Morro Coast Audubon Society will participate in the 66th North American Christmas Bird Count on Saturday Dec. 14. The Carrizo Plain bird count will be held Saturday, Dec. 28.

https://amp.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/photos-from-the-vault/article238020619.html

My first time patrolling and posting, so please let me know if I've missed anything. Oh, and please remind me where you get the rainfall amount from, so I can be consistent.

Today I walked the South side, from the stop sign to Aldercroft, 8:40am-10:50am. It rained here last night, was windy, low clouds and close to rain but no rain, car said 64F outside.

74 dead newts, 3 dead salamanders and 1 dead frog.

No live newts or other critters seen. 18 vehicles, 2 joggers and a bicyclist passed by. I swear the maples are significantly more vivid yellow this year.

~ Stacie

19/11/29
1030-1100
30 minutes
Waterloo Park
Cloudy and slight wind, -3C
Woody area/Lawn

There was some snow on the ground from the recent snowfall. I went in through the trail in the Westmount Road sign, away from the more popular part of the park. As I walked, I could somewhat hear the water of the creek flow and some birds singing. As of late, I have been seeing a lot of cardinals around campus, and I saw a few around the trees and on their branches, feeding on some berries. Like all other outings, brown and black squirrels, as well as chipmunk were the stars of the nature walk. That entrance of the park has quite a contrast, with the left side being denser forest, and the right side all lawn. Some of the trees I saw were maple, some pines, birch, and trembling aspen but it is hard to tell without their leaves on for proper IDing. As well, there were a ton of bushes along the trail. It was quite a nice walk as it was pretty empty because of the time of the day. As I got closer to the parking lots and the lawn area, I saw what the remains of most likely goldenrod were. In that side of the park, I saw some crows which I constantly also see from my bus stop.

Now it's late autumn and effectively winter so spring and summer observations have a significant chance of changing my mind. Iroquois Park seems have more species richness but that is mostly because it is larger than Creason Park and has a higher diversity of habitats. However, the diversity of Creason Park's forest habitat is does seem to be greater when the area that is compared to the area compared to Iroquois Park.

19/11/21
1130-1200
30 min
Clair Lake Park
Overcast and a little windy, 0C.
Lawn park with woody edges

Compared to the other outings, and due to the time of year, location and weather, very few living things were seen. The park is surrounded by urban development so only small mammals and birds have easy access to it. The fragmentation of the habitat is too much for larger mammals to make their way to the park without walking in roads and people’s property. Some black squirrel and chipmunks were seen, probably looking for some food. Some of the trees were a few willows by the pond, as well as some maple, pine, and birch. There was a lot of bird singing, but since the trees were pretty tall, I could not make them out. The squirrels and chipmunks were likely collecting food or hiding it for the winter as they hibernate and occasionally leave their homes to look for food that they have hid the fall previous. There were a few birds at, but they were in seen but could be heard. Because of the time of the year, there were no flowers in sights. As well, I was expecting to see some geese in the pond but surprisingly there was none.

Only two people joined me for the monthly group walk on Hill Country Conservancy's Nalle Bunny Run wildlife preserve this morning. A few other folks had registered for the walk but didn't show up, and they missed an absolutely beautiful morning on the preserve! It was my favorite kind of winter morning in central Texas: clear and cool. When we started at 9:00 AM temperatures were in the upper 40s, and three hours later when we finished the walk it had warmed up to the mid 60s. Here are some highlights of the walk.

Birds were active but a bit hard to see. (And I was unable to get any decent photos of them this morning.) Before we left the gate we got a brief look at a male Red-bellied Woodpecker. And towards the end of our walk we got a better look at a male Golden-fronted Woodpecker. These similar species are one of several examples of a pair of an eastern species (Red-bellied) and a southwestern species (Golden-fronted) whose ranges overlap in central Texas. The Bunny Run is one of the few places around town where both can sometimes be seen!

Between the gate and the spring we ran into a couple mixed species foraging flocks that included Bewick's and Carolina Wrens, Black-crested Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Orange-crowned Warblers, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. On the sandy prairie we saw Northern Cardinals, a couple Eastern Phoebes, heard and then briefly saw a Song Sparrow, and a few Northern Mockingbirds. A single Field Sparrow was by the cowbird trap.

Starting back up the hill we left the trail to spend a few minutes by the sometimes waterfall. After hearing it call for awhile, we finally got to watch a Canyon Wren foraging in the rocks for a bit. This was my favorite bird of the morning!

On our way back through the western half of the preserve we found this Checkered Skipper that stopped briefly to feed on some of the Bitterweed flowers blooming in the trail.

Here's our complete bird list on eBird.

Attached is the Checkered Skipper photo twice, first to represent the butterfly and again to represent the flower.

19/10/30
0930-1030
60 minutes
Becthel Park
Cloudy and Windy, 7C
Boreal Forest/Wetland

Becthel Park is a popular park in Waterloo due to its proximity as well as there is an adjacent dog park to it. Most of the trees were leaf-less and the forest floor was blanketed in bright yellow leaves. Based on the leaves some maple was present, and specifically sugar maple (my best IDing species), pines, I think some of the other tree species were beech and iron wood. Although not 100%, sure I also think there was some white birch (I googled some pictures to compare, but just used the bark as reference). Maybe it was due to the weather since it was pretty cold and windy, but the only animals I saw were two black squirrels and a brown one, as well as a few chipmunks running fast across the forest floor. As well, we passed by a lady walking her two labs (they were really cute). There were some warnings throughout the park as there is a few giant hogweeds, so we made sure to stay clear of them. Not too far into the trail you can see the creek (Laurel Creek) that feeds into the wetland, we went down into the a very small area in front of the stream and saw some very small fish. The water was flowing pretty quick. The park signs advice against going into the wetland so I compromised and just took a peek, it was your typical wetland, but I saw no animals and just a lot of what I think were remains of goldenrod. On our way back it started to drizzle a little bit. Since we stayed on the path (for most of the time) we did not see a lot of animals, I am sure there was probably more within the more concentrated forest area or hiding under the leaf cover.

19/09/20
1345-1445
60 minutes
Huron Natural Area
Sunny and Humid, 27 celsius
Wetland/Boreal Forest/Meadow

The beginning of the trail of this area was beautiful, the right side of the trail opened into a meadow, full of goldenrod. There were some dragonflies, as well as some butterflies (either monarch or, I could not tell for sure because they were not too close by). Walking further down the path, it went through a mature forest of what I could tell some maple and beech trees, along with some pines. Surrounded by forest was a pond. There was more goldenrod as well as another type of rod growing in the pond banks. As well, there were a few willow trees growing by the pond. I saw some turtles sunbathing, since it was a very hot and humid day, they must have been using the sun to warm up. As well, I saw some frogs closer to the bank of the pond in the shade. Much of the trail was either planted forest, or old growth forest. I heard a lot of birds but did not get a direct look of them. There was a lot of yellow, white, and purple flowers growing out from what I recognized from other classes as some invasive species. Throughout the forested area, a lot of brown squirrels were hurrying and climbing trees, possibly harvesting food for their hibernation as the weather gets cooler. Further into the path it opened into the other side of the meadow trail, full of goldenrods and butterflies, as well as some fennels. We passed some kettle wetlands on the way to a woodland trail as the map said but turned back as the weather was very hot and we had been walking for almost an hour. What i found the most interesting of this walk was that Huron Natural Area had some protected archeological sites. Maybe due to the hot day, the only other people we saw on our way back was a couple walking their puppy.

Вот о чём я хотел давно написать: как только мы запустили на платформе iNaturalist проект по флоре России , а это произошло примерно в середине января 2019 года , то Россия стремительно вышла на первое место по доле наблюдений исследовательского уровня.
Если кто не знает: исследовательский уровень , обозначающийся значком RG, означает, что фотографию с изображением живого организма определили до вида как минимум два человека, и они согласны друг с другом. При этом третьего мнения нет. Как только появляется третье мнение, то исследовательский уровень скидываться , и система ждёт четвертого определения, которое может подтвердить или опровергнуть предыдущие. Таким образом, получается некий консенсус сообщества по тому или иному определению.
В проекте по флоре России мы положили наличие самого факта исследовательского уровня в качестве критерия для вхождения наблюдения в проект. Таким образом, далеко не каждое наблюдение растения, сделанное на территории России, входит на наш портал.
Какое-то время - бывает, что всего пару минут, а бывает что и пару лет, оно болтается в некоем пуле неопределённых наблюдений. Такой подход, а именно вхождение наблюдения только при условии их нормального определения, позволило разогнать долю определённых наблюдений из России по всем группам живых организмов, и это очень важно, до цифры 80,4%. Повторюсь, это первое место в мире! На втором месте примерно с одинаковыми показателями в районе 70% Канада и Новая Зеландия.
Пользуясь этой замечательной возможностью, выражаю глубокую благодарность всем экспертам, которые просматривают тысячи фотографий на iNaturalist. Особенно активны ботаники, знатоки грибов и орнитологи.
Судя по записям в постах на форме iNaturalist, у нас с вами, коллеги, чрезвычайно высокая репутация в мире! Так держать! Надеюсь, к нам примкнут ещё многие знатоки флоры, фауны и микобиоты России.

22 new Baltic amber inclusions were added in November 2019. Note that identifications are provisional - any help that can be provided to refine/correct the identifications would be greatly appreciated!

BA369-A: Fungus gnat (Mycetophilidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603987
BA370-A: Wasp (Apocrita) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603988
BA371-A: Fungus gnat (Mycetophilidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603989
BA372-A: Long-legged fly (Dolichopodidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603991
BA372-B: Stellate hairs (Tracheophyta) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603992
BA373-A: Fungus gnat (Mycetophilidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603993
BA374-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603994
BA375-A: Midge (Culicomorpha) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603995
BA376-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603996
BA376-B: Possible midge (Culicomorpha) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603997
BA376-C: Midge (Culicomorpha) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35603998
BA376-D: Stellate hairs (Tracheophyta) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35604000
BA377-A: Moth fly (Psychodidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35604001
BA378-A: Long-legged fly (Dolichopodidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35604002
BA379-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35604003
BA380-A: Midge (Culicomorpha) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36099390
BA380-B: Midge (Culicomorpha) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36099391
BA381-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36099392
BA382-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36099393
BA383-A: Unidentified fly (Diptera) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36099394
BA384-A: Midge (Culicomorpha) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36099395
BA385-A: Non-biting midge (Chironomidae) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/36099396

If you have any comments on the identifications uploaded so far, please update iNaturalist accordingly! Thank you!

Further inclusions are planned to be uploaded this month.

Martin

На момент создания в проекте зафиксировано:
Наблюдений 343.
Видов 240.
Экспертов 168.
Наблюдателей 31.

Самые активные участники (число наблюдений) :
1. @vladimirtravkin 191.
2. @vladimirarkhipov 41.
3. @natalia_kos 22.
4. @ta_akulova 14.
5. @dinanesterkova 11.

Самые активные участники (число видов):
1. @vladimirtravkin 135.
2. @vladimirarkhipov 37.
3. @natalia_kos 22.
4. @ta_akulova 13.
5. @dinanesterkova 11.

Самые активные эксперты:
1.@kastani 45
2. @phlomis_2019 41
3. @convallaria1128 33
4.@julia_shner 32
5. @vladimirtravkin 24

Количество наблюдений (видов):
1. Растения 197 (126).
2. Птицы 49 (43).
3. Насекомые 44 (34).
4. Грибы, в том числе лишайники 32 (25).
5. Рептилии 11 (4).
6. Млекопитающие 4 (2).
7. Паукообразные 3 (3).
8. Земноводные 2 (2).
9. Моллюски 1 (1).
8. Лучепёрые рыбы 0 (0).
12. Хромисты 0 (0).
13. Простейшие 0 (0).

Porcellium collicola: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21141882
Callopistromyia annulipes: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24928810
Prenolepis nitens: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10774726/
Myrmecophilus acervorum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/13909246
Glabellula arctica: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/22675869
Pulex irritans: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/22628360
Stenhomalus bicolor: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24902142
Xanthostigma xanthostigma: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/22697838
Chthonius fuscimanus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21141880
Clusiodes verticalis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/14310253

Caragana frutex: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24447023

Fasciculation of Carex flacca: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/26573304

@optilete kindly informed us of the publication of the English version of this very interesting book:
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/a-field-guide-to-invasive-alien-species-in-european-forests-2019-free-online-resource/8427

https://www.tujerodne-vrste.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Field-Guide-Alien-species-in-European-Forests.pdf

header:
Time & Date: 19/12/5; 13:50
Duration: 30 mins
Location: Monarch Wood Park, ON
Weather: little snow, Cloudy, 0 degrees, windy, snow-covered
Habitat: Forest.
Vegetation: maple, oak, elm.
Narrative:
This ecosystem is dominated by forest, and it also has a creek that supplies water to the ecosystem. Similar to other ecosystems, this ecosystem also has many squirrels. This ecosystem is very similar to Anndale Park, but there are lesser conifer trees. There are only a few species in the ecosystem based on birds' sound. It is hard to hear any kind of birds sound, the only sound I found is Crows which eat most things they found, they live in this area all year long. Also, the tracks showed there are Meadow Vole, those small mammals eat seeds and fruit, they usually come out at night which makes them hard to observe. Since the ecosystems are similar, they may want to reduce the time spent outside to aware of predators such as Hawk. This ecosystem is very quiet and there are influencing of humans. People live in nearby neighborhoods walk their dogs here and may have a negative effect on the ecosystem. Also, this ecosystem is on a mountain unlike other ecosystems on the plain, so the flow of water may influence the nutrient on different attitudes (carry nutrient to lower attitude). The grasses in this ecosystem are also covered by snow and hard to ID.

header:
Time & Date: 19/12/4; 14:00
Duration: 30 mins
Location: Annedale Park, ON
Weather: Cloudy, 0 degrees, little wind, snow-covered
Habitat: Forest.
Vegetation: pine, maple, oak, cedar .
Narrative:
In this location, the Parks is surrounded by different neighborhoods, and the park is relatively isolated compared to other parks, there are few trails that lead to the insider of the forest. I found a brown fox in the forest which is hard to take a photo because it runs away quickly, it may eat small birds such as house sparrow in that area. Squirrels can also be found in this area, and they may eat the seed of conifers. there is evidence of Dryocopus which eats the insect from bark, but the bird is not found. There is a creek in that ecosystem to provide water, but it is far away from the part I am visiting since more trails are not accessible due to snow. there is a Hawk flying on the sky which lives there all year long, it may find small mammals and birds to eat. This ecosystem is less influenced by humans compared to the previous ones because it is hard to walk inside the park followed by the trails. the ecosystem is different from High Park because there are only forests without grasslands, so fox might be easy to hide in the forest. There are many kinds of grass species, but hard to ID due to the snow.

header:
Time & Date: 19/11/14; 16:30
Duration: 60 mins
Location: Waterloo Park, ON
Weather: Cloudy, 0 degrees, little wind, snow-covered
Habitat: Creek, grassland
Vegetation: Spruces, eastern white pine, maple, oak, goldenrod .
Narrative:

This area is very different from the Toronto high park because there are fewer people visited this area, and there are fewer tree plants covering the area, the majority of the area is covered by grass(snow at the time) with few trees. there are many conifers in the area I visited because they adapt well to cold conditions. Squirrels are very common among most ecosystems, and they can eat seeds from those conifers. There are at least four types of bird sound, and I ID based on sound to find Nuthatches and Woodpecker, but it is not very acuity. Both of those species live in this area all year long, and woodpecker feeding on insects lives in the tree, and Nuthatches feed on seeds (able to found on dry plants). There are some rabbit in this habitat and they can feed on those grass when the ground is not covered by snow; also there are some birds flying, they might be a duck species, but it is not clear, and they fly around the same spot, so they are less likely on the way of migrating. Also, there are tacks that likely belong to white-tailed deer, but not sure. those animals might be eating conifer's leaves. Also, based on the tracks, the area is less influenced by a human (might because of winter) compared to High Park.

2019 marks the year that I first began collecting, as well as the year I first began to really focus exclusively on Buprestidae. Due to that, this summary is heavily about Buprestidae, so if you hate Jewel Beetles, then feel free to stop reading (Also, what’s wrong with you?).
This year, I found a total of 53 species of Buprestids and collected 52 species. 17% were Agrilinae, 13% Buprestinae, 8% Chrysochroinae, and 62% Polycestinae. I collected from a total of 5 states in the US and received Buprestids from 4 states.
Agrilinae: Agrilus arizonicus (AZ:1), Agrilus gibicollis (NM:1), Agrilus latifrons (AZ:2), Agrilus planipennis (MI:1), Agrilus sulcicollis (MI:1), Agrilus pulchellus (NM:2), Agrilus lecontei celticola (AZ:1). Brachys ovatus (AL:1), Brachys sp. (NM:1).
Buprestinae: Buprestis lineata (AR:1). Anthaxia sp. (NM:1). Agrilaxia flavimana (AZ:1). Chrysobothris caddo (NM:1), Chrysobothris lateralis (NM:1), Chrysobothris knulli (NM:2), Chrysobothris merkelli (NM:1). Sphaerobothris ulkei (NM:1).
Chrysochroinae: Gyascutus caelatus (NM:4), Gyascutus planicosta (NV:1). Lampetis drummondi (NM:3), Lampetis webbii (NM:1).
Polycestinae: Acmaeodera acanthicola (AZ:1), Acmaeodera alicia (AZ:1), Acmaeodera amabilis (NM:14), Acmaeodera amplicollis (NM:6 AZ:6), Acmaeodera auritincta (NM:4), Acmaeodera bowditchi (NM:1), Acmaeodera cazieri (AZ: 3), Acmaeodera chiricahuae (AZ:7), Acmaeodera decipiens (NM:19 AZ:6), Acmaeodera diffusa (UT:3), Acmaeodera disjuncta (NM:9), Acmaeodera flavopicta (NM:3), Acmaeodera gibbula (NM:5), Acmaeodera haemorrhoa (TX:1), Acmaeodera knowltoni (UT:2), Acmaeodera ligulata (NM:2), Acmaeodera maculifera (NM:7), Acmaeodera mixta (NM:14), Acmaeodera neglecta (TX:1), Acmaeodera ornatoides (TX:1), Acmaeodera parkeri (NM:2 AZ:1), Acmaeodera pubiventris lanata (UT:1), Acmaeodera pulchella (FL:1), Acmaeodera quadrivittatoides (NM:3), Acmaeodera recticollis (NM:2), Acmaeodera rubronotata (NM:3 AZ:7), Acmaeodera scalaris (NM:5 AZ:1 TX:1), Acmaeodera solitaria (AZ:4), Acmaeodera variegata (NM:3), Acmaeodera yuccavora (NM:1). Thrincopyge alacris (NM:4), Thrincopyge ambiens (NM:1).
Highlights:
SE AZ: The first time I went to Southeast Arizona this year, I had the help of a wonderful Bup guy, Denanthony Fernandez (BG: Pleocoma). We spoke via email, and he helped me to find both Acmaeodera acanthicola and Acmaeodera alicia. I also went again to the area and found my target A. chiricahuae.
Local: Acmaeodera yuccavora was a first for me and a first for the area this far east. It possibly represents a new species or a new population. (I would love the help of all the local iNatters to find and maybe collect more).
Misses:
TX!!!!!: I travelled to TX several times this year and came away with a total of 2 species. I first came to South Texas late March, hoping to find A. neoneglecta and maybe even A. starrae. I left with one blister beetle. Misses from Texas include A. neoglecta, A. tubulus, B. rufipes, and more.
Next Year:
My biggest goal is to work on beating more. Last year, I relied primarily on my eye, but that only goes so far. On top of that, I am hoping to work on rearing from collected logs this next year as well.
Local targets for next year include Acmaeodera cribicollis, more of the Brachys I collected last year, Paratyndaris, and Acmaeodera immaculata. I am hoping to frequent the West Texas area and maybe do some South and Central Texas. Goals from here include Acmaeodera tiquilia, Acmaeodera riograndei, Acmaeodera starrae, Acmaeodera neoneglecta, and Ptosima.
All in all, I have had a wonderful year and hope to find many more species next year with the help of many of you all on iNaturalist, and thank you all for helping me this year!

Date: Monday, December 2, 2019
Time: 16:30-17:00h
Duration: 30min
Location: Waterloo Park in Waterloo, ON
Weather: -1 degrees Celsius; overcast
Habitat/Vegetation Type: mixed deciduous forest; urban park

Waterloo park is an urban park in the heart of Waterloo. It is surrounded by urban development and contains many elements meant for human recreation such as soccer fields, playgrounds, and paved paths. Despite these urban features, there is an abundance of forested area where many types of wildlife can usually be found. Laurel Creek runs through the park and provides a ready source of water. The riparian zone, however, is poorly developed meaning the stream quality may be poor. With several mm of snow on the ground, vegetation was difficult to identify. Some stands of dead burdock and goldenrod were left standing. The understory was dense, which would not allow larger wildlife to navigate easily. All the leaves had fallen by this time, though some stands of sumac could still be identified.

The snow made wildlife tracks more visible, though it had to be distinguished from dog prints. Some prints appeared to have a hopping pattern, possibly a small rabbit or squirrel. More recognizable squirrel tracks were found later on leading into the forested area. No actual squirrels were observed. They have concentrated themselves at the University of Waterloo, where many can be seen dumpster diving for food.

Some crows could be heard in the distance, but none were observed. Two different groups of Canadian geese were spotted flying overhead in an easterly direction. Given that all the vegetation has gone dormant and the amount of snow on the ground, it is likely most wildlife have either migrated to areas with more favourable conditions or they are in a state of dormancy. Interestingly, many birds can still be seen around the University of Waterloo campus, whereas this semi-natural area appeared void of wildlife. They may be feeding on human sources of food.

Date: Sunday, November 10, 2019
Time: 08:45-09:45h
Duration: 1h
Location: Rouge National Urban Park in Scarborough, ON
Weather: 3 degrees Celsius; overcast
Habitat/Vegetation Type: marsh; beachfront on Lake Ontario

The site visited is a section of Rouge National Urban Park that contains a marsh area that flows into Lake Ontario. Majority of the vegetation was cat tail mixed with patches of phragmites. Other notable vegetation were maple, white pine, sumac, and buckthorn. There was some evidence of ice in the marsh as temperatures were near freezing, likely dipping below zero over night. Much of the coast line was paved roads and sidewalks, as much of the area was built up for human use. On the other side of the marsh lay a row of houses before it extends further into the protected park area. There is also a nearby Go Train track that amplifies noise pollution in the area. The marsh is fenced off to prevent people from crossing over, but it also create a physical barrier for wildlife movement.

Several birds nest could be seen atop a number of trees, as all the leaves had fallen by this time. All wildflowers had gone to seed, providing a potential food source for birds. Many songbirds could be heard in the distance. One cardinal was positively ID'd. It was male, though its bright red plumage was muted in order to camouflage during the winter months.

On the water, a group of seagulls could be seen in the distance. There were also a pair of mallards swimming near the built dock. More waterfowls could be seen in the distance, though they were too far to identify. The only visible characteristics were they had white feathers and were diving beneath the water to obtain food. In another part of the marsh, a heron was recognized by its unique silhouette. Its plumage was also noticeably muted. Further onto the shoreline, some scat was found, most likely from a squirrels judging from the size. It was found closer to the nearby neighbourhood where there was a greater density of trees.

Moving into the beach area, there was an abundance of fishing lines caught on the overhead bridge. This is evidence of fish in the water, though species composition is unknown. On a small peninsula, there was another group of seagulls. This area of the beach is known to have countless Canadian geese, though none were observed at this time. The beach, however, was still covered in their scat which was mostly old and dried up, indicating they had not been in the area for some time. A raptor was also seen flying overhead.

There was evidence of beaver activity as one trees behind between the fence and the road had been partially gnawed through. The cut seemed relatively fresh as the wood still had signs of moisture. With the fence acting as a barrier, it may be possible the beaver gave up or will return to try again later.

Date: Saturday, October 26, 2019
Time: 15:10-16:30h
Duration: 1h 20min
Location: Rouge National Urban Park in Scarborough, ON
Weather: 9 degrees Celsius; slight overcast
Habitat/Vegetation Type: mixed deciduous forest; upland meadow

Rouge National Urban Park is a protected piece of land in the middle of the Greater Toronto Area. It has numerous hills making elevation heterogenous, and contains two shallow rivers that run parallel to each other, called Twin Rivers. A road splits the park in half, and there are a number of trails used by nearby residents. In the upland meadow, there are major power lines that cut through the area. 20 years ago there would have been signs of cautioning against deer and turtle crossings, but those signs have since been removed possibly indicating they are no longer in the area. People often fish in the rivers, though catch rates are unknown.

The riparian zone of the rivers is fairly developed, except along the major trails leading away from the parking lot. A single fish carcass was observed rotting atop a rock. Judging from the decay it had been dead for some time. Species and cause of death were unknown. Some crickets and other insects could be heard in the nearby grasses, providing a potential food source for various wildlife.

The forest was mixed deciduous, with some trembling aspen, birch, and cedar. Some cleared areas along the trails had turned into small grasslands. In one of these areas a lone tree no taller than 5m held a small bird's nest, no bigger than a fist. It may be from a small songbird. Buckthorn was present but not overwhelming. Many still held a majority of their berries. Along the road there was a raccoon carcass that had been run over. It was likely an urban raccoon venturing into the nearby suburban neighbourhood for food.

In some areas, the understory was thick and would be difficult to travel through, but others were clear with nothing but leaf litter. These may have been areas where deer would have travelled. One area had a concentration of red oak, though most of the acorns may have been preyed upon with sparse individuals on the forest floor. Blue jays are known to be in the area, but none were spotted at this time. There were also some surrounding white pine. A chipmunk was spotted nearby scrounging through the leaf litter, possibly burying food. Not many birds could be heard, though noise pollution could have been creating interference.

At 16:06h I entered into an upland meadow. More birds seemed to be present as they could be heard in the nearby forested area, but none were visible. In the meadows, there were some old bird boxes though usage was undetermined. Overhead a seagull was spotted flying over the area.

The difficulty in observing wildlife may have been due to a decreasing abundance of food as winter draws closer. Another possibility is they are better camouflaged as the forest and wildlife begin to lose their colour. This is especially true of birds who at this time of year are becoming less vibrant in order to blend into the background. Being surrounded by urban development may have extirpated many species that could be previously found.

19/11/22 – 1500-1600
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Devil’s Creek
Weather: 6* Celsius, Overcast, cool breeze

Went for a walk along Devil’s Creek trail in Cambridge. We accessed the trail on Blair Rd and only walked the first section of the trail. My first observation was a dead caterpillar that appeared to be squished on the path. Initially we passed through a stand of some mature trees like maple, and ash. Down a slight hill I noted what may have been a borough to an animal, however looked packed with leaf litter from the season. Next, the trail leads through an area of dense and tall thickets dominated by Phragmites and Canada Goldenrod. Later on there was red osier dogwood and a cedar stand before arriving at a small creek with a boardwalk. We stopped here for a few minutes and I observed some chickadees in the red osier dogwood. While we stayed I also spotted squirrels and was able to hear the call of Canada Geese not too far away. At the end of the trail there is a school yard and more suburban trails that connect to sidewalk, here I spotted a rabbit in the planted grass.
Throughout this outing we encountered many other people on the trail in groups and with pets. I also noticed lots of scat on the trail but from pet dogs as opposed to wildlife. On the walk back I observed a large murder of crows flying overhead and heard more Canada Geese.

Date: Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Time: 09:30-10:30h
Duration: 1h
Location: Cheltenham Badlands in Caledon, ON
Weather: 6 degrees Celsius; clear skies
Habitat/Vegetation Type: badlands surrounded by mixed deciduous forests

The surrounding forest of the badlands was heavily degraded with an overabundance of common buckthorn along the trails. The soil was heavily compacted, typical of the badlands, but the understory appeared to provide a decent growing substrate. The adjacent forest stand seemed relatively young, being no more than 10m tall. The leaves were changing colours and beginning to fall, and the buckthorn still held many of their berries. Closer to the parking lot, there were planted red oak and rudbeckia. Some sumac were also present. There were no observable sources of water. Some other observed vegetation include maples, cedars, wild strawberry, goldenrod and aster going to seed, wild carrot, and some apple trees from a former orchard. In the badlands themselves, there was 0% canopy cover with sparse patches of vegetation. The soil was barren, and a fence surrounded the area to prevent visitors from walking in the area, which would also act as a barrier to wildlife movement. It is also adjacent to a major road, though traffic flow through is unknown.

In the immediate vicinity of the site, a single chipmunk was spotted along the trails. Closer to the badlands, some unidentified birds were moving through some nearby bush, possibly American robins. For the most part, the area was silent with barely audile bird calls in the distance. A handful of crows could be heard. Of note, 10min away from the Badlands some blue jays were spotted, indicating some level of biodiversity in the wider region.

Given the time of year, it is possible most wildlife had migrated to areas with a higher abundance of food. While there is vegetation growth, it is predominately non-native invasive species. If the range is broadened there are more forested areas with more mature trees, but the suitability for habitat of those sites could not be determined without a visit. Many of the leaves were beginning to fall with the asters and goldenrod going to see. The thick understory would not be suitable for larger mammals, giving wildlife like the chipmunk a distinct advantage. The early time of day may have also been a factor, as it was still cool. It is unlikely there are any amphibians in the area given how dry the soil is, though reptiles may be present but in hiding.

Date: Saturday, September 14, 2019
Time: 07:30-10:00h
Duration: 2.5h
Location: MapleCross Nature Reserve in Schomberg, ON
Weather: 15 degrees Celsius; clear skies but mixed clouds at 08:50h; heavy rain the previous night
Habitat/Vegetation Type: Majority grasslands with adjacent mixed coniferous forest; tree plantation; agricultural land in surrounding region

The area is a privately owned nature reserve not open to to public. It was converted from a tree plantation of an unidentified coniferous tree. While there are small patches of forest bordering the area, on the north side of the plantation there is a sizeable mixed coniferous forest. To the south and east were primarily agricultural land. On site, there were no observable sources of water, though aerial maps show a few small bodies of water a few hundred metres away.

Some of the trees and shrubs that were identified were as follows: maple, oak, common buckthorn, white pine, trembling aspen, sumac, raspberry bushes, beech, spruce, and some crabapple trees.

Some of the herbaceous plants in the area were as follows: wild strawberry, blood root, dandelions, common milkweed, joe pye weed, grape vine, red clover, vetch, poison ivy, and majority goldenrod and asters in the grassland areas.

The observed birds were as follows: mourning dove, eastern phoebe, cardinal, American robin, catbird, chickadee, downy woodpecker, blue jay, white breasted nuthatch, cedar waxwing, house wren, golden finch, and black billed cuckoo. Flying overhead crows, geese, king fisher, and a broad winged falcon were spotted.

Other notable wildlife were a red squirrel, American toad, and monarch butterflies.

The asters and goldenrod were beginning to seed, providing a potential food source for songbirds. The abundance of observed bird species is likely due to the rural nature of the region rather than any specific site features. It is 30km from the nearest major urban area, and surrounded by a number of conservation areas. With the ability for a wide dispersal range for birds, it is difficult to estimate the habitat range of the observed wildlife.

While a few birds were sighted inside the plantation, a majority of the birds were found in the bordering forest area or flying overhead. Of note, nearly half the birds sited were found in a small patch of forest south of the plantation with large oak trees. This may be due to the food source that it provides, especially with blue jay dispersal of acorns. With a 70% canopy cover in the interior, however, it may have more to do with the amount of shelter provided.

Due to cools temperatures, few monarchs were sited despite the abundance of nectar sources. Towards the middle of the afternoon when it became warmer more monarchs began to appear, but the sampling period had ended by that time. The lack of mammals in area is likely due to limited food and suitable habitat. Other than the patch of forested area in the north, it is much smaller than other nearby conservation areas and is disconnected by the surrounding farmland.

This was part of a bioblitz organized by the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust. The first half of the day was dedicated to birding, with advanced guides identifying specimens by both sight and sound. The latter half was dedicated to monarch monitoring, though observations about other wildlife continued to be made.

19/11/18 – 1530-1630
Duration 60 minutes
Location Barries Lake
Weather – 0* Celsius, overcast, cold breeze
I for the most part recreated my October outing, except that I chose to complete my observations at the end of the day as opposed to the beginning. I had to perform jumping jacks and squats quite often to keep warm again. Could smell the familiar scent of a roadkill skunk as I walked to my access point along the road, however, could not see the dead animal in the vicinity. This outing I took note of many Canada Geese and grows in the agricultural fields on the other side of Blair Rd.
I observed many Canada geese arriving and departing from the wetland. I also observed a large murder of crows flying overhead. About twenty minutes later I observed a large flying ‘V’ of Canada geese. I noticed upon this visit that the tall phragmites that are growing along the bank had dried out and broken/ fallen creating thick woven layer covering much of the bank. I could hear the rustling and scratching of squirrels in the crunchy vegetation surrounding me. I observed a bright red cardinal making trips to and from the trees across the marsh, I kept an eye out for a female of drabber colour however was not able to spot one. Finally, a couple minutes past 16:30 as I was headed back to my property which neighbours the wetland, I heard the call of two sandhill cranes as they flew overhead.

19/11/29
1000
1 hr
Waterloo Park
Cloudy, approx. 0 celsius
Woody area, lawn

There was snow on the ground when we went to waterloo park, so I wasn’t expecting to see many animals. There were a few geese and crows at the park along with one blue jay and a cardinal. I would have thought that they have migrated south for the winter, but they were still in Ontario. There were no squirrels were seen which I thought was odd as I still see them on campus. I thought with waterloo park being a public place, that there would be food left by humans that the squirrels would be trying to get that even if it is their hibernation period. We just walked by the paths so animals might be avoiding it as they know those areas have high human traffic. The trees at the park had most if not all of their leaves gone so identifying them was difficult but were still able to make out some maples and pines. We identified the maples with the leaves on the ground, I suspect that there is also some trembling aspen but I’m unfamiliar with what their leaves look like while not on the branch. Making out smaller brushes was even more difficult, and none were identified to meaningful level.

19/10/05 – 08:00 – 08:45
Duration: 45 minutes
Location: Barries Lake, North Dumfries
Weather: 7®C, some clouds, cold breeze
Habitat type: Wetland Marsh
Narrative:
Barries Lake is a wetland marsh feeding Grand River tributaries like Cruckston Creek and Devils Creek. I sat in a big Willow tree which grows between the bank and Blair Rd. At 0800 in the morning the dogs in my grandmother’s kennel on the neighboring property bark as they play outside, and traffic starts to get busy on the street. Every ten minutes of observation I would get up and perform jumping jacks and squats to stay warm as the sun gained height in the sky, or hid behind clouds.
Along the banks cattails and phragmites grow. Phragmites are harmful and invasive to Ontario wetlands however they are difficult to get rid of and would thrive in this environment despite disturbances in the area like runoff from the road and kennel, geocachers, and litterers. I spotted many Canada geese arriving and leaving the wetland as well as mallards and swans. I spotted squirrels running up and down a stand of red cedar trees. Next, I spent a lot of time observing a pair of Sandhill Cranes I could see in the distance. I first mistook them for Great Blue Herons, however, editing my photo and researching their calls later revealed that they were sandhill cranes. I noted territorial displays and shows of aggression amongst the Canada geese and between the Geese and the Swans.

19/11/29 @1200hrs
Belt line trail in Toronto
Weather was 0 degrees Celcius with little wind and no precipitation, slightly sunny but mostly cloudy.

For my third iNaturalist outing on I took a 45 minute walk along the Kay Gardener Belt Line in Toronto which is a 9km long path lined by small forested sections, and connects to a park. I spent the first half of my walk along the belt line noticing mainly rodent species of American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus), and some Eastern Grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). There were different kinds of trees, some coniferous but mainly deciduous. I could identify some of the tree types as pine, maple, birch, oak, white ash, and cedar. The beltline in Toronto has a thin forest that lines the trail as a barrier for backyards of homes that back onto the Beltline. I had a feeling I would not see a variety of species because it is now winter and the species diversity changes especially during this time. It was also the coldest it had been so far in November so I predicted only seeing rodent kinds of animals and minimal birds. There were various kinds of scat that I think were from rabbits, and possibly skunks. There was some dead common milkweed along the Beltline near some dead indistinguishable shrubs.

Second outing – Waterloo Park
Main grass area & forested area lining Laurel Stream that runs through Waterloo Park. Weather was 0 degree Celcius with some wind and slight overcast. Habitat would be classified as grass area and forest.
19/10/18 @1300 hrs

On October 18 I did my second iNaturalist outing at Waterloo Park, and walked along the main forested grass area, into the forested area by the stream (Laurel stream). The duration of this outing was 60 minutes in length. I had more luck on this excursion with actually seeing species, and not just evidence of species e.g. scat, or footprints. The first species we noticed was the Eastern Grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) running through the forest floor up a maple tree. There was lots of Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) intermittent through the forest. Dead Common teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) was also present by the shrub areas. I heard the crow of the Common raven (Corvus corax) and then later saw a few near the end of my outing. Some mushrooms were noticed on the sides of various trees, the unidentified mushrooms could be dryad’s saddle and with further research this confirmed my guess. There were no ducks swimming in stream, but I saw several different kinds of birds. The most distinct was colour poking through the trees of the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) and then in contrast with the blue of the Blue Jay (Cyanoccita cristata). It was easy to spot the birds because of their bright colours and constant moving between the tree branches. There were many crows circling around just above the treeline and squawking quite loudly, the sound helped us identify the American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos).

Header: 19/09/25 @1500 hrs, Waterloo Campus grass area before bridge across from EV3 leading to St. Paul’s Residence. Weather was about 22 Celsius, little gusts of wind, no precipitation, sunny with minor moments of cloud cover. Habitat would be classified as a grassland near a river.
Topic: ERS 346 Outing #1

On September 25, 2019 I did my first iNaturalist outing at Laurel Creek stream that runs through campus, near the bridge crossing from EV3 to the University College Residences (St. Paul’s). The area surrounding the streams edge was slightly forested with various species of trees, coniferous and deciduous, with grass lining the area between the trees and the main road leading to the stream. I heard the distinct sound of a woodpecker, but did not see what species of woodpecker it was. I’m guessing it may have been a pileated woodpecker or red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) because they are two common woodpeckers in the Region of Waterloo at the end of summer. I observed scat that looked like it was from rabbit because I see very similar scat at my cottage and it is from a jack rabbit that lives near there. The shape of the scat in comparison with an ID website also helped confirm this educated guess of an Eastern Cottontail. In the forested area that lines the section of the creek I observed, I also saw a black-capped chickadee. The defined song for the bird “chicka-dee-dee-dee” confirmed my prediction. In the stream I watched for the longest time of my outing, and I saw a mallard, and another indistinguishable duck. With research after my outing I narrowed this duck to being a Northern Pintail. I smelled lots of geese poop and saw plenty on the grass, although I did not see any common geese during my outing. I walk by this area a lot so I know geese are usually in that area, and that is why there is so much poop there. In my final minutes of observing I saw an Eastern Grey Squirrel, American Red Squirrel, and an Eastern Chipmunk. I had help confirming my animal ID’s with iNaturalist.ca. Some other tree species I noticed were oak, white birch, and beechwood.

Duration: 60 Minutes
Location: Ayr, Outskirts
Weather: Cold, around 0 degrees,
Habitat: Forest, Fields, Pond, River

Species ID'd:

-Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)
-Common Raven (Corvus corax)
-Raibow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
-Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu)
-Great Blue Haron (Ardea herodias)
-White-tail Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
-Ringneck Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

For my final excursion, I took advantage of my grandparents' farm located on the outskirts of Ayr, Ontario. The farm is 97 acres, and contains an abundance of wildlife and diverse ecosystems as it is purely recreational, and does not house any loud equipment that would otherwise be impactful.

Before I began, I used the outlook platform that overlooks the field to discover a female white tailed deer. It seemed to be alone, and eventually scampered off into the brush.

I proceeded around the front-end perimeter of the property, which runs parallel to Reidsville Road. I wanted to get a good grasp of the edge effects that roads can usually cause. Some observations included litter, with multiple cars driving way over the speed limit. The closer I was to the road, the less wildlife I encountered, which was to be expected.

As I approached the field, I saw a group of black figures at the other end. As I continued to approach it turned out to be a flock of ring-neck pheasants! My grandfather and I have released 3 groups pheasants into the farm's ecosystem, (although we had to re-release the first group as our lab returned them all to the barn, alive). The flock seemed unbothered by my presence, as slowly scampered into the brush.

I crossed a nearby bridge connecting to a nearby cornfield, that is quite barren this time of year. I identified a murder of crows who seemed to feasting on the withered remains of the annual harvest.

I tried to get a better glimpse of aquatic life in the nearby river that boarders the field, however the water here was quite shallow most likely containing chemical runoff from the crop field. This however sparked my interest into heading to some of the more inland ponds, otherwise known as the ponds that are named after my aunt and mom.

"Joni Cove" and "Jenny Trout" are two very different bodies of water. On one hand, Jenny Trout is connected to the Nith River, and has a constant flow of fresh water. Due to the undisturbed habitat, the water is quite clear, making it easy to see the aquatic residents that reside there. I was able to identify 2 rainbow trout swimming about. Overhanging the pond were a few weeping willow trees.

Joni Cove on the other hand is completely isolated from the Nith River, and consists of the ground water the property uses on for well water. This pond is much deeper than Jenny Trout, with the water being dark and murky. While I know there are small mouth bass inhabiting the pond, I was unable to identify any. My best guess was that they are deep in the pond in order to stay warmer. As I was trying to find bass, I was startled when a Great Blue Heron took off from the reeds.

My general findings of this expedition were substantially higher (and more interesting) than what I had seen over the semester in Waterloo sites; the absence of humans has allowed for many different species to thrive with minimal interference, aside from the habitats edge effects.