April 30 Nature Neighbor - birds of prey!
Our nature neighbors today are birds of prey! Urban birds of prey in the Bay Area include red-tailed hawk and red-shouldered hawk that feed mainly on small mammals, and Cooper’s hawk that feeds mainly on birds.
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@merav, @debkccb, thank you so much for starting this bioblitz for these stay-at-home times. It has opened a whole new world for me. I'm not used to focusing on the natural plants and animals around my yard and in my neighborhood. It has been a real eye-opener to realize how many species we can find close to home, and it's been educational to see everything that other iNatters in the Bay Area find in and around their homes. Also, it has helped me appreciate how lucky I am to live within a few minutes walking distance from the Baylands. What a rich natural environment it is!
Thank you, Anne! I'm really glad you were able to join us, and BioBlitz with us again. I also enjoyed seeing what my friends are finding around their home, their hikes and walks, and how people are still finding so much nature in this highly urbanized area. I was also surprised at what I was able to find around my own home: not only did I find insects I haven't seen here before, but I enjoyed paying attention to weeds and birds. I was amazed by the diversity of the different weeds, and how pretty some of them are. And I've been looking at the birds around my home more than ever - and I even learned how to identify some of their songs! @gyrrlfalcon - I think you'll be proud! Just like you said, it's much easier when it's a small area with a definite number of species, and I keep hear the same birds over and over.
Now that we're a month old - what should we do next? Should we keep the project going? Should we replace the daily challenge with something else? Maybe a weekly challenge of some sort? Would anyone be interested in that? Do you have other ideas for things you'd like to do here?
@truthseqr @debkccb @gyrrlfalcon @leslie_flint @alecc @chyroptera @chyroptera @dpom @edwardrooks @ericalsf @fossa1211 @mkmcd @sirenalao @woollybear @carlosd73 @anapamu @forestgirlannie
One thing I have been thinking of is how, both now and when all this is back to normal, we can best share some of the best neighborhood "micro-sites" we've found. I've got half-a-dozen spots near my home (within a three-mile radius, I'd say), and already had some of them elevated to eBird "hotspot" status because of their habitat and potential. I am thinking that I will lead little mini-field trips, and encourage our field trip coordinator with Sequoia to find others who would be willing to share what they have found. I think there is no reason to waste this knowledge! @caseygirard
So maybe we could have "One Mile Radius Distributed BioBlitzes" once/week, or once/month? Instead of a daily challenge?
I like that idea! Unfortunately, I don't have any open space within walking distance, but I did visit a couple of diversity hot-spots in my neighborhood, that I would like to go back to. Maybe we can organize a SIP BioBlitz that each of us would do in a different place? We can even start/ end/ both with a zoom meeting, and talk about our plans/ what we found? help each other with ID?
Having a pre- and post-Zoom meeting is an interesting idea! I like it!
I've enjoyed this and like Jennifer, I have added 4 (closely related) eBird hotspots - one being on the now famous Gilead campus. My weekly big day walk is 4 miles round trip within my flat San Mateo/Foster City neighborhood with 31 species of birds pretty regularly seen so far (today I added a jack rabbit that I think may be taking advantage of SIP to wander). I think we can expand to 2 mile radius which might give me, at least, more diversity, although all my shorebirds and ducks have departed. I like the Zoom meeting idea. It would be fun to see the ranges of all of us participants.
@gyrrlfalcon I think that is a great idea!
I like the "mini bioblitzes" and the zoom meetings before and/or after! It would be fun to share with others. I haven't walked far enough to get to any of the tiny local parks in my neighborhood yet and most of my neighbors' vegetation is sparse, but around my complex by moth-lighting, taking a basin/tray and shaking shrubs & trees, and turning over stones/cardboard etc, and going out at different times of day/evening, I have enjoyed finding more and more nature treasures; most of the time I find something new! Now that Leslie posted about her longer walks, I just found a tiny park on google maps that is within a mile of my place that I had no idea it was there! Can't wait to check it out!
I like the daily challenges to create a focus, but usually the organisms don't cooperate the same day or I don't see the challenge that day; so maybe a weekly challenge is better?
Also, I agree with Merav's first comment--such a diversity of weeds to explore, and some really pretty or interesting non-native species to observe! And anything observed regularly close to home then is familiar when traveling to more distant parks and areas. I keep finding new little corners and niches to explore each time I go out.
Thanks everyone for your comments. Seems like we're going to organize some online BioBlitzes!
For now, keep exploring - even if it's just around the block!
by the way - I thought it would be cool to share favorite observations/ interesting stories from time to time. Does anyone have a suggestion for a way to do it? I think only a moderator can create a journal post, so I could either create one for this purpose, and people could add comments, or if you've got some other idea?
Weekly challenge would be great. Thanks @merav for putting this together and helping KCCB to make if a fun activity for all.
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