Hello everyone!
Happy New Year from all of us at EwA! We’re excited to keep practicing nature conservation and ecosystem learning with you, our community, in 2023.
📸 Just look at the plumage on this reddish egret (Egretta rufescens), photographed by Dan in Quintana Roo, Mexico. It’s stunning. It sounds like it’s a joy to watch these birds hunt, too. They have a more mobile and active strategy than other herons (of which egrets are a subset). I found this cool video showcasing some of the wild hunting behaviors of the reddish egret - give it a watch!
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Daniel Onea · Quintana Roo, MX · Dec. 24, 2022)
We’re seeing signs of bird life back in Massachusetts, too. Granted, some of those birds are quite far away currently, like the Baltimore orioles (Icterus galbula) that built this nest (photographed by Bill). They could be somewhere in Colombia or Cuba right now. Even with them so far away, we can still observe evidence of the lives they lived here this past breeding season. In fact, winter provides a good opportunity to spot and learn about the bird nests that remain.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill MacIndewar · Melrose, MA · Dec. 17, 2022)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 554 observations of 278 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 133,333 (!) observations of 9,011 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)
Peak schedule: Winter is still 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
