On the third floor are lots of things which are found in Michigan.
I always thought these were "just black".........
Merlin, or pigeon hawk.
Osprey.
I'm pretty sure I saw one in a dead tree by the Main Street Target last year. I am also pretty sure it was a lot bigger than this one. I was struck by the birds on diplay being smaller than I am pretty sure the ones I see now are. The red-tail. The cardinal. The goldfinches. Wonder what's up with that. My perception is wrong? Or the birds are bigger now? Or they chose small ones so they wouldn't take up so much room in the display?
Isn't this a cute little thing?
I have seen hundreds of red-tailed hawks along the road (I bet they are waiting for road kill), but am not aware of ever seeing any of these small guys.
Twice I have been aware of birds killing other birds in my back yard. One time the hawk was quite big (body/head well over a foot long, plus tail). That bird celebrated its hunting prowess for quite some time from the bittersweet vine on the garage. It stood there, shrieking just like you see on tv, for quite some time. The dogs went nuts, but I spoiled their fun and made them stay inside. (I never let anyone have any fun.)
The other time the hawk was the size of a pigeon (as is the kestrel). I saw something come, fast, out of the corner of my eye, on our patio. I turned to look, and thought "Pigeon. No. Wrong shape. Hawk. Oh, yuck, it's killing a sparrow." (Its talons were clenching and unclenching, and we'll draw a curtain over that. At least it was a sparrow rather than a chickadee or a goldfinch......)
I went for the bird book, and thought maybe it was one of the little avian predators (can't remember which!), but when I consulted a birding expert he told me that for Washtenaw county at that time of year it was almost certainly a juvenile sharp-shinned hawk. Which wasn't what it looked like in the book, but hey. Who am I to question the local expert (author of the Birding in Washtenaw County sort of book.............).
He'd be a good guy to ask about the birds in the museum being smaller than the ones outside, if I ever encounter him again. His brother is one of my better half's good friends, so I might.
I didn't get a pic of the peregrine falcon, but we had some nesting in Burton Tower several years ago. I believe they were there two different years, but never succeeded in raising young. It's a pretty noisy place -- it's a carillon. But apparently the bells didn't bother them. I haven't heard anything about falcons in Burton Tower lately, so I suspect they went somewhere else. Maybe the bells did bother them...... A2 certainly has plenty of pigeons! Seems like the tall structures in town could be good nesting places..........
Moving right along.
Toad.
(my pics of reptiles and amphibians were disappointingly not sharp, alas)
(again the most excellent model-making!)
They have to have one of these, here in Go-Blue country, but they say there is no evidence that they were ever native to Michigan.
Note we are overlooking the dinos -- you can see skulls of early whales behind, and beneath, the wolverine's head.
Speaking of dinos -- it's easy to believe birds descend from dinos when you look at a turkey's head.
Look at the artistry of this display.......... The turkey is amazing, and admire the painted background..............
Everything in this post has been here since before I ever visited this museum.
This is one of my favorite displays.
As we are making a point of appreciating the work that went into model making, let us linger over this......... All glass, if I'm not mistaken. Wow.
I am no expert on taxidermy, but I know I have seen some elsewhere that just looks Wrong.
I imagine that the taxidermy here is quite up to the extremely high standard of the rest of the displays.....
!!!
I mean, of course we associate this with the southwest, but southwest Michigan????
Who knew.
This has been here since I was a kid, I am sure, but I don't remember noticing it before........
Warbler. I forgot to take a pic of the label, so I don't remember what kind.
Again the artistry of the presentation............
.
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