Posts Tagged ‘wildlife wednesday’
Wildlife Wednesday 01/29/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday from the woolly bear caterpillar! Woolly bears are the larval form of the Isabella tiger moth, a yellowish orange moth with black spots that occurs in the United States and Canada. Being found in very cold locations including the Arctic, there is much folklore surrounding woolly bears and their ability to predict the…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 01/22/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! January is perhaps 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…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 01/15/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! To some people one of the best parts of a cold Ohio winter is the lack of irritating bugs and biting creepy crawlies. However, one small critter that is cold tolerant and makes a noticeable appearance in the winter is the snow flea! Native to North America, these tiny dark blue and black…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 01/08/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The Sandhill Crane is a tall elegant bird with a heavy body, soaring 6-foot wingspan, red crown of feathers on its head, and a fluffy bustle of gray plumage at its back end. This graceful long-necked avian has a loud rolling trumpet-like vocalization that can be heard for miles. Mated pairs will engage…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 01/01/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! We are sliding into the new year like a North American river otter! Very social and undisputedly adorable, otters are renowned for their playful nature. A group of otters is even called a “romp.” Some ways that river otters play include: *Wrestling with each other, both on land and in the water. *Chasing…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/25/2024
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 12/18/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! The Snowy Owl is the heaviest owl in North America and one of the largest owls in the world. It is native to the Arctic where it spends its time breeding and hunting on the tundra. While most owls are primarily nocturnal, the Snowy Owl is diurnal, active during the day. During the…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 12/11/2024
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 12/04/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Let’s meet Mikey! If you’ve visited The Wilderness Center, you’ve probably met our hard-working animal ambassadors, Zea the corn snake and Barnaby and Gus the Eastern box turtles. Occasionally things happen that prevent wild animals from living in their native habitats, which is the preferred ideal home for wildlife. For example, an animal…
Read MoreWildlife Wednesday 11/27/2024
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 birds with long necks and small heads feed on the ground, strutting and striding through forests and grasslands like small prehistoric dinosaurs. Adult males, or toms, weigh in…
Read More