October 27, 2009

During a school program today, there was a lot of wildlife activity in the beaver ponds. After the program, our staff took a short hike up to the pond to try to relocate a shorebird seen earlier. Although we were not able to relocate the shorebird, we did watch a Great Blue Heron catch and consume a small rodent which was scurrying along the dam!

October 19, 2009

Despite a very frosty morning, the bright sunshine made it bearable for NBNC staff to eat lunch outside! Apparently, it was warm enough for a Red Admiral butterfly to land near the butterfly garden and sun itself on some wood chips. Will this be the last butterfly of the season? A short hike also turned up some interesting birds, including Eastern Phoebe, Savannah Sparrow, and 13 Mallards in the beaver pond! Also, no less than seven Painted Turtles were seen basking.

October 13, 2009

Winter gave us a sneak preview today, with a fine coating of snow which continued falling into the morning. In recognition of the changing seasons, our bird feeder is back up. Perhaps this is what attracted a group of about a dozen Common Grackles, the first flock that we have seen here in a number of weeks. Other timely news includes the flowering of the Witch Hazel in the parking lot, which actually began to flower two weeks ago.

October 12, 2009

A cool start to the day transitioned into a comfortable afternoon. During a brief hike into Hubbard Park, it certainly felt like a transitional time of year. Dark-eyed Juncos are again present in the area after being absent most of the summer. A huge flock of Robins continues to take advantage of the abundance of fruiting trees and plants at NBNC. Active amphibians such as Northern Two-lined and Northern Dusky Salamanders were observed in a stream and a Clouded Sulphur was seen flying in the fields (will this be the year's last butterfly?) As the season continues to change, we'll continue to watch the changing wildlife here at the Nature Center.

October 2, 2009

Our final Friday bird walk of the season turned up some new discoveries. The highlight might have been a Solitary Sandpiper which was flying upstream along the North Branch and landed on the shore directly in front of six lucky participants, offering clear, close views. Other highlights include an American Woodcock which was flushed out near the community gardens alongside the river. The morning's complete list is shown below:

Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Solitary Sandpiper
American Woodcock
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Common Yellowthoat
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
American Goldfinch