Good Afternoon Fitzwilliam!
Are you ready for our BioBlitz round-up? It’s hard to believe that it is somehow still raining just as hard as it was the day of, but I hope you are all managing to stay safe and have somewhere dry to be. Even though our BioBlitz was a touch on the soggy side, wow, was it ever a treat for us to get the chance to wander around some of your beautiful town properties! We got to see so many interesting and unique things, including a hillside meadow that’s trying to be a wetland, a rail trail full of birds and turtle nests, a dragonfly filled berm along Rockwood Pond, and a night filled with moths at the Town Hall. We even managed to log a fish, thanks to a very patient fisherman. While the weather did have some impact on what we saw, the morning started off dry and those of you on the bird walk, led by Jeff Littleton, recorded 35 species of birds (including a personal favorite, the American bittern). Not only that, you all spotted pickerel frogs, tree frogs, and a water snake!
In the afternoon the weather finally caught up with us but, while the ground might have been soaked, our spirits weren’t dampened at all, and we headed out to meet some local flora. The way this summer has gone, I think our plants should get bonus points for staying put no matter the weather, unlike our fauna, but I’m a little biased. Over the course of the weekend, and mainly focusing on the rail trail by Rockwood pond, and the meadow at the ski hill you all managed to log 93 separate species of plants! While every plant is wonderful in its own way, and all are important, I know it was an extra treat for me to discover that Fitzwilliam is delightfully full of rose pogonias! Not only that, but the ski hill also has a magnificent view from the top and a great standing snag that looks ready-made for a passing hawk or two. Honestly, it looks like an amazing place for a picnic and some low-impact observation.
Later Saturday night, once everyone had a chance to dry out a little, you all wrapped up the day with an awesome moth viewing event, put on by Steven Lamonde, during which time you logged 57 different moth species which brought the number of insect species up to a grand total of 104 for the weekend. All in all, over the course of the BioBlitz, with only 7 to 10 observers in total, we managed to log 412 total sightings, with 254 separate species. Of these species, 104 were insects, 93 were plants, 36 were birds,* 4 were amphibians, 3 were reptiles, and 1 was a fish.
Now, you'll notice we didn't spot any mammals during the weekend, which isn't entirely surprising given the weather. But fear not! This gives us something to keep in mind for the next Fitzwilliam BioBlitz, scheduled for August 12th and 13th. In the meantime, don't forget that this Fitzwilliam Biodiversity Project on iNaturalist is ongoing. It's an excellent place for you to stay engaged with and keep exploring!
As always, stay safe, be aware of your surroundings, respect people's property, and snap pictures of everything you encounter. Remember, there's no such thing as a "boring species" when it comes to biodiversity.
Happy adventuring, Fitzwilliam! We’re looking forward to seeing you again in August.
Jaime M. for Moosewood Ecological
*Bird species were logged separately this weekend, so they will mostly not appear on iNaturalist. However, the species recorded are as follows: ovenbird, mourning dove, brown creeper, tufted titmouse, black and white warbler, pine warbler, chestnut-sided warbler, common yellowthroat, chickadee, veery, gray catbird, red-eyed vireo, swamp sparrow, goldfinch, song sparrow, pileated woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, American crow, blue jay, great-crested flycatcher, northern waterthrush, red-winged blackbird, indigo bunting, alder flycatcher, Canada warbler, purple finch, crossbill species, cardinal, cedar waxwing, hermit thrush, eastern phoebe, tree swallow, American bittern, red-tailed hawk, wild turkey.
