Sunday, February 9, 2014

Big Year Week 4

January 22-28


Cold weather and snowfall continued into week four with blowing and drifting snow closing the area schools on Friday, Monday and Tuesday.  My task for this week was to continuing to  photograph the common feeder birds.

One of the most striking common feeder birds the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata).  Blue Jays belong to the family Corvidae, which also includes crows and ravens, but they are the only member of their genus that is native to Indiana.  Blue Jays have a reputation for being bullies at bird feeders, and I do notice that when they arrive, the other birds tend to fly off rather abruptly, but their fondness for acorns makes them an important part of the ecosystem by helping with the spread of oak trees.

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Our second woodpecker species of the year is this male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens).  Downy woodpeckers are our most common woodpecker species, and the males can be easily identified by the red spot on the back of their heads.

Male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

Another year-round resident to our backyard is the Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor).  These feisty little birds are the first to sound the alarm call in the event of danger.  

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

Running total after week 4:

Birds - 15
Mammals - 1


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