RECENT OBSERVATIONS

• A Great Blue Heron was sighted by visitors along the shore of Little Pond! Another welcome sign that spring is on its way! (3/29/25)
• A common loon was spotted on Big Pond by two of our Naturalists on its journey north. (3/28/25)
• Tree Swallows and Eastern Phoebes have both been seen/heard around the nature center building. These birds are the true harbingers of spring! (3/27/25)
• One of our young visitors found a Northern Water Snake basking in the sun today down by the Treetop Pond Dock despite the chilly temps. (3/21/25)
• We've been hearing Western Chorus Frogs, Wood Frogs, and Spring Peepers in the vernal ponds around Seven Ponds. Spring is here! (3/18/25)
• Tundra Swans are on the move! A large flock (~200) flew over the parking lot this morning, heading north. Listen for their high "hoh!" calls as they fly overhead on their way to their breeding grounds on the Arctic tundra. (3/14/25)
• We saw our first Turkey Vulture of the season over the weekend! Always fun to welcome these amazing birds back to our area. (3/9/25)
• The first Red-winged Blackbird of the season showed up at our feeders today. Spring cannot be far away! (2/28/25)
• We heard our first Sandhill Cranes of the year today. Their loud rattle call sure is a welcome sound after a long snowy winter! (2/25/25)
• This is the time of year when our naturalists climb up and clean out all of our Wood Duck nest boxes in preparation of the spring nesting season. Old nesting material is discarded, and cedar woodchips are placed in each of the boxes. Invariably, our naturalists find some boxes occupied by winter tenants - of course, we leave them be. This morning's discoveries included a sleeping raccoon and a red-form Eastern Screech-Owl. (2/12/25)
• We heard turkeys this morning - hens clucking and toms gobbling. Wild Turkey toms start gobbling in late winter or early spring when they begin courtship. This seems a bit early? (2/11/25)
• We enjoyed watching a young Virginia Opossum munching on sunflower seeds at our feeders today. (2/6/25)
• More action on the deer carcass, with an adult Bald Eagle having a meal (1/31/25) and three American Crows having breakfast (2/4/25).
• A deer carcass on the Treetop Pond ice is attracting scavengers in search of a hearty winter meal. So far we've seen American Crows and two juvenile Bald Eagles. You can view the carcass from the nature center building or the Treetop Pond dock. Circle of life! (1/29/25)