March 2022 Photo-observation of the Month

A neat row of Eastern Bluebirds huddled together on a chilly March day. © Chelsea Carroll

Congratulations to Chelsea Carroll for winning the March 2022 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist! Her photo of almost a dozen Eastern Bluebirds perched shoulder-to-shoulder on a chilly March day received the most faves of any iNaturalist observation in Vermont during the past month.

Eastern Bluebirds, while often associated with sunny fields and meadows in summer, can remain in Vermont all winter long, when they will sometimes gather together in large flocks. These flocks are often composed of one or several family groups, and as such can tend to get quite cozy with each other! On especially cold winter nights, Eastern Bluebirds will even huddle together in tree cavities or nest boxes in groups as large as 20 individuals in order to conserve warmth. On the next cold early-spring day (if there’s any left on the horizon), keep in mind there may be a tree cavity filled with snuggling bluebirds somewhere nearby!

With 4,694 observations submitted by 475 observers in March, it was very competitive. Click on the image above to see and explore all of the amazing observations.

Visit the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist where you can vote for the winner this month by clicking the ‘fave’ star 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!