and suspect breeding.

A youngster hunting amongst the willows, and obviously excited about something (photo from July 2012).

A Great Blue Heron’s nest is usually very easy to spot, a huge mass of sticks and twigs high among the treetops. And there’s typically more than one, often many herons in a colony. Green Herons don’t necessarily nest in colonies and their nest is often well concealed in a dense shrub, thicket, or tangle of vines.

Although small for a heron, Green Herons are large in comparison to say a catbird or red-winged blackbird. The relatively large size may lead one to think that their nests would be easy to locate. I can tell you from experience, that’s not always the case. Until the young begin to grow in the nest, squawking and begging for food, the adult birds can be quite discreet around the nest and it’s not uncommon to walk right past one and not know it’s there.

If, however, you’re in the area of the nest often enough, you’re bound to see the birds coming and going, giving away the position of the nest. And that’s what I’m going to be looking for this season, that is, if I can find the time between all of the other activities going on. So much happens at this time of year!

This Gray Catbird sings its heart out in Catch the Wind.

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 a very good job of imitating the “police” whistles used by the Animal Keepers to call in the bears.

Same bird singing from a different perch.

But what ever the catbird imitates, its song in general has a very squeaky quality to it. And, they usually throw in a “meow” or two while they’re at it.

Despite the squeakiness, they do well in the singing department, although they still can’t quite match the fine tones of either the thrasher or mocker. Most people prefer the singing of the other two mimics over the catbird. They’re all high on my list of singers.

Here’s a catbird giving its best on YouTube.

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 the female is incubating. I saw the female poke her head out of the box on Saturday (5/25) and just as quickly go back inside.

These four eggs in the nest at the Bungee Jump will probably hatch by next week’s inspection of the nest boxes (5/18/13).

The three chickadee nestlings in the nest behind the Sail Boat Pond seem to be progressing well. One egg never hatched and is still in the nest.

Although one egg never hatched these three chickadee nestlings seem to be doing well at the Sail Boat Pond (5/28/13).

As I knocked on the nest box in the Amphimeadow (I always knock before entering) the female flushed from the box, she was incubating. This nest will be full of nestlings by next week.

The eggs in this nest at the Amphimeadow will probably hatch by next week (5/28/13).

As I mentioned, the nest at the Picnic Dome is unoccupied, no activity.

Empty last week, the nest box at the Butterfly House now has a new bluebird nest in place and one egg. I expect that there will be more eggs by next week.

Do eggs get lonely? This one looks the part (5/28/13).

So, we now have two nest boxes with no activity and four containing nests. There are a total of 10 bluebird eggs in those boxes, 4 in one, 5 in another, and to round it off, one in the box at the Butterfly House. There are currently three nestlings, all chickadees, in the box at the Sail Boat Pond.

Enjoy!

The answer to that statement and those questions is always no.

In explaining my no response, last question first, no snake in our area is poisonous. It’s an honest mistake but the correct word for a biting snake with fangs that injects toxins into its prey, or enemies, is venomous.

Moving forward, water moccasins, or cottonmouths as they are often called, are scarce above the fall line, or coastal plain in our state. This too is an honest mistake for some folks. The Museum, in Durham, is not very far from the fall line (just one county east) and many people who visit us live below the fall line where they are likely to encounter cottonmouths. That’s not to say that a cottonmouth has never been or never will be seen above the fall line or in Durham, but the chances are pretty slim.

The copperheads? The pictures below do a better job of replying to the statement, “That looks like a Copperhead,” than simple words.

A Northern Water Snake crossing the path in Explore the Wild (5/7/13).

A Copperhead crossing the path in Explore the Wild (5/17/13).

And here they are again in direct comparison.

Water snake (top) and copperhead.

Putting aside the broad, copper-colored head of the bottom snake, look at the pattern. Although variable, the pattern on the northern water snake is never as clean and bright as it is on the copperhead, at least in our area.

Both patterns serve their wearer well in their respective habitats. The close banding on the water snake works well in the reflective, dappled light of a watery domain while the wide-spaced, hourglass pattern on the copperhead suits its leaf-littered wooded haunts. They’re easy to see on the pavement, but not so easy to spot in their natural habitats.

If you like to hike in the woods you’ve probably walked past more copperheads than you’d care to know about. You may have even stepped directly over one without realizing it. But that’s a story for another time.

Look at the patterns on the snakes above and you should have no problem differentiating a northern water snake from a copperhead. As I said, the water snake’s pattern is variable, some may be darker, lighter, or may even be quite red, but the pattern on the copperhead is locally consistent.

Have fun!

An Eastern Phoebe sitting on eggs in Explore the Wild (4/20/13).

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 vending area. A nest there would be very convenient for anyone wanting to spy on a bird’s nest. Phoebes have nested below the boardwalk each year since I’ve been here at the Museum, but it’s difficult for a naturalist to see what’s going on down there.

The birds cooperated and built their nest on top of a block wall at the entrance to the vending area. Not long after, eggs were laid and incubation had begun.

There were nestlings in the nest (5/10/13).

Somewhere around the second week of May I noticed that the bird was not sitting on the nest as much as it had been. I wanted to take a look at what was in the nest and this provided a good excuse to do so.

Out came the iPhone, some tape, and a long pole. I taped the iPhone to the pole, turned on the video and crept up on the nest. The image at right was taken from the video, not great quality (terrible quality) but you can see the reason for the adult’s absence, the eggs had hatched.

Things move quickly from here on, the birds grow rapidly, in two weeks they’d be off the nest. I was a bit concerned, and had been since this bird decided to nest here. This area is crowded with school kids during weekday mornings. Many fields trips come through the Museum in the spring. Everything from kindergarten, middle school, high school, and home school visit the Museum, and most of the kids pass through this vending area.

Our female did well, sitting on her eggs throughout the day while hundreds of kids passed by below. Once the eggs are in the nest the likelihood of the birds abandoning the nest decreases dramatically, even more so when the eggs hatch. There’s no way the birds will quite the nest with hatchlings in attendance. Our parent phoebes lived up to their duties, tirelessly bringing morsels of food throughout the long days.

The photo above of the hatchlings was taken on 10 May. Six days later, I took the photo below.

It’s hard to see how many nestlings are in this nest. Although only two are visible here, my guess was four (5/16/13).

The next day…

A day can make a big differences with these small birds, they grow rapidly (5/17/13).

Four days after that…

Four nestlings are clearly visible in this shot (5/21/13).

It’s here that I knew the time was near for these birds to leave the nest. If not that very day, it certainly would be the next. These things usually start in the morning, I was a bit worried about too many people being in the area, the birds may be trampled.

The following morning at around 9:45 I saw the quartet still at the nest. They had spilled over the nest and onto the ledge. It was going to happen soon, very soon.

The siblings look ready to go (5/22/13).

Then I saw it, there on the ground, about ten feet from the nest, was another little phoebe, a fifth phoebe that I hadn’t seen before. It was the first one to leave the nest.

The first phoebe to leave the nest (about 9:45 AM, 5/22/13).

By 11:20 AM there were three birds left in the nest.

These three birds try to muster up the courage to take the leap from the nest (5/22/13).

Luckily, it was not one of our busiest days. And, the birds did their part by timing their departures from the nest at times of low traffic. I was able to account for each bird throughout the day. It wasn’t until around 4 PM when the last bird left the nest. All birds had successfully made the transition from nestling to fledgling.

It would be their first night out in the open. No more being fed by their parents. Well, maybe a few more insects passed off to them by their parents, but the time has come to learn the ways of the world for these little birds. Being flycatchers, the young phoebes would now have to learn the art of capturing insects on the wing, how to snatch up a winged aphid, a hoverfly, even a dragonfly while in flight. They would also have to learn how to avoid being eaten themselves.

Many kids, teachers, and parents had a chance to see the phoebes in various stages of their lives from nest building to fledging. It was a great opportunity to point out to visitors what these birds were and to give impromptu lessons on their life histories.

I can’t wait to see what happens next out in the Wild!

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Read more about our phoebes here.