Hello everyone!
Thanks for reading the December 2 edition of the EwA highlights.
📸 First this week, Jessica spotted this belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) at Horn Pond on Thursday. You might not be very used to seeing kingfishers still hanging around in the colder months—they tend to move south when the water freezes. If we have a winter like last year, though, which was the fifth warmest on record in Boston, we could be seeing them for longer than usual.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© jessicayuan6 · Woburn, MA · Nov. 30, 2023)
Elise spotted this winter moth (Operophtera brumata) in the Middlesex Fells last Saturday. The winter moth is an invasive species to North America that is capable of severely defoliating trees. Fortunately, there is a very strong biocontrol species available to help fight this moth: the parasitic fly Cyzenis albicans. C. albicans is a specialist parasite of the winter moth, and has achieved remarkable success at controlling winter moth populations in Massachusetts. When UMass Amherst began its biocontrol effort in 2005, winter moths were defoliating anywhere from 2,200 to 36,000 hectares (5,400-89,000 acres) a year in Massachusetts. The project was so successful that winter moth defoliation had drastically decreased by 2016, and defoliation has remained at levels undetectable by aerial survey ever since.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© eiw5 · Stoneham, MA · Nov. 25, 2023)
EwA’s most-observed species in November were the orange jelly spot (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) and the birch polypore (Fomitopsis betulina). Pictured below is the orange jelly spot, observed by Claire on the 24th. This fungus was first described in New England but is believed to occur worldwide. You might also hear this fungus referred to as “orange witch’s butter”.
EwA iNaturalist Record (© Claire O’Neill · Stoneham, MA · Nov. 24, 2023)
📊 Thanks to everyone for your great biodiversity records this past week, totaling 364 observations of 161 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 170,096 observations of 10,358 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
