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Midwinter
Bald Eagle Count
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Wednesday, January 10,
7:00-9:00 a.m.
Join park staff in collecting data for the state and national count of Bald Eagles. Participants will be allowed in the park before it opens and will be staged at various locations around Lake Crabtree. No prior birding experience required. Enjoy a light breakfast after the count.
Call 919-460-3355 for more information.
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Squirrel Spotters
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Friday, January 19,
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Head out to Lake Crabtree to learn all about our most commonly seen mammal. We will spy on the always entertaining grey squirrels that abound in the park. Park staff will answer all your gnawing questions about squirrel habits, habitats, and the perils they face.
"Squirrel Appreciation Day" is on January 21, so you will be prepared to celebrate! This program is
FREE, and requires preregistration. Visit our
website to register online.
Call 919-460-3355 for more information.
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Coming in February!
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21st Annual Great Backyard Bird Count
Friday, February 16
through
Monday, February 19
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual four-day event that encourages birdwatchers of all ages and skill levels to count birds and report their results online to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The data collected gives useful information to scientists, which enables them to better evaluate fluctuations in bird populations.
Click here
for more information about the Great Backyard Bird Count. Lake Crabtree will be hosting events all four days of the count. Check out our
website
for more details and to register online for GBBC programs.
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Holiday Closings
Well, the holidays are almost over, but please note that Lake Crabtree County Park will be closed on
Monday, January 1st for New Year's Day
.
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Sign up now for January Programs!
- Birding With Vernon
- All ages
- Saturday, January 6, 8:30-10 a.m.
- Free, no preregistration required
- Eagle Count
- All ages
- Wednesday, January 10, 7-9 a.m.
- Free
- Squirrel Spotters
- All ages
- Friday, January 19, 1-3 p.m.
- Free
Visit our
website to register online.
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Recycle your holiday tree to mulch trails at Wake County Parks. Drop off your natural holiday trees (no artificial trees and no decorations, please) at designated locations from December 26, 2017 until January 28, 2018. For drop off locations and hours, please click here.
Remember to recycle your holiday waste! Check the website for all the materials that you can recycle at Convenience Centers and Multi-material Recycling Facilities.
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The Wild Side:
Squirrel Appreciation Day!
Did you know that every year on January 21st is Squirrel Appreciation Day? Squirrel Appreciation Day was founded in 2001 by Christy Hargrove, a wildlife rehabilitator for the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville. You might be asking "What is there to appreciate about squirrels?" Well, for one thing, squirrels are very valuable in helping to plant forests!
Squirrels are pretty smart when it comes to burying nuts. Squirrels are scatter hoarders. That means they bury their nuts in a lot of different places rather than in just one area. Some of the nuts that squirrels bury are not dug up and will sprout into a new tree. Squirrels may also "pretend" to bury a nut if they are being watched, to prevent a potential "nut thief" from running off with their treasure. They may also use vegetation as cover to conceal their hiding place.
Squirrels are also picky about which nuts they bury and how far from the tree they bury a particular nut. Researchers have observed that squirrels shake nuts to determine the quality of the nut. If the squirrel finds that it is a "bad nut," perhaps it is infested with insects for example; the squirrel will eat the nut rather than bury it. If it is a more desirable nut, it will be buried further from the tree so that it is less likely to be found and eaten by a competitor. This squirrel behavior might also allow for any nuts that are not retrieved later to have a better chance to sprout and grow, especially if the nut is buried in an open area where it can get more sunlight.
Would you like to find out more about these amazing mammals and why they deserve our appreciation? Join us for our Squirrel Spotters program on Friday, January 19, from 1-3 pm. This program is FREE but preregistration is required. Visit our website to register online.
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Contact us:
Lake Crabtree County Park
1400 Aviation Parkway
Morrisville, NC 27560
(919) 460-3390
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