Horned Lark in winter. / © Sue Wetmore.
Congratulations to Sue Wetmore for winning the January 2018 iNaturalist Vermont photo-observation of the month contest. Her image of a Horned Lark in the snow was the most popular photo-observation.
Horned Larks form large nomadic flocks in winter—often mixing with other bird species. They are numerous but their populations declined by over 2% per year between 1966 and 2015, resulting in a cumulative decline of 71%, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Horned Larks vary in color across North America. Some arctic-breeding birds have little or no yellow on the head, while Eastern breeders have extensively yellow on their heads. In Vermont they breed in the Champlain Valley lowlands.
Visit iNaturalist Vermont 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, then submit your discoveries and you could be a winner!
