https://sisn.pagepress.org/index.php/nhs/article/download/429/502
https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/70452.pdf

Dear Gaboronians, Mochudians, Ramotswans, Molopolians and Oodians

Get ready for the Gaborone area entry in the City Nature Challenge 2020.

Gaborone NEEDS YOU !

Please do your best to encourage others to be iNatters in the Gaborone area and get involved in this amazing, fun-packed competition.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-gaborone

Tony Benn ( aka botswanabugs

Nous atteignons aujourd’hui le nombre de 100 espèces observées sur iNaturalist dans le département de la Haute-Savoie depuis le 1er janvier 2020. La répartition est à 80/20 entre plantes à fleurs et champignons. Nous parvenons à ce chiffre avec deux observations faites aujourd’hui dans le parc Gabriel Fauré d’Annecy-le-Vieux : un champignon, Daedalea quercina, qui s’attaque aux poutres en chêne du théâtre de verdure ; et ce qu’il reste du grand Hêtre pourpre abattu en août 2019 pour des raisons de sécurité. Sinon, les dicotylédones commencent à germer, les observations vont pouvoir se multiplier. Rejoignez-nous sur l'application iNaturalist et sur le projet Flore de Haute-Savoie.

Certaines familles botaniques sont plus difficiles à identifier au niveau de l'espèce que d'autres. Les champignons, les lichens ou les graminées font partie de celles-là. Mais des espèces très communes de plantes à fleurs peuvent aussi présenter ce genre de difficultés. Les ronces françaises en sont un bon exemple avec plus d'un millier d'espèces et aucune clé de classification à jour.
https://www.tela-botanica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/clerubus.pdf?langue=fr
En termes de classification, le problème est le même pour les alchemilles ou les pissenlits, car "biologiquement parlant, les taxons apomictiques ... se comportent tous comme des espèces au niveau de la reproduction ... qui est asexuée."

NEWPORT, Calif. (KLAS) — Two sperm whales were seen swimming off the coast of Southern California in a video recorded on Friday by a boat captain in the area.

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/caught-on-camera-2-sperm-whales-seen-off-southern-california-coast/amp/

Fauna e flora da caatinga do Rio grande do norte, estado do nordeste brasileiro

On January 24, 2020, three people did a random shoreline freshwater mussel search along Inks Lake, one of the Highland Lakes in Burnet County, Texas. Water levels were approximately eight feet below normal due to an intentional drawdown by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) for continued dock maintenance and cleanup after historic flooding in the fall of 2018. The weather was warm and sunny.
The monitoring period was 2:00 – 3:00 PM, and we walked approximately 900 feet east of the fishing pier in the Day Use Area of Inks Lake State Park (at approximately 30.74431, -98.36480). The substrate was mostly sand. Non-native Asian Clams were observed, but no non-native Zebra Mussels were observed. Five native freshwater mussel species were observed:
- Giant Floater – 5 shells;
- Southern Mapleleaf – 1 shell, 2 valves;
- Tampico Pearlymussel – 1 shell, 1 valve;
- Paper Pondshell – 2 shells; and,
- Threeridge – 2 shells.
We then spent half an hour surveying a stretch of beach at the western end of the park, but no new species were observed. Survey participants were Kathy, April, and Mike. Many thanks to Marsha May for again providing remote assistance with identification (via texting photos) that afternoon.

1° espécies: gabrielvlacerda
1° observações: gabrielvlacerda
Espécie: apistosia judas

Please join us for another BioBlitz at Hellyer Park on Saturday 2/8, from 9-11. We will meet by Cottonwood Lake, and explore the park together. Let's see what we can find here in the winter!
For more info and RSVP - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bioblitz-at-hellyer-park-cottonwood-lake-registration-82228488623
Merav
https://www.bioblitz.club/

The 2019 results are up!
Check it out: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/illinois-botanists-big-year-2019/journal/30321

Check it out: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/illinois-botanists-big-year-2019/journal/30321

And the winner is...
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oof, it's close! Our top two competitors by number of plant species observed in Illinois in a single year are:

Derek Ziomber (@dziomber) with 1,149 species

and

Jared Gorrell (@wildlandblogger) with 1,136 species

As of 26 January 2019, @dziomber had made 1,672 "research grade" (RG) observations of 1,149 species and @wildlandblogger had made 4,202 RG observations of 1,136 plant species. Congrats to you both! This year was a close race between our top two botanists and a bit nerve-wracking near the end as the species list just kept growing and growing! The data on iNaturalist are continually changing as new IDs come in, so these are just a snapshot. They each have over 100 more species that just didn't get confirmed.



Here they are in southern Illinois: Jared Gorrell (@wildlandblogger) on the left and Derek Ziomber (@dziomber) on the right. Thanks to Jeff Skrentny (@skrentnyjeff) for the photo. A phenomenal job by these two botanizers, both of whom broke 1000 research grade plant species for the first time in Illinois Botanists Big Year history, and who were actually numbers #13 and #14 by number of RG plant species observed worldwide. And that's compared to people who live in mega biodiversity hotspots like South Africa and southern California.

2019 Illinois Botanists Big Year Stats

4,040 observers
58,000 research grade observations of plants
1,930 species
1,470 identifiers

Most Species

1. @dziomber – 1,149
2. @wildlandblogger – 1,136
3. @sanguinaria33 – 881
4. @sedge – 817
5. @elfaulkner – 769
6. @johnhboldt – 758
7. @skrentnyjeff – 711
8. @bouteloua – 527
9. @kkucera – 489
10. @missgreen – 372

Most Observations

1. @wildlandblogger – 4,202
2. @johnhboldt – 3,626
3. @dziomber – 1,672
4. @sanguinaria33 – 1,583
5. @sedge – 1,416
6. @bouteloua – 1,416
7. @skrentnyjeff – 1,304
8. @elfaulkner – 1,191
9. @taco2000 – 1,044
10. @kkucera – 878

The Sedgehead

Most species in the genus Carex:
@dziomber with 63 species and @sedge close behind with 62!

The Grassmaster

Most species within the family Poaceae:
@dziomber with 77 species!

The Sporophyte

Most species outside of flowering plants, Magnoliophyta):
@wildlandblogger with 71 species!

The 100 Club:

botanizers who made research grade observations of over 100 species of plants in Illinois in 2019: @andrewhipp @andrewstpaul @bouteloua @brdnrdr @brendanrattin @carolt-80 @conniecowan @d_coulter @dziomber @eattaway92 @elfaulkner @eriko @ewarden @geodude365 @grantfessler @ja5 @jackassgardener @jakeskee @jawinget @jenhugstrees @joelmc @johnhboldt @k2018lena @kennedy9094 @kkucera @matt167 @maureenclare @missgreen @mn2010 @naturalist_glenn @outdoorsie @owenkathriner @plantdruid @prairiehobbit @psweet @randyshonkwiler @redadmiral98 @rgraveolens @rin_nd @rtriveline @sanguinaria33 @sedge @skrentnyjeff @ssinn @stocksdale @taco2000 @tararat @timfelinski0251 @ty-sharrow @vvoelker @whimbrelbirder @wildernessbarbie @wildlandblogger @woodridgejeff

Most IDs

Most identifications for other people (Needs ID & Research Grade observations of plants in Illinois in 2019):
@mcaple with 9,040 IDs!
Followed up by @evan8 (8,317) and @wildlandblogger (7,325).

Most Improving IDs

That is the number of times they were first-to-ID a species that the community subsequently agreed with: @mcaple again with 2,293!
Followed up by @bouteloua (902) and @prairiehobbit (783).

Species New to Illinois on iNat

Dozens of species new to iNat in Illinois this year. A few listed below:

• Non-flowering plants
• Monocots excluding Poales
• Poales (grasses, sedges, rushes, & friends)
• Plants in Asterales (sunflower family and friends)
• Plants in Fabales (pea family and friends)
• Plants in Lamiales (mint family and friends)
• Plants in Rosales (rose family and friends)
• Plants in Brassicales (mustard family and friends)
• Plants in Ranunculales (buttercup family and friends)
• Plants in Caryophyllales (pink family and friends)
• Plants in Boraginales (borage family and friends)
• Plants in Malpighiales (nance family and friends)
• Plants in Fagales (beech family and friends)
• All other (eu)dicots except the groups above

Nice Photos

Just three of my favorite photos from the year.
I posted lots more photos on our Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/illinoisbotanistsbigyear/


Collinsia verna by @jsatler in Jackson County: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24966638



Floerkea proserpinacoides by @kkucera in Cook County: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/25226265



Symphyotrichum novae-angliae by @musicmanz in McHenry County: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/33300530

Awards Ceremony

If you caught this post before 2PM on Sunday, January 26th and are in the Chicago area, join us to congratulate our top botanizers at the Illinois Native Plant Society gathering this afternoon. Details here: http://ill-inps.org/northeast-chapter/events/

and finally...

Don't forget to join the 2020 project:

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/illinois-botanists-big-year-2020
(click the Join button in the top right)

Thanks to all for sharing your plant explorations this year!
Happy botanizing in 2020!

—@bouteloua (cassi saari)

Wasatch Hollow Nature Preserve and Open Space – Journal
January 25, 2020

The sunrise is at 7:43 am and the sun at noon will be at 31 degrees altitude (climbing higher in the sky – in the south 180 degree) and the sun will set at 5:37 pm. The nature area is looking at about 09:53:13 in total daylight – I can sense the shift already in terms of an earlier sunrise and later sunset.

The temperature in the Open Space was an incredibly “warm” 48 degrees and the sun came out in the afternoon – after a long morning of dense fog.

With the sun out, I could sense that the birds would be out as well. I was able to observe American Robins and Cedar Waxwings in the Hawthorne trees eating the “leftover” berries – on the walk to the nature preserve.

In the Nature Preserve and Open Space the Chickadees and Juncos were out in full force. I observed one Fox Squirrel. And the highlight of the day was to observe three Red-Tailed Hawks circling high above the open space taking advantage of the warmer winds from the south – and I imagined they were riding thermals up and up – and then eventually heading over to the Red Butte garden area along the bench area there 0f the Wasatch Mountains.

The trail was muddy and the snow melt created a messy walk in the open space.

Again, many dog tracks in the protected area indicating that people are still walking their dogs in the protected space.

I look forward to longer days and the spring weather to help increase plant and animal observations for the iNaturalist and the Open Space inventory of species.

Individuals and organisation planting trees in Botswana are invited to post links to Facebook and other social media pages and their websites here in this journal.

One purpose of this project is to advertise and encourage the organisations and individuals which are active in tree planting and nurturing their trees.

In this journal, please describe some of the aims and activities that you or your organisation has.

Please describes successes and failures that you have with tree planting and caring !

Please message me for more information or to give ideas how this project could be improved.

Thanks so much

Botswanabugs (aka Tony Benn)

Дорогие друзья,

В предыдущем письме я немного коснулась проектов на платформе iNaturalist и его роли в мобилизации данных о биоразнообразии Югры. Сейчас хочу остановиться на этом вопросе подробнее.

Дело в том, что краудсорсинг (= любительская, или гражданская наука, citizen science) стал в последнее время одним из основных инструментов в сборе данных о находках видов. Это произошло в том числе благодаря появлению таких платформ как iNaturalist, где возможен быстрый сбор регистраций организмов по фотографиям и используется их машинное определение до вида. Роль краудсорсинга в экологии и изучении биоразнообразия хорошо описана в ряде статей, опубликованных на сайте GBIF https://www.gbif.org/citizen-science.

Сам GBIF является доказательством успешности этого подхода, где около 70% данных поступают из источников citizen science (iNaturalist, eBird и другие). В России можно привести пример проекта "Флора России", собравшего за один год более 200 (!) тысяч точек находок растений на территории нашей необъятной родины https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Флора_России_(интернет-проект). По результатам этой работы коллеги сейчас готовят хорошую статью, соавторами которой станут активные участники проекта на iNat. Другой проект - наблюдения за биоразнообразием в Алтайском крае http://altainature.org/projects, где натуралисты (школьники и все желающие) с помощью iNaturalist активно участвуют в сборе данных о редких видах и подготовке издания Красной Книги.

Вдохновившись этими примерами, мы решили что пришло время активнее пропагандировать и развивать это направление в Югре. Мы создали зонтичный проект и внутри него - проекты на каждую природоохранную территорию Югры, а также общий проект биоразнообразия на всей территории и по отдельным группам организмов. Все эти проекты позволят нам вести отчет об успехах сбора данных на той или иной ООПТ и в рамках всей территории. Адрес проекта на iNat: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bioraznoobrazie-i-oopt-yugry-biodiversity-and-conservation-in-yugra-region

На настоящее время на территории Югры мы имеем около 3,3 тысячи находок организмов, сделанные примерно сотней участников. Из этого количества наблюдателей, постоянными iNatерами (т.е. сделали больше 50 наблюдений) являются только 10. Большое спасибо за работу bolotoved, entomokot, marasmius, nikolai_nakonechnyi, ana_lu, elenabutunina, usiaz, cavlp и всем, кто уже вступил в наши ряды!
Кроме собственно загрузки наблюдений, большую роль в проекте играют определяющие (эксперты). Здесь приняли участие 410 человек со всего мира, но только два эксперта из Югры сделали больше 50 определений (спасибо marasmius!).
По числу находок в разных таксономических группах, у нас лидируют грибы и растения (каждая по 36%), затем идут насекомые (16%) и птицы (7%).

Сильно отличается вклад природоохранных территорий в общее число данных. Сейчас активно поступают находки с трех территорий природных парков: Самаровский Чугас (131), Кондинские озера (75) (спасибо elenabutunina) и Сибирские Увалы (54) (спасибо nikolay_nakonechniy).

По статистике проекта "Флора России" - Югра находится на 49 месте из 85 регионов нашей страны. По-сравнению с некоторыми другими Сибирскими регионами, в Алтайском крае - 12,8 тысяч, Омской области - 7,3 тысяч, Новосибирской области - 5 тысяч, в Югре - 0,9 тысяч.

Я надеюсь, что созданный зонтичный проект и другие виды активности в этой области помогут использовать ресурс краудсорсинга для изучения и сохранения биоразнообразия региона. Что может сделать каждый:
1) стать активным участником iNat
2) распространять информацию об iNat среди сотрудников, студентов, СМИ, в соцсетях
3) ввести использование iNat в практику работы отделов эко-просвещения, на студенческих практиках, и других мероприятиях в Ваших организациях.

Со своей стороны я буду вести регулярный обзор проекта и сотрудничать с отделами эко-просвещения и другими научными и образовательными организациями для распространения информации о проекте.

До скорой встречи на iNat!

Создал конкурс на лучшего наблюдателя по Чувашии за 2020
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/chuvash-naturalist-2020

Telford garden is just a shopping center and private housing estate of Hong Kong. However, some flowerbeds become a paradise of migrants! Why? I think it is because the flowerbeds grow a lot of worms and flies. These are food for birds. Some grasshopper warblers are difficult to observe in the wild.They hide at the bottom part of grassland. People can only hear the sound. However, they are very easy to observe. When you look down the plants, you can see some warblers. These are grasshopper warblers. Most of them are pallas grasshopper warblers as they are the most common grasshopper warbler of Hong Kong. Another grasshopper warbler is lanceolated warbler. This spice is more rare than pallas. Three warblers and one lesser shortwing were observe together. A black browed warbler was hide in the bamboo. We need to preserve Telford and let it be a paradise of migrant forever.

The geography of the project has been changed to include Bon Tempe Lake. You can now view all of the observations from the mycoblitz. Apologies about the reduced geography earlier.

As mentioned many times, the objectives of our regional CNC projects are to encourage our entire community, old and young alike, to get outdoors, to explore, and to observe nature. Too often we think that we have to leave the Maritimes in order to go on an adventure. We hope that as part of the CNC you will learn that you don’t need to venture far from home.

Do you know exactly what lives just outside your door? Are you prepared to go outside and explore? What plants/weeds are growing in your yard? What lives under the rocks, behind the bushes, in the trees? What is growing next to the street and/or in cracks in the sidewalk?

Do you have a favourite park or green space in your neighbourhood? Plan to go on a solo adventure or get a group together and see if you can find as many species as possible. Challenge your relatives, friends, neighbours, coworkers, fellow dog walkers, anyone with a pulse …

Do you want to find new areas to explore? If you live in the urban Halifax area when was the last time that you explored local parks, gardens, and trails such as Point Pleasant Park, the Dingle (Sir Sandford Fleming Park), Fort Needham, the Public Gardens, or the Frog Pond? Have you ventured over to Dartmouth and visited Birch Cove Park or gone to Admiral Cove Park in Bedford? For more ideas of HRM places to visit click here.

Are you aware of the many trails in your area? Have you walked/hiked/biked/paddled any of the sections of The Great Trail? Check out the following iNat Great Trail umbrella project made for the 2020 CNC.

It isn’t necessary to have a car to get to many locations – perhaps you have access to a bicycle or perhaps you can hop on a bus.

During the CNC we hope that you will have many opportunities to observe nature in many different locations. It is not necessary for everyone to upload photos of every plant/animal that you see to iNaturalist. By signing up to iNat and sharing at least one observation you will help increase the #participants count. If you drag others along to keep you company encourage them to signup as well!

If you are out biking or hiking, consider looking around and observing nature at the start and end of your trip as well as during breaks. If you are keen take a few photos. Remember, photos don’t need to be uploaded to iNat immediately – wait and upload to iNat when back in a free wifi zone.

By sharing observations from many different locations, researchers will have access to a large pool of data required to study local, regional, national, and global geographic variations.

By exploring any location, you personally can gain an appreciation for the biodiversity all around us.

Although the CNC is restricted to a 4-day period following Earth Day we hope that you will enjoy using iNaturalist and will incorporate sharing observations of nature into your regular day to day routine. By exploring locations over periods of time you can/will observe seasonal and climatic changes. By sharing these observations with iNat, researchers (and the public) will have access to the data that they need to manage resources and study climate change.

Encourage others to come explore our Maritime provinces – We are lucky, we simply have to open our door, step outside, and an adventure can begin.

Check back for more events as they are listed!

Mount Pisgah Arboretum
Birds, Bees, Butterflies, and Blooms Walk
Saturday, April 25th, 10am-1pm

Join local ecologists Peg Boulay and Bruce Newhouse in enjoying the vibrant spring life at the Arboretum. Peg and Bruce will identify and talk about flowers and trees, birds and bees, and anything else you please! We’ll also be participating in City Nature Challenge (CNC) this year! Anyone interested in iNaturalist and the CNC will be invited to take photographs along the walk. Afterward, for those interested, we'll spend a half hour or so on a briefing of what the CNC is, and upload our photos to iNaturalist! Advance prep: download the iNaturalist app to your phone, and test it by uploading a backyard observation of a flower (which you can delete later). Co-sponsored with the Native Plant Society of Oregon-Emerald Chapter. Rain or shine. Meet at the Arboretum Visitor Center. Don’t forget your parking pass. $5, Members free.

Generally, when we talk about the Maritimes City Nature Challenge, we state that our objectives are simple – we wish to encourage people of all ages to get outdoors; to explore; to observe nature; to share observations; and to have fun. We have skipped over another important component of iNaturalist – the one where you can stay indoors and explore content already posted to iNat.

At this time of year many avid gardeners are indoors pouring over seed catalogues and making plans for spring. iNatters can also take advantage of inclement weather or long dark evenings and browse iNat content.

April and the City Nature Challenge will be here before we know it. Take advantage of free time now and use the iNat Explore feature to view observations from areas of interest. Perhaps come up with a list of places that you might wish to visit during the CNC. Perhaps there is a list of species that you want to find or gaps in species distribution that you wish to fill. Perhaps there are iNat projects that interest you that you didn't know existed - perhaps share a few of these in the comments section below!

To view iNat content from the six Maritime CNC areas we have set up an umbrella project – this project isn’t restricted to the CNC April time period. All observations ever shared from the 6 Maritime areas can be viewed here.

If while you are exploring iNat you stumble across a few observations of species that you recognize take a moment or two and provide a name – iNat works because the community assists with identification.

Yuen Long park is located at the northwest of Hong Kong. There are many trees and grassland. These habitats are good for birds, especially thrushes. Common blackbird is the most common thrush in the park. 30 birds can be seen for a day. Another common thrushes are grey backed thrush and Japanese thrush. Up to 10 birds can be seen for a day. When I was walking along the grassland, a white's thrush appeared for a sudden! It is an uncommon winter visitor at Hong Kong and first time for me to meet it. Away from thrush, 20 of yellow billed gosbeak flew over trees. daurain red starts and oriental magpie robin played together. A good day!

Coverage: Aldercroft Heights Road intersection to stop sign.
10:24am - 12:22pm

Weather: Rather warm (70F when I returned to my car), partly cloudy. May have rained 3 days previously (not sure though - weathercat says yes, but that was in Santa Cruz, and I know that it also rained in Loma Prieta and Scotts Valley but it did not in Campbell.)
Rainfall: MTD 2.79in, YTD 15.141in (per http://www.weathercat.net/wxraindetail.php)

Vehicles: 13
Bikes: 5
Pedestrians: 0

178 dead newts, around 38 of them fresh
4 dead jerusalem crickets

Definitely 1 juvenile newt, 2 others that were more like "teenage" newts - do the teenage ones count as juvenile? I posted 3 that include my finger for scale. The one that's definitely juvenile I'll tag as such.

There were a lot more dead newts, particularly fresh ones, on the east-ish side of the road (further from the reservoir) than the west-ish side.

С небольшим опозданием поздравляю всех с нашим первым круглым числом!

Hi TNBRC:

Take a look at this story board documenting wild-harvested plants in the northwest US:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/pnw/science-stories/northwest-huckleberry-and-other-nuts-and-berries

The USFS in that region is interested in conserving and restoring traditionally used plants, like huckleberry, salal, and hazelnut, to provide harvest opportunities for Native American tribes and local businesses, as well as provide forage for native pollinators and other species that depend on these food sources!

The TNBRC is taking a first step towards such an initiative by documenting where and with what frequency traditionally used plant species occur on federal lands in Arizona. With this knowledge, we can target species or regions for conservation and restoration projects in order to ensure that these resources persist for future generations. You are a part of that amazing effort - Thank you!!!

--Sara

Ever since seeing my first Great Tit visit at suet feeder in a park in Sheboygan, I have been fascinated by the fact that there are many established introduced birds in the ABA area that aren't on the checklist or in anyone's field guide (unless you own The Sibley Guide to Birds). After much research, here are some short profiles detailing all of the non-countable established introduced species in the Continental ABA-Area I could find:

Mandarin Duck - Aix galericulata
Mandarin Ducks were first noted in California in 1970, when hundreds were noted on a ranch in Healdsburg. This species was formerly found throughout much of the state, but it now seems to be restricted to the Los Angeles-San Diego area, the Sacramento area, and Sonoma. The species seems to be dependent on Wood Duck nest boxes in order to successfully breed.

A population of Mandarin Ducks also exists in Utah, in the Salt Lake City area. The first eBird record of a Mandarin Duck in Utah is from 1994, and they were first documented breeding in 2015.

Indian Peafowl - Pavo cristatus
Populations of Indian Peafowl exist in Florida, Texas, and California. It is found throughout much of California, but is best known in the LA area. According to local legend, the California peafowl were introduced by Elias “Lucky” Baldwin, who released the birds (imported directly from India) onto his property in 1880 (this land later became the Los Angeles County Arboretum). This is probably true, but peafowl are widespread enough that they probably came from a series of introductions around the state.

In Florida, Indian Peafowl are found throughout the peninsula. The earliest eBird record of a peafowl in Florida is from 1970. They were probably introduced separately to all of the major cities by homeowners as a yard decoration. This is somewhat ironic considering they are now viewed as a pest that destroys gardens and poops everywhere. In Miami (which has one of the largest populations) it is illegal to harm peafowl or their eggs. The Florida population actually consists mostly of hybrids with the Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus), (these hybrids are known in aviculture as Spalding Peafowl) but no pure Green Peafowl exist wild in the state.

In Texas, Indian Peafowl occur in Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Midland. The earliest of these is the Austin population, which were released around 1930 on private land that is now known as Mayfield Park. A small percentage of the Austin birds are Spalding Peafowl. The Houston population was introduced by homeowners in the 1980s. All of the Texas populations are slowly spreading into more rural areas, it seems likely that in a few decades the species could exist statewide.

Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri
Rose-ringed Parakeet populations exist in Florida and California. In California, the species exists in the Los Angeles area, San Diego, and Bakersfield. The Bakersfield population has been extensively studied by Ali Sheehey. They became established in 1977 after a large flock of them escaped from an aviary. The LA area and San Diego populations likely derive from escaped pets. The earliest LA area eBird record is from 1977, and the earliest San Diego record is from 1988.

In Florida, the species is found in the Naples area and probably came from escaped pets. The earliest eBird record of this species in Naples is from 1990.

Mitred Parakeet - Psittacara mitratus
The Mitred Parakeet exists in California, Florida, and possibly New York. In California, well-established in the Los Angeles area, which has been there since the 1980s.

In Florida, the species is present in the Miami area. The earliest eBird record of this population is from 1985.

This species is possibly present in Queens, New York. The birds were first documented around 1985 feeding in trees on a neighborhood in Queens. They showed up there every fall, then disappeared each spring. Juveniles would turn up every year with the rest of the flock, proving they were breeding, but no one knows exactly where they were breeding. I haven’t been able to find any online reference to this population since 2011, but I am not sure if this is because they no longer exist or because no one has been documenting them.

Red-masked Parakeet - Psittacara erythrogenys
Red-masked Parakeets are present in Florida and California. The first record of this species from California is from 1983, although it is likely that they were there before that and were confused with the very similar (and much more common) Mitred Parakeet. They occur in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego areas.

In Florida, they are found in the Miami area, with the first record eBird record being from 1985.

This species will hybridize with Mitred anywhere they both occur.

Lilac-crowned Parrot - Amazona finschi
Lilac-crowned Parrots are present in Florida, California, and Texas. In California, they were first documented in 1976 and occur in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. Unlike other introduced parrots, this species is actually spreading into more rural areas, including both lowland and mountainous regions.

In Florida, this species is present in small numbers in Miami, with the first eBird record being from 1983.

In Texas, Lilac-crowned Parrots are established in the Brownsville area. The first Texas eBird record of this species in Texas is from 1987.

This species will hybridize with the Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis) anywhere they both occur.

Black-throated Magpie-Jay - Calocitta colliei
The Black-throated Magpie-Jay is established in the San Diego area. It is a popular pet species in nearby Tijuana, Mexico, and the population is likely descended from escapees from there. It was first documented here around 2000.

Orange-cheeked Waxbill - Estrilda melpoda
The Orange-cheeked Waxbill is established in the Los Angeles area. It is quite a common pet species in the area and the population likely came from escaped pets. The first eBird record of this species from the LA area is from 1982.

Pin-tailed Whydah - Vidua macroura
The Pin-tailed Whydah is a well-established introduced species in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. The earliest eBird record of this species from the southern California is from 1996. The species is a brood parasite, and it parasitises the nests of estrelids. Interesting, although some of its native hosts- most notably the Orange-cheeked Waxbill and the Northern Red Bishop (Euplectes franciscanus) - have been introduced to southern California, the only species it uses as a host in North America is the Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata), a species introduced from Asia. This proves that it can change hosts to a species they wouldn’t encounter in the wild in their native range. There are worries it may move on to native species.

This species is occasionally sighted in and around Houston, Texas and there may have a population there, but more research is needed.

Great Tit - Parus major
This species is established in the vicinity of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. They originate from a series of illegal bird releases outside Chicago in 2004. The species initially moved north to Milwaukee, where they were found until around 2010, when the entire population moved north to Sheboygan. Despite the amount of invasive European plants in the area they seem to prefer native forest and dune habitats.

European Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis
The North American population of this species originates from the same release of the Great Tit. Unlike the Great Tit, however, this species originally stayed in the Chicago area, but quickly moved out into more rural areas. It is now found throughout much of northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. They are not believed to be a threat to native species as they seem to feed almost exclusively on invasive European plants.

Red Junglefowl - Gallus gallus
Populations of the domestic form of the Red Junglefowl (AKA Domestic Chicken or G. g. domesticus) exist in Florida, California, and Texas. A population of the Burmese subspecies (G. g. spadiceus) exists in Georgia.

In California, a small population of Feral Chickens exists in Lincoln. I could find no other information on this population other than a couple of anecdotal reports of lots of chickens being there from a few birders.

In Texas, Sam Houston State University and the surrounding areas are also home to a population of Feral Chickens. I could find no history on this population other than that it is relatively large currently.

In Florida, populations of Feral Chickens exist in the Tampa area (the first eBird report being from 1979), the Miami area (earliest eBird report from 2007), and the Keys, being most common on Key West (first eBird report from 1993).

The Georgia population of wild-type junglefowl (known locally as Burmese Chickens) exist in the town of Fitzgerald. They were introduced by the state in the 1960s in a failed attempt to introduce the species as a game bird. Thousands exist in the town (more than 10 for every resident).

Blue-and-yellow Macaw - Ara ararauna
A population of this species may be found in Miami, where they have existed since the 1980s. They were increasing in numbers until quite recently, however they are now under intense stress from “legal poaching”. The effects of this species on the local ecosystem are not currently understood, so whether this a good thing or not is entirely unclear.

Common Hill Myna - Gracula religiosa
A small population is present in Miami, they were first recorded nesting there in 1973. Formerly common but is now seen only in small numbers.

Red-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus cafer
Red-vented Bulbuls have existed in Houston since the 1950s. They are now common in many areas. They probably originated from released pets in the Woodland Heights area, although some biologists believe they may have been ship assisted.

Graylag Goose and Swan Goose - Anser anser and Anser cygnoides
These two species (as well as hybrids between the two) make up the common domestic geese of farms, zoos, and private collections. Escapees are incredibly frequent across the continental ABA-area, and it’s very difficult to tell where they are established and where they are simply frequent escapes. As far as I can tell there is population of A. anser in the Los Angeles area (it’s hard to tell if A. cygnoides is involved there or not) and population in Houston made up of A. cygnoides and hybrids.

Yellow-headed Parrot - Amazona oratrix
This species has populations in California and Texas. In California, where it was first documented in 1973, it is found in the LA and San Diego areas.

In Texas, it is found throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The earliest eBird report from the region is from 1960. It is possible that this population actually includes some wild vagrants, similar to the local populations of Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis) and Green Parakeet (Psittacara holochlorus).

Red-lored Parrot - Amazona autumnalis
The Red-lored Parrot has feral populations in the Los Angeles area and the Rio Grande Valley. In the LA area it was first seen breeding in 1997. The population is relatively small and it is usually found in mixed flocks with other amazons.

The earliest Texas eBird record is from 1985.

Blue-crowned Parakeet - Thectocercus acuticaudatus
This species has introduced populations in California and Florida. In California, the species is uncommon and local in San Diego, with the first eBird report being from 2007. A population formerly in the LA area appears to be gone.

The species is much more common in Florida, where it exists in the Miami, Tampa, and Melbourne areas. The first Miami area eBird report is from 1985. The first Tampa eBird report is from 1993. The first Melbourne area eBird report is from 1998. Single birds are occasionally seen elsewhere throughout the state, whether these involve escapees or wandering birds from the established populations is unclear.

White-fronted Parrot - Amazona albifrons
The White-fronted Parrot has been established in the Rio Grande Valley since at least 1982.

Orange-winged Parrot - Amazona amazonica
This species is established in the Miami area. The first eBird is from 1978.

White-eyed Parakeet - Psittacara leucophthalmus
Established in the Miami area. First eBird report is from 1987.

Chestnut-fronted Macaw - Ara severus
This species is established in the Miami area. The first eBird report is from 1978. It has declined in recent years but is still present relatively large numbers in certain areas.

“Japanese White-Eye” - Zosterops species
A species of white-eye in the recently-split Japanese White-Eye complex is established in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas as well as Santa Catalina Island. The species present is currently identified as Swinhoe’s White-Eye (Zosterops simplex), although this is tentative. Despite being introduced only as recently as 2009 they are currently one of the most common bird species in southern California. Based on the effect the introduction of the Warbling White-Eye (Zosterops japonicus) in Hawaii it is worried they may become quite a detrimental invasive species.

This is the only species on this that is not eligible of the ABA Checklist as it has not yet been present for 15 years.

You will note that many of these profiles lack much information. That's because birders don't seem to pay attention to these birds - so many seem to be in the mindset that if they aren't countable they should care. I suspect many are not added to eBird checklists, which makes finding info hard. I know for a fact that many of these species get marked as "not wild" on iNat.

You will also note that all of these bird (except the white-eye, as noted above) are eligible for the ABA Checklist. So why aren't they countable? I have no idea. Part of the reason I wrote this is to raise awareness for these birds.

I appreciate any information you might have on any of these birds, or even some populations of these species or others I may have missed in my research. I also recommend you go out searching for some of these birds, including uploading them to iNat and making sure to add them to your eBird checklists.

I plan to publish more posts on similar subjects in the future (like maybe looking into Hawaiian introductions) so stay tuned!

Hi everyone! Welcome to the 2020 Brandeis Bioliteracy Project! This project will document any and all observations of wildlife found on and around the Brandeis campus during the spring semester. This is Isaiah, the curator of the project and a TA for Conservation Biology. As the semester starts up, many of you will be using iNaturalist for the first time. As such, you may have some initial difficulty with identifying the species that you document. Do not worry! It will take time and practice to recognize the plants, animals and/or fungi that you see. While iNaturalist has a built in identification feature, it is not always accurate. At times, it can be completely off, suggesting plant species when you photographed a bird. As such, do not rely on it entirely and take its suggestions with a grain of salt. Below is a short guide of tools and resources that you can use to help you identify the species in the observations that you make.

First and foremost, a great resource to consult is last year's project. The 2019 Brandeis Bioliteracy Project is a complete list of all observations made last spring. If you go to the species tab, you can see a breakdown of the most commonly found species. Using search, you can break it down into categories like birds, plants, mammals, etc. With lots of high quality observation photos, this is a great place to look if you are unsure of a species' identification.

For plant identification, Go Botany is a really helpful website. They have a breakdown guide where you can enter some basic characteristics and it will give you a list of potential candidates. By answering more questions in the sidebar, you can narrow it down further.

For identifying birds, the Mass Audubon Society has some great resources on the common bird species of Massachusetts. The site also breaks it down by fall/winter and spring/summer birds. In general, they also have some great resources on other forms of wildlife like mammals, reptiles & amphibians, insects & arachnids, and more.

Cornell's Lab of Ornithology also has some great birding resources. They created an app called Merlin that is available on Android and iOS that is a fantastic resource for bird identification. You can enter some basic characteristics and location of sighting and it will give you some suggestions with great accuracy. Their website also has some high quality photos you can browse if you have some idea of what you are looking at.

For insect identification, Brandeis' own Even Dankowicz (@edanko) has created an amazing comprehensive guide. It covers a lot of different groups and families, but his section on flies (Diptera) is the most detailed.

The library also has some great naturalist guides that can be checked out. I am a big fan of Roger Peterson's field guides, but there are a lot that all focus on different groups of species (trees, birds, butterflies, etc.). They have full color illustrations and detailed notes on descriptions as well as similarities and differences from other species.

Finally, if you have any questions on iNaturalist, the project, an identification, or just want to say hi, you can reach out to me at ifreedman@brandeis.edu. I would be happy to talk or answer any questions that you have. I look forward to seeing all of your observations over the course of the semester!

https://ib.komisc.ru/ojs/index.php/vestnik/article/view/94