Hello everyone!
Thanks for reading the December 9 edition of the EwA highlights.
📸 When looking for birds, the lack of foliage in winter gives you a peek into the canopy that you can’t get at other times of the year. In the case of this observation from Heather, it can give you a valuable peek into the underbrush as well. On Sunday, she spotted this Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) hunting some sparrows in a thicket that would’ve afforded no view inside during the summer!
EwA iNaturalist Record (© aussies2 · Woburn, MA · Dec. 10, 2023)
The winter also affords us the opportunity to observe some ducks that don’t make themselves as apparent at other times of year. These birds can be easier to spot this time for a variety of reasons, ranging from conspicuous courtship displays to the guarded discreteness that comes with raising young. Jennifer observed this green-winged teal (Anas crecca) near Alewife on Sunday—we are lucky to live in a region where these beautiful birds are year-round residents, but the vast majority of EwA’s observations of this species come during the colder months.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© jennifer_clifford · Middlesex Co., MA · Dec. 10, 2023)
Perfectly on-theme, EwA’s most-observed species this week was the hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). These diving ducks are best known for the males’ striking crest, which can be raised and lowered. Throughout the winter, you can observe the hooded merganser’s courtship rituals, which involve raised crests and many dramatic head movements. Bill captured this photo of a male with its crest raised on Thursday.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Bill MacIndewar · Medford, MA · Dec. 14, 2023)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 410 observations of 195 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 171,592 observations of 10,392 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
