MVFN - Lanark County Biodiversity's Journal

November 23, 2022

New custom feature to search & explore

Hi,
I recently discovered that iNaturalist has introduced a new search feature that I find very useful. The feature is great for quickly exploring any area of the iNaturalist database on the fly. The new search feature allows you to draw an area (rectangle or circle) on the map, and iNaturalist will return all observations for that area.

Here are three ways to get to the feature depending on where you start.
Explore: Just hit the Map button and you are there (try the orange rectangle or circle search buttons).
Your Observations: Select the Map view and you are ready to go.
Projects: Click on Observations, then the Map view, followed by the Search button.

Follow this link for more details.
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/new-rectangle-and-circle-drawing-tools-for-web-explore-page/36684

Enjoy exploring your favourite spots with the new custom-area feature!
.. Denis

Posted on November 23, 2022 02:48 AM by denisag2 denisag2 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 5, 2022

Beginning to hum, buzz and whir

Finally, it is starting to warm up enough that lots of things that have been quiet are beginning to appear. I have taken down the suet feeder, and I am slowly decreasing the seed availability in my seed feeder (I don't feed during the summer), but the hummingbird feeder went up on May Day, and the first hummingbird arrived yesterday (4 May). I had my first Cabbage White Butterfly today (we get used to them, but the first ones are still a change) and a brilliant green Six-spotted Tiger Beetle showed up on my sand patch.

If you happen to have a pot of pansies or violas or something else outside, now that most nights (cross your fingers) are likely to be frost-free, you may notice them alive with bees if, like at my place, even the dandelions aren't out yet. The violets in the lawn are just getting going, and the black raspberries are leafed out, and flowers will come soon. And if you happen to have willows around (I don't), the bees will find those as well. The queens of several bumble bees are getting out and about, and they tend to be easier to photograph.

So, sit by those potted plants and snap some photos. With bees and other things, unlike birds, you may have to wait awhile before someone can confirm an identification, but iNaturalist will suggest something, and it is amazingly accurate much of the time.

Posted on May 5, 2022 07:40 PM by rlongair rlongair | 1 comment | Leave a comment

April 27, 2022

Recent iNaturalist workshops

Hi,
I can tell that spring is here - lots of activity on the MVFN Lanark County Biodiversity project. That's great!

We recently had two Zoom workshops related to iNaturalist. Here are links to the presentation material for your information/review.

Workshop 2, April 26, Posting your observations.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o_qa1IYZorbRi2FwtPuPIYXWMLcA9h2Q/view?usp=sharing

Workshop #1, April 12, Exploring nature/biodiversity.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vWJg8oH1mDjVnA937t5cnxhSOE8gMrxi/view?usp=sharing

Denis Gallant (for the MVFN iNat Project admin team)
(denisag2)

Posted on April 27, 2022 10:29 PM by denisag2 denisag2 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 4, 2022

Look up and look down

There are Mourning Cloaks in the woods! And in sunny spots all over the place, chasing each other in spirals higher and higher until they drop back down to roost on logs and leaves, waiting for the next rival, or potential mate, to fly by. These butterflies, and a number of related species, spend the winter as adults tucked in crevices in logs or rocks, so they are among the first to appear when things begin to warm up. We'll have to wait a bit to see those species that overwinter as pupae or larvae.

If you, like me, appreciate "the little things that run the world" as much (or, in my case, perhaps a little more) than the familiar furry, feathery things, some of which are active year round, this is a great time of year. Keep your eyes open for that shadow flying overhead - it might be a butterfly, and not a chickadee.

And don't forget to look down, as you wander through the woods, even if there's still snow. We are all keeping our eyes open for those pools that might hold a salamander or two, but during the day, you can also watch for the less noticeable - like fairy shrimp, for example! They are just beginning to appear, barely noticeable unless you are looking carefully. You can usually find them in ephemeral pools in the woods that will disappear in a few weeks, at most, and that don't last long enough to harbour things that will eat the fairy shrimp.

If you happen to carry a small, light-coloured container with you while you are walking, you can scoop up a bit of the water above the dead leaves or sticks. If you're lucky, you may see these crustaceans that swim on their backs, paddling with a whole array of legs. In the next week or two, they'll grow to a size that is much easier to see. If you don't find them in one pool, check a couple more. Not all are suitable, though it's not clear why.

And then, you can post your photographs here!

Rob Longair

Posted on April 4, 2022 06:31 PM by rlongair rlongair | 3 comments | Leave a comment

March 28, 2022

Calling frogs in Lanark County

I've compiled a list of the frog species for our county, with some information on their breeding and calling. I have sorted them roughly by their order of calling starting in early spring with Wood Frogs and ending with American Bullfrogs in July.

WOOD FROG
Found in wooded areas throughout the county. Breeds in temporary woodland ponds and ditches. Often the first frog to call in the spring as soon as the snow as melted and sometimes when there is still some ice on their breeding ponds. The call is a duck-like “quack”, repeated rapidly several times. Calling starts in early April and only lasts for a couple of weeks.

BOREAL CHORUS FROG
Distributed very locally down the eastern side of the county. Breeds in roadside ditches and temporary ponds in fields. This is one of the first frogs to be heard in the spring. Calling is heard in early April (exceptionally late March). The call is very loud (for the size of the frog) and sounds like drawing a thumb nail over the teeth of a comb.

SPRING PEEPER
Found in wooded areas over much of the county. Breeds in temporary ponds in or near woods. Calling can start in early April but the main chorus is in late April or early May. Some calling can be heard into late June or early July. The call is a shrill, “peep-peep-peep”. At our location near Almonte, we hear some calling in the woods in September and October, as well, although the calls we hear then sound a bit different from the breeding calls.

AMERICAN TOAD
Common throughout the county. Breed in a wide variety of shallow water habitats, often temporary pools. Calling is heard from late April to June with the peak in May during heavy warm rains. The call is a long steady trill.

NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG
Abundant throughout the county. Breeds in marshes and shallow lake margins. Calling may begin in April, slightly later than Wood Frog. Peak chorus is in May. The call is a long groaning snore, usually followed by several low grunts.

PICKEREL FROG
There are no records in iNaturalist of Pickerel Frog from Lanark County or even from the City of Ottawa. The closest iNaturalist records are from Gatineau Park and the Frontenac Axis south and west from Westport. There are also a few records from eastern Algonquin Prov. Park. The Westport location is close enough that it is definitely worth looking for this species in Lanark County, especially on the Shield. It breeds along lake margins and possibly in stream backwaters and ponds. Calls in May. The call is a low-pitched snore, rather similar to Leopard Frog but the examples online that I have heard seem to lack the following grunts. Habitats are much like those of Leopard Frog. It would be great to add Pickerel Frog to the county list. Murphy’s Point Prov. Park might be a good place to look… and listen… for it.

GREY TREEFROG
Fairly common in wooded areas of the county. Records from the far west of the county seem very limited for some reason. Breeds in temporary ponds with flooded bushes. Calling starts in late May and continues into early June. The call is a short, loud, resonant trill, “brrrr”. Some calls are heard in trees, often high above the ground, away from breeding sites throughout the summer. I suspect that this is territorial calling from feeding or roosting sites but I can’t base this on science.

GREEN FROG
Common throughout the county. Breeds in permanent ponds and shallow heavily vegetated areas of lakes and rivers. Calls in May and June, occasional calling males into July. The call is a banjo-like “chung”.

MINK FROG
Locally distributed in the north and west of the county, but I suspect it is often overlooked. Not found in agricultural areas. Breeds in quiet, lilypad-choked streams, bogs and lakes. Calls in late May and June. The call sounds like someone knocking on a desk top, “cut-cut”.

AMERICAN BULLFROG
There are records from across the county, but much more locally distributed than the Green Frog due to its need for large, permanent water bodies. Breeds in large permanent ponds, lakes and river margins with little or no current in June and July. The call is the well-known loud, booming, “jug-o-rum”.

Most of the information on breeding and calls is from:
Cook, F.R. 1968. The toads, treefrogs and frogs of the Ottawa District. Trail and Landscape. 2(2): 50-56.

Posted on March 28, 2022 04:32 PM by ken_j_allison ken_j_allison | 1 comment | Leave a comment

February 7, 2022

Winter Finches

For most of the winter of 2021/2022 irruptive winter finches have been hard to find. But they are showing up now, so it's a great time to get out and look for them or watch your feeders. We're getting up to 60 American Goldfinches and small groups of Purple Finches daily at present. This morning we also had a Pine Siskin and at least one Common Redpoll. As well as coming to the feeders, they're feeding on the ground in the woods a lot, possibly picking up dropped Eastern Hemlock seeds or American Hop-hornbeam fruits.

Posted on February 7, 2022 02:56 PM by ken_j_allison ken_j_allison | 2 comments | Leave a comment

January 17, 2022

2021 MVFN Lanark County Project Summary

Hi All,
Here’s a link to a short 2021 summary report for the MVFN Lanark County Biodiversity project.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-DdXcLuZxSjaWPZetrBPFO2ASr7MPAXO/view?usp=sharing

If you have any problem accessing the report, you can email me at denisag2@yahoo.com.

It has been great to see all the postings to the biodiversity record of Lanark County by members of this project in 2021. Thanks to all for your contribution!

  • There was an overall observations increase of 149% from 2021 to 2020.
  • The total species count increased by 41% from 2021 to 2020.

Happy nature sighting and posting in 2022!
.. Denis Gallant (denisag2)
denisag2@yahoo.com

Posted on January 17, 2022 04:17 PM by denisag2 denisag2 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

December 8, 2021

Winter has arrived, but nature (some) is still here!

Hi,
It's not officially winter yet, but we all know it's here! I've changed the project banner to reflect the season (Kates Lake, Lanark Highlands).

The MVFN iNaturalist project has now observed and posted a total of 2,753 species across Lanark County. Way to go! That's now halfway to all species recorded in Lanark County on iNaturalist. In terms of observations, MVFN has made 17,232 posting to iNaturalist – which is 20% of all Lanark County observations to date.

Happy Holidays, and have fun over the winter months observing nature and posting to iNaturalist!
.. Denis (denisag2)

PS If any of you are keen to contribute to the Project Journal over the winter, don't hesitate to get in touch with me via iNaturalist or email (denisag2@yahoo.com).

Posted on December 8, 2021 02:32 PM by denisag2 denisag2 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

May 23, 2021

It’s almost full summer in the forest!

Hi,
The trilliums are going pink, the ferns are out, the broad-leaf trees have all leafed out, and the mosquitoes are here – so I think the early spring ephemerals are done for this year. It’s time to look for early summer flowers, turtles, and the birds of late spring & summer (e.g. warblers, etc.)!

If you have not noticed, the MVFN Lanark County Biodiversity project hit a milestone a few weeks ago -- 10,000 observations! Lanark County has a total of 65,000 observations on iNaturalist, so our MVFN project has contributed 17% to the biodiversity record of Lanark County.

Congratulations to all observers, keep posting, and have a great summer!

Regards,
.. Denis (denisag2)

Posted on May 23, 2021 07:55 PM by denisag2 denisag2 | 2 comments | Leave a comment

April 20, 2021

FYI, iNaturalist webinar (CWF)

WHEN: Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. ET
WHERE: Zoom meeting online
LEARN MORE: CWF WILD Webinars

Please join us online on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. ET for a one-hour webinar about how iNaturalist has become one of the world’s most popular nature apps and the Canadian Wildlife Federation has led the charge in bringing it to Canada. But the strength behind iNaturalist is thanks to a wonderful community of people contributing observations and identifications.

Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N_p7LtgRTrCl_XUZH4_06A

.. Denis (denisag2)

Posted on April 20, 2021 12:34 PM by denisag2 denisag2 | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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