Big Year Week 9

March 5 - 11

Finally on March 11, the first Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) arrived at our feeders.  Like Robins, most Red-wings migrate south for the winter, and typically in late February, the males will arrive back in Indiana in large numbers and establish breeding territories ahead of the females.  According to several sources, Red-winged Blackbirds are currently the most abundant bird species in North America.

Male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Week nine running totals:

Birds:  18
Mammals:  2
Insects:  1

Big Year Week 8

February 25 - March 4

The ridiculous winter weather coupled with the misplacement of a certain camera battery caused a bit of Big Year down time.  

However, this week brought with it a few much welcome signs of spring such as a flock of American Robins that arrived on February 27th.  Every year, I overhear someone worriedly comment about seeing a Robin early in the year while snow is still present. The fact of the matter is that many Robins do overwinter in our area, but they're largely unseen as they are typically foraging fruit trees and not looking for grubs and worms in frozen lawns.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Our second mammal of the year showed up below our bird feeders on March 4th.  The only North American marsupial, do you find the Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginianacute) or ugly?  I was surprised to find out that the Virginia Opossum or "possum" for short, only lives on average about two years in the wild and about four years in captivity.  Several days after this shot was taken, I noticed a dead possum in the road in front of the house.  I'd like t think that it wasn't this little guy, but it may have been.

Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginianacute)

Week eight running totals:

Birds:  17
Mammals:  2
Insects: 1

Big Year Week 6

February 5 -11

It's hard to imagine that the creature pictured below didn't exist in North America until 1998 when it was accidentally released in Pennsylvania in a shipping crate from China for Japan, but since then it has spread to at least 40 states and counting.  This creature is the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys), and they're now virtually everywhere.

Since coming to America, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has become a major agricultural pest - having been found to cause damage to several fruit crops including apples, peaches and citrus. The stink bug family (Pentatomidae), are "true-bugs", and they comprise one of largest families in the suborder Heteroptera (true bugs) with 220 species in 64 genera.

The name "stink bug" comes from a scent gland that is located in the abdomen, which is used as a defense mechanism that produces a pungent odor that predators find distasteful.   One of key ways of separating the BMSB from other stink bugs is the white bands on the antennae.

Stink bugs overwinter as adults, often in dwelling (such as my house)!

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys)

Week six running total:

Birds:  16
Mammals: 1
Insects: 1