Christopher the barred owl has finally been moved to his new farmyard exhibit! He’s been behind the scenes while his new home was being built next to Max the steer and Chummix the goat. The enclosure turned out really nicely, and you can see on the far left where Christopher has a sheltered area to go along with all of the open sunny space, as well. Go say hello to Christopher on your next visit through the farmyard.Read more
Posts tagged: #museum
QuikPost: More reusable bags!!
A few months ago I found some reusable produce bags at the grocery store. Props to the Kroger on North Pointe Drive who sells these! These bags eliminate the need for those hard to open plastic bags on the roll that you fill with green beans, kale, or whatever loose fruit or vegetable your opossum needs that week, and then toss once you’ve unloaded into the fridge. They’re strong enough to hold apples and sweet potatoes, yet weigh next toRead more
Big Word of the Month: Amplexus
We have had several recent posts about the explosion of life around the wetlands this spring. If you have been in Explore the Wild recently you no doubt have heard many frogs and toads calling. Earlier this week I found that some of our resident amphibians were busy making new amphibians at the edge of the bear pool. How many toads do you see in the photo? (click on picture to see larger version) This clump is one female AmericanRead more
Spotlight: Jill Brown
I have been slack on my Spotlight postings, but I will recommit to telling you all about the special people who work in, with, or help the animal department. I’ve written spotlights on the rest of the keepers, so here’s the last one, or as Jill would say, I saved the best for last. This is Jill. She’s been a Keeper here for almost five years ( you can wish her a happy anniversary on September 12). Jill loves birds and Boba Fett. She’sRead more
QuikPost: Enrichment serving its purpose!
I just wanted to share some photos of our opossums making good use of their enrichment. This is Sonny and Cher, our Carolina Wildlife opossums that live together on exhibit. As you can see, they like to sleep together, whether it be in an old tree trunk, a hammock, or a shoe box. You may only be able to see one face peaking out of the shoe box, but both of them were in there. It was kind of funnyRead more
Big Word of the Month: El Niño , Southern Oscillation
A question to ponder: Why would the temperature of the ocean water off the coast of South America cause a woman in Chicago to re-consider her purchase of soybeans? For this month’s episode of Big Word of the Month, I want to discuss my favorite oceanic/atmoshpheric phenomenon (you have one too, right!) . Climate scientists use the term El Niño , Southern Oscillation to describe the complex relationship between the patterns of atmospheric pressure over the Pacific Ocean and theRead more