Hello everyone!
Thanks for reading the March 2nd edition of the EwA highlights. Do you know what a kinglet sounds like?
📸 Jen spotted this belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) at Alewife Brook Reservation on Tuesday. While it might seem hard for a bird that hunts in open water to overwinter in a place where lakes and ponds frequently freeze over, Massachusetts is well into this bird’s year-round range. During a warm winter like this, kingfishers don’t have much trouble accessing unfrozen water, but even during colder ones they can be resourceful, finding unfrozen patches in streams or near industrial outflows.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© jennifer_clifford · Cambridge, MA · Feb. 27, 2024)
This golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa) was photographed by Bill on Friday. Kinglets are some of the smallest passerine birds, and are also year-round residents of Massachusetts. They are specialists at foraging for insects in conifer forests, and you might hear their short, high-pitched call without seeing them as they’re looking for food in the canopy.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill MacIndewar · Medford, MA · Mar. 1, 2024)
EwA’s most-observed species this week was again the winter firefly (Ellychnia corrusca). EwA hasn’t captured any observations of these insects mating yet, although Joe did get this photo of two spending some time together. In fact, this isn’t an uncommon occurrence, as they tend to stick to specific “colony trees” which host other members of their species.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Joe MacIndewar · Malden, MA · Feb. 25, 2024)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 307 observations of 157 distinct species. If you’re curious about the records from this week that have been validated by the iNat community so far, you can find them » here.
🏆 Running tally: To date, we have recorded 174,882 observations of 10,641 distinct species! Check out our EwA umbrella project, see the details per site/observer, and more » here.
📅 EwA Upcoming Public Events
Ewa Field Events » Check the EwA Winter [ Event details and registration » ] Don’t miss some great opportunities to follow the rhythm of the season in our local habitats and in the local wildlife! Space is limited for all our field events. Wildlife ethics is important to us and we seek to avoid putting the pressure on natural habitats which large gatherings unavoidably do. We are asking our audience to register-and-commit (or cancel when you know you can’t come) to avoid no-shows.
EwA Fieldwork (and Resources)
It’s a great time to join our monitoring programs. Check EwA’s Volunteer Program Calendar 📅 to know when things happen. And if a session is of interest to you, don’t hesitate to reach out to get the rendezvous location.
📅 EwA Sites Map | 🌱 Site Protocols and Guides · Field Rosters · Field Notes » All here! | ℹ️ More about EwA’s Citizen Science Program » Here
❓ Do you have any questions? Don’t be shy. Just email me or reply to this thread.
That’s all for this week—hope you have a good one!
-Mike
