Possible Return of Old Friends?

Red-shouldered Hawk on the nest in 2012

Long-time followers of our blog will remember that last year we had a family of Red-shouldered Hawks nesting on the Study grounds. This week, one of them has made repeat appearances. Tuesday Amanda spotted a hawk flying around, and today Larry, Stephanie, and Deb saw the hawk sitting on one of the picnic tables mid-morning...looking for lunch, perhaps?

Here's hoping the mated pair will return this year to raise a new family!

Growing plants and animals at the Study

Everything is planted and growing in the gardens of the Museum. The gardens are planted and flowers are bursting open every day. I am keeping track of blooming plants on our Facebook page with a 'Bloom Report Photot Album'.

Things are growing in the trees also! We have the pleasure of watching hawks nest and raise triplets this spring! The nesting pair was very patient with our visitors who got too close, only becoming territorial when the young were ready to leave the nest. While walking across the lawn to the best viewing spot of the nest, a hawk decided to 'dive bomb' me and caught my hair with its talons! I sprinted across the lawn, dropping the binoculars, holding onto the camera and never looked back until a safe distance away. what excitement! Later that afternoon, I went back to find the binoculars and watched a baby raccoon on the house across the wall. Screaming and crying for its mother, the raccoon finally was rewarded by mama raccoon racing across the roof and hovering over the young one while they climbed to the ridge line and over to the other side. They crying immediately stopped when mama raccoon appeared. 

Three days later, a baby raccoon was at the base of a large pin oak tree on the front lawn of the Study. Up the tree, approximately 10' was another baby raccoon, and then I noticed another face peering down on me from a hollow section of the trunk. Mama raccoon kept hidden while the babies were trying to climb this large tree. The baby raccoons finally were scurried up the tree to safety. It has been quite a spring, I wonder what the summer will bring?

Fly-in Visitors

The 3.5 acres of blooming trees and flowers have been host to a multitude of fly-in visitors. Birds and beetles (japanese) visited the grounds early this spring, with the cicadas, hummingbirds and butterflies soon following. The easter swallowtail, black swallowtail and the viceroy butterflies have been feasting on the lantana, salvia and butterfly bushes.

The swallowtails are the most popular with the visitors, many amazed at the bright blue on the black swallowtail. The yellow swallowtail flit from bloom to bloom, rarely holding still for a photo opportunity.

While picking green beans, i noticed two green/black striped caterpillars. Hoping to have monarch caterpillars, I researched and foundthat they are black swallowtail caterpillars. They are green with black stripes, approximately two inches long. We will keep an eye on them in the next few days and see what transpires.

Spring Visitor

Spring is on its way. The grass is getting greener, the weeds are sprouting and the museum is being graced with more visitors. For the last 3 weeks, a loud 'screeching' noise has permeated the neighborhood around the museum. A pair of hawks has appeared, hunting and scouting the area. Visitors wander the grounds, looking towards the treetops, wondering what is making that 'screeching' sound. Then the hawks are spotted and the fun begins.

The hawks, currently have 2 nests they visit. One nest in the top of a white oak, is filled with twigs and leaves. The other nest, in the largest ash tree on the grounds, is constructed of twigs and is located near our parking lot. The hawks are very people leery and fly away at the first sight of visitors. They can be seen soaring above the grounds and around the immediate area.

We will be keeping an eye on the nests, from a distance, in hopes of hatchlings.

In the past, sharp shinned hawks have built nests and raised their young. The 2010 hawks appear to be the red shouldered hawk. There is a Nature Backpack available to all museum visitors and comes equipped with a bird identification book and binoculars!

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10

Larry Paarlberg, Director of the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, greets guests to the Member Sneak Preview Party for the opening of the Museum's new exhibit, "Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace."

Member Sneak Preview Party, 3/3/10, originally uploaded by WallaceStudy.

An Unwelcome Visitor

Grounds Manager Deb King releases a bat she found lying on the floor of the Study Monday afternoon.

We're not exactly sure how it got in, but by the time Deb found it, it was either sick or injured and didn't last long. This is one visitor that is NOT welcome!