Diario del proyecto Erie MetroParks

Spring is well and truly underway, and that is evident by the many thousands of birds that are passing through our region, as well as the influx of insects and blooming flowers! Many of our observations this month also came from our @eriemetroparks account, using on-site camera trap data, including the AHDriFT system that we have on loan from the Ohio Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (OHPARC). You can learn more about the Erie MetroParks AHDriFT Project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/erie-metroparks-ahdrift-project

There were no new members to our iNaturalist Project this month, but that has not prevented people from submitting records! If you know of anyone that may be interested, please direct them to our page!
 
The project increased from 7887 to 8414 observations (+527), 1756 to 1794 species (+38), while the number of observers increased from 172 to 178 (+6).
 
Our number of Research Grade observations increased from 5135 to 5452 (+317). This equates to a Research Grade percentage of 64.80% (down slightly from 65.11%).
 
In total, there were 530 observations added to the project within May 2023. The observations include 227 insects, 128 mammals, 64 birds, 43 plants, 21 reptiles, 21 arachnids, 5 mollusks, 5 amphibians, and 3 fungi.
 
Of these, there were 228 species recorded. Groundhog was the species observed the most (26 occasions), followed by Eastern chipmunk (24), domestic cat (22), and common garter snake (17).
 
The observations came from 22 observers. The top 5 observers were @mikehensley75 (237), @eriemetroparks (165), @martyndrabik (70), @jenniferc3 (11), and @yinglingfam (8).
 
The top observations of the month include:
Common garter snake - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/158774150
Viceroy - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/161680433
Polyphemus moth - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/161775828
American carrion beetle - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/159916933
Dekay’s brownsnake - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/161981584

Thank you to everyone for contributing to the project.
 
~ Martyn