Hello everyone!
Thanks for reading the February 11 EwA highlights.
📸 Owl alert! Bill and Joe both observed this drowsy-looking barred owl (Strix varia) at Plum island on Sunday. This particular observation is from Bill - you can also check out Joe’s observation here.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill MacIndewar · Newbury, MA · Feb. 5, 2023)
Next, we have this nice observation of an eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) from Laura C. Emerging skunk cabbage flowers like this represent some of the first easily-observable plant growth of the year. These flowers are thermogenic, meaning they generate their own heat, and can melt a small radius of ice or snow around them. Not that this skunk cabbage blossom will be depending on that adaptation very much this weekend!
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Laura Costello · Reading, MA · Feb.5, 2023)
EwA had a five-way tie for the most-observed organism on iNaturalist this week, between the mourning dove, mute swan, northern cardinal, herring gull, and roundleaf greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia). In the spirit of honoring an often under-appreciated plant, I chose to showcase this observation of a greenbrier from Meghan. The berries of the greenbrier, shown here, can be a critical food source for a variety of animals in the winter, ranging from sparrows to deer.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Meghan Cahill · Hopedale, MA · Feb. 8, 2023)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 116 observations of 78 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 134,714 observations of 9,074 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
