Blackout!

Today, Wikipedia has been blacked out. As some of the information I get when I post is information I get from Wikipedia, any post I'm going to make will be affected... And even though I could still post based on my own sightings and knowledge, I only want to post about one thing: the fact that my little corner of the internet could be gone if I don't fight against censorship.

I'm completely in support of Wikipedia's protest of SOPA and PIPA -- While I'm not blacking out my blog, I'm inclined to spread the message. 


Imagine a world without free knowledge: Learn More

Complete Sets!

Because two sets of work have been completed, I would like to present both pages as "finished" sets of my life list of birds and wildlife. Of course, these are always going to be "in the works", as I will continue to see wildlife in my area, and I don't intend to stay away from the Carribean for the rest of my life, or even, for a very long time... (I miss it! And who could blame me, really?)

Nevertheless, for your enjoyment:

Life List: Carribean Creatures


Life List: Local Fauna

Anhinga

Anhinga
[Anhinga anhinga]


Because of my recent trip to Florida, I've decided to put off describing my Arizona friends for a little while and show off all the beautiful and amazing birds I met recently! The Anhinga was the first of the birds I saw on a fanboat tour! 
They don't have the natural oils that other waterbirds have, and they can get their feathers so saturated with water that they can sink down and stay submerged for long periods of time to fish! Most of the time they are spotted drying off with their wings stretched out to the sun, like in this picture.
At 33 - 36 inches, with a wingspan of 40 - 45 inches, (approximation from my own sightings) long, sharp yellow bill, and distinctive white wing coverts, these guys are impossible to mistake! This picture is of a female Anhinga, the males heads are black, like the rest of their bodies.

***

This is the only actual post I made during the Wikipedia blackout. It doesn't have all the information I usually give, and it won't, ever.

Dark Eyed Junco

Dark Eyed Junco
[Junco hyemalis hyemalis]

I was so excited this morning to see a little slate-colored Dark Eyed Junco hopping by my fence! A sure sign winter is here, Dark Eyed Juncos are common throughout the Arctic and Canada in the summer, and migrate to much of North America during the winter.
Mark Catesby originally described these birds as snow-birds, and their scientific name "hyemalis" means "of the winter." There is no specific collective noun for them, but because they're snowbirds, let's call them a Flurry of Junco's!
At about 6 inches with a wingspan of 9 inches, these little specimens of the emberizidae are related to buntings and new world sparrows and look and act a lot like them from a distance. As there are many subspecies of Dark Eyed Junco's, with some confusing variation in plumage, you can spot the slate-colored ones by their overall gray coloring, and all Dark Eyed Junco's by their white beaks, white bellies, and white outer tail feathers, unmistakable when in flight.

Video : A Murmuration of Starlings

I want to apologize for having taken so long to post any new entries... I'm going to finish up with local birds & other wildlife soon, and then take a walk down memory lane and revisit all of the interesting and amazing creatures I've seen in Arizona!


For now, I want to share this amazing video of Starlings flocking in their native Ireland.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

Virginia Opossum

Virginia Opossum
[Didelphis virginiana]

The Virginia Opossum is not just the only Opossum that is native to North America, it's the only Marsupial that is native to North America! A group of them is called a Posse of 'Possum! I usually see them late at night, as they are nocturnal animals.
Opossum are known for playing dead when being provoked, but with enough threatening, an Opossum can go into an almost coma-like state, with it's mouth open, tongue hanging out and all. This "playing possum" coma can last up to four hours!
Virginia Opossum can be as small as 21 inches or as large as 56 inches from their nose to their fur-less, prehensile tail! They have white faces, hairless ears, long snouts and grayish-brown coats. They have five "toes" on each very hand-like paw. Jacks and Jills (males and females) look alike.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern Gray Squirrel
[Sciurus carolinensis]


Native to the eastern and midwestern United States, these sturdy and adaptable squirrels have also been introduced to South Africa, Ireland, and England. In England and Ireland, they have overrun and displaced the Red Squirrel, a native species of both islands.
A group of Squirrels is called a Drey, and this is also the name given to the type of nests they build. I see Gray Squirrels at my bird feeders every morning... most likely trying to hoard as much as they can in their secret food caches!
They are about 16 to 22 inches from nose to fluffy tail. They are mostly gray, with some reddish fur, and a white underbelly. There are some variants, black tailed, white-furred, and black-furred (it's own melanistic subgroup, called the Black Squirrel). These variants are more usually seen in urban areas where they have less of a chance of predators spotting them.