Posts Tagged ‘wildlife wednesday’
Wildlife Wednesday 01/14/2026
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! January is the best month to see Golden Eagles in Ohio. The enormous and regal raptor is quite rare in Ohio, with only a handful of sightings each year. The Golden Eagle has a wingspan of over 7 feet and large specimens tip the scales at 14 pounds. Their body plumage is dark…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 01/07/2026
Hoppy #WildlifeWednesday! Let’s jump into some fun facts about the most widespread and abundant rabbit in North America, the Eastern cottontail! This medium-sized rabbit is known and named for its fluffy white tail that resembles a cotton ball. Its range extends from southern Canada throughout most of the United States and into Mexico, Central America,…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/31/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday, party animals! On New Year’s Eve, a date known for elaborate gatherings and celebrations, let’s learn about one of the most social and playful animals in Ohio, the North American river otter. Widely appreciated for their adorableness thanks to their fluffy fur and cute facial features, otters are also renowned for their lively…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/24/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Mrooowwwr. Purr. Hiss. Growl. These are the sounds one could hear from Ohio’s resident wildcat, the bobcat. These small native cats are part of the “purring cat” family (which also includes lynxes, ocelots, and house cats) and cannot roar. Quiet, secretive, and avoidant of humans, bobcats are crepuscular and active mainly at dusk…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/17/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! ‘Tis the season for the longest running citizen science project in the world, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Up through the 19th century, many people in North America participated in a tradition of competitive hunting on Christmas Day, seeing who could kill the most birds. But in December 1900, ornithologist Frank Chapman proposed…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/10/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! As harsh winter weather approaches, we are featuring an animal that uses hibernation as a survival strategy, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. Also known as the striped gopher and leopard ground squirrel, this rodent is related to prairie dogs and is found in grasslands and open areas in Ohio. They may also use man-made…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/03/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday. Visitors to The Wilderness Center often ask if bears live in our woods and the answer is… not right now. But they have in the past, and could again in the future. Historically, American black bears were abundant throughout Ohio, prior to major human settlement. But by the 1850s bears were considered officially…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 11/26/2025
Gobble gobble! It’s #WildlifeWednesday and we are celebrating the Wild Turkey! Preferring woodland habitat interspersed with open spaces such as fields, pastures, and orchards, these large heavy-bodied game birds with long necks and small heads feed on the ground, strutting and striding through forests and grasslands. Adult males, or toms, weigh in at 12-25 pounds…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 11/19/2025
Whooooo’s ready for our upcoming owl prowl? It’s #WildlifeWednesday and we will highlight the 3 owl species we are most likely to encounter on our grounds this time of year. The Eastern Screech-owl is Ohio’s smallest and most common owl, occurring in all 88 counties. This little owl is about the size of an American…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 11/12/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Today we will learn about a nocturnal animal that wants to be seen, smelled, recognized, and remembered…the striped skunk! While many animals use camouflage, burrows, and fleeing to hide from predators, the skunk does not rely on any of these. Instead its strategy is to stand out, showing off the bright white stripes…
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