Scarlet Tanager

Species: Scarlet Tanager
Family: Cardinalidae
Date: 5.20.16

Observation:

We spotted a Scarlet Tanager skipping from treetop to treetop off the east side of the house.  He seemed very disinterested in the swarm of newly hatched flies next to him (seen in the photo below).

A Fact:

Scarlet Tanagers are long distance migrators.  They breed in eastern North America and migrate to northern South America for the winter.







Learn More at All About Birds: Scarlet Tanager

Eastern Cottontail

Species: Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus flofidanus)
Family: Leporidae
Date: 1.31.16



Observation:  

This cottontail has been hiding out in between our wood stacks during the day.  

A Fact from Dana:

The cottontail has a number of enemies including bobcats, dogs, foxes, coyotes, skunks and crows, and their young are preyed upon by hawks, owls, larger snakes and even red squirrels. 


Learn more at BioKids: Eastern Cottontail

Black-capped Chickadee

 Species: Black-capped Chickadee (Parus atricapillus)
Family: Paridae
Date: 1.18.16




Observation: 

This chickadee was spotted along the edge of the fields out the north end of our property.




A Fact from Alice (courtesy of the National Audubon Society's Field Guide):

Voice: The Black-capped Chickadee's voice is a buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee or a clear whistled fee-bee.

Habitat: Deciduous and mixed forests, and open woodlands; suburban areas in the winter.


Learn more at All About Birds: Black-capped Chickadee

Bald Eagle

Species: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)      
Family: Accipitridae
Date: 8.5.15

Observation:  

This Bald Eagle was not spotted right outside our home, but we decided to include a few things we saw over our summer vacation.  This eagle was spotted on Haskell Island in Maine during our August trip to the island.

A Fact from Alice:  

The largest observed Bald Eagle nest (St. Petersburg, Florida) was nearly 3 meters in diameter and over 6 meters tall.

Learn more at All About Birds - Bald Eagle

Red Admiral

Species: Red Admiral (Venessa atalanta)
Family: Nymphalidae
Date: 7.22.15

Observation:

 I wasn't planning on taking any pictures this day, but I changed my mind when this Red Admiral decided to hang around the asters in our backyard.

Facts:

Red Admiral butterflies prefer to feed on sap slows and fermenting fruit; nectaring on flowers is typically a secondary option. Caterpillar hosts are the nettle family.

Learn more at Butterflies and Moths of North America - Red Admiral

Great Spangled Fritillary

Species: Atlantis Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)
Family: Nymphalidae
Date: 7.5.15

Observation:

This post is a little after the fact.  The Atlantis Great Spangled Fritillary was spotted by one of the girls during the Fourth of July celebration (on the 5th) at Gumma and Gogo's.  We didn't get around to trying to identify the fritillary until this morning.

A Fact:

The caterpillar hosts are violets and the butterflies are generally in flight from the second week in June through the last week of September in Vermont.

Learn more at Butterflies and Moths of North America - Great Spangled Fritillary

Common Yellowthroat Warbler

Species: Common Yellowthroat Warbler (Geothlypis thricas)
Family: Parulidae
Date: 7.13.15

Observation:

These photos were take on two different days at two different locations.  The male yellowthroat (top picture) was photographed down by the Muddy Branch.  The female (middle photo) and juvenile (bottom photo) were in the underbrush on the edge of the back lawn.  I believe there were two different juveniles with the female, probably around two weeks old (give or take a week).

A Fact: 

Common Yellowthroats are one of the bird that are particularly susceptible to brood parasitism (brown-headed cowbird lay eggs in their nest).  The song of the male Common Yellowthroat is one of the more recognizable and common summer bird songs...I will add audio at some point. 

Learn more at All About Birds - Common Yellowthroat Warbler

Eastern Chipmunk

Species: Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus)
Family: 
Date: 7.15.15

Observation:

This is one of the chipmunks I get to see everyday.  They are certainly not one of my favorite critters, but up close they are kind of cute.  Still a nuisance overall.

A Fact:

Chipmunks are most active during mid-morning and mid-afternoon.  They are very territorial and primarily stay within a range of 15 to 25 meters from their burrow.

Learn more at Animal Diversity Web - Eastern Chipmunk

Tiger Crane Fly

Species: Tiger Crane Fly (some member of the genus Nemphrotoma)
Family: Tipulidae
Date: 7.13.15

Observation:

I photographed this Crane Fly while I was walking around the yard a coupled of days ago.  Alice and I were able narrow it down to being a Crane Fly.  My best guess is that it is a type of Tiger Crane fly.


A Fact or two:

Crane flies occur worldwide, and there are more than 15,000 different species and subspecies.  Most species inhabit a fairly small geographical range.  These flies are sometimes referred to as "daddy long legs."

Learn more (I hate to do it, but there aren't many good options here) at Wikipedia - Crane Flies

Red-eyed Vireo

Species: Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceous)
Family: Vireonidae
Date: 7.13.15

Observation:

Getting a photograph of a Red-eyed Vireo seems remarkably challenging given the fact that they can be heard singing throughout the day.  The male here was pausing to sing as it foraged in the top of one of the large tree on the north end of the lawn.  In the background you can hear a Black-capped Chickadee and one of the many annoying mosquitoes. (I apologize - the mosquito sound is very distracting)


A Fact:

The male Red-eyed Vireo sometimes sings more than 20,000 times in one day.  It is a song worth learning, because you will hear it all the time, even in the middle of the day when most birds are not singing.

Learn more at All About Birds - Red-eyed Vireo