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