Journal archives for March 2017

March 10, 2017

February 2017 Photo-observation of the Month

Congratulations to JoAnne Russo for winning the February 2017 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. Her image of a Red Fox starring the camera down on a winter day was the most popular photo-observation as measured by clicked ‘favs’.

Red Fox mate in January through March. During the breeding season Red Fox urine takes on a strong odor often mistaken for skunk musk. A mated fox pair will stick together closely during the breeding season and both parents care for the babies. The litter, produced in March or April, usually consists of 4 or 5 pups. Red Foxes prepare several dens for their pups, usually by enlarging another creature's abandoned burrow. The space underneath a porch or deck might also be seen as appealing den space. If disturbed at one site, the foxes will move their young to one of the alternative dens. A den might be reused for several years for raising their young each season. Red Fox often become more vocal in February as mating season begins. Listen for their vocalizations. 

Visit iNaturalist Vermont, a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life, and you can vote for the winner this month by clicking ‘fav’ on your favorite photo-observation. Make sure you get outdoors and record the biodiversity around you and submit your discoveries and you could be a winner!

Posted on March 10, 2017 10:14 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

March 31, 2017

March 2017 iNaturalist Vermont Photo-Observation of the Month

Congratulations to Louis Megyesi for winning the March 2017 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. The closeup of a Northern Shrike as it recovered from a window strike was the most popular photo-observation as measured by clicked ‘favs’.

Northern Shrikes, aka “butcher bird” – are predatory songbirds that breed in the far north and winter in southern Canada and the northern United States. Check out the sharp beak in the image. Shrikes feed on small birds, mammals, and insects, and are known for impaling them on spines trees or barbed wire fences. VCE’s Chris Rimmer discovered that they can return winter after winter to the same territory. Using band recoveries, he found 12 cases in which shrikes were recaptured at or near the same winter location one to three years later.

Visit iNaturalist Vermont, a project of the Vermont Atlas of Life, and you can vote for the winner this month by clicking ‘fav’ on your favorite photo-observation. Make sure you get outdoors and record the biodiversity around you and submit your discoveries and you could be a winner!

Posted on March 31, 2017 12:14 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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