bird – Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area. George Genereux Urban Regional Park.

End of Day 3 CNCYXE2022

It is the end of May 1, the third day of the Saskatoon City Nature Challenge April 29 to May 2. Thanks to everyone who has added observations on iNaturalist! Come out on Monday May 2, and make a difference!

It was an interesting day to follow through on the Insect Workshop. So, when you take a peek into pond water of marshes like the Chappell Marsh at Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, there are bugs in the water swimming around! Here is a Pond Life video of the Caddisfly larva which was found! And following up on the Fungi including Lichen Workshop, 60 different observations have taken place for Lichen and shelf fungi are being noted at this time of the year.

Stay tuned for the follow up identification party virtual zoom workshops so you can discuss your finds during the City Nature Challenge with specialists!

And, now just a bit of a word about our Saskatoon and Area Species at Risk which were found so far…By randomly taking pictures across Saskatoon and area, it is fantastic what was discovered!

Goldenrod Gall Fly
Eurosta solidaginis

Togwoteeus biceps

Green Ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica

American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Blackbottle
Protophormia terraenovae

Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura

Louisiana Broomrape
Aphyllon ludovicianum

Prairie Violet
Viola pedatifida

Early Blue Violet
Viola palmata

So, now is the time to get involved

Observe April 29-May 2

Countdown has begun!

How many birds, bugs, feathers, lichen, plants, animals, etc can you find?

Are you coming?

Three easy steps

Find it

Snap it

Share it

Enjoy the outdoors whilst supporting vital conservation research by making observations April 29 to May

http://friendsareas.ca/

https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com/

friendsafforestation@gmail.com

City Nature Challenge CNCYXE Saskatoon area versus YQRCNC Regina and area in a mini SK challenge

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Please help protect / enhance your afforestation areas, please contact the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. (e-mail / e-transfers )Support the afforestation areas with your donation or membership ($20.00/year). Please donate by paypal or by using e-transfers Please and thank you! Your donation and membership is greatly appreciated. Members e-mail your contact information to be kept up to date!

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

#CityNatureChallenge #iNaturalistCanada #Biodiversity Founded by @NHMLA and @CalAcademy Community Science hosted by #friendsdareas #NatureCanada #CityNatureChallenge #BioBlitz #CitSciMonth #CommunityScience #CitizenScience #UrbanNature #UrbanBiodiversity #NatureInTheCity #NatureIsEverywhere #NatureForEveryone #NatureNerd #cnc #outdoors #nature #conservation #photography #biodiversity #citizenscience #inaturalist #wildlife #plantlife #wanderlust #naturelovers #optoutside #instagood #picoftheday #volunteer #training #parks #optingoutside #CNCYXE #CNCYXE2022 #FriendsAreas #FriendsAfforestation #citizenscience #communityscience #EcologicalEmergency #naturelovers @sasktel #inaturalist #saskatchewanbirds #yxebirds #getoutdoors #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #citynaturechallenge2022 #yxe #thegreatoutdoors #citynaturechallenge2022 #citynaturechallenge #Canadacitynaturechallenge #citizenscience #Volunteering #nativeprairie #grasslands #wildlife #bees #pollinators #prairiepollinators #ExploreSask #NatureSask #wildlifewatcher #prairielife #sasklife #nativeprairie #speciesatrisk #conservation #KeepSaskWild #socialdistance #citizenscience #wildlifephotography #beesknees #LeavetheLeaves #NoMowMay #nature4all #FriendsAreas #FriendsAfforestation @FriendsAreas #saskatoon #saskatooning

Day 3 of the City Nature Challenge Begins

A great Sunday, and a day that also promises great weather.

So it appears that we could be on the search for White-breasted Nuthatches, grouse and partridges, which would be keen for Sunday!

Sorry about the beavers post yesterday. They seem to be still under ice on any small creeks so that won’t work.

There have been other “birds of prey” sighted such as Cooper’s Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon and Sharp-Shinned Hawk which is pretty amazing!

Mosses are making a feature, as are those bracket or shelf fungi on the sides of trees. Sometimes these polypores on the trees are also called conks, and are an exciting find. Remember to peek at the rocks and trees you pass by for bright orange or green lichen!

Haven’t tried scooping any wetlands water yet! Has anyone ventured carefully close to the edge of a marsh to see if there is any larva or insects in the water?

Has anyone tried putting up a white sheet at night with a UV light to see if there are any moths attracted to the light? There are moths already this early in the spring!

There are some interesting insects out there if you smoosh around the leaves, or lift up a rock or small log. This might need a partner as the insects scurry away to get into cover again!

Well anyways, have a great Sunday, enjoy nature, and remember, International Dawn Chorus Day is the first Sunday of May! And it is sweet that iNaturalist loves to have the songs of songbirds recorded as a new feature! Take care out there. There is today and tomorrow yet to record nature for the City Nature Challenge. There is a bioblitz at Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area today at 2:00 pm with Little John’s installed nearby in the parking lot for your convenience and will remain until end of working day tomorrow. Tomorrow there is a bioblitz out at the new and improved George Genereux Urban Regional Park at 7:00 pm, come out of curiosity!

Breaking News!

Snap

Share for Nature

FriendsAreas.ca

City Nature Challenge 2022

CNC YXE 2022 DNU – City Nature Challenge https://bit.ly/381g29B

BioSmart Saskatoon City nature Challenge CNCYXE https://bit.ly/3vUs3Ga

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

End of Day 2 Results.

So, the City Nature Challenge has come halfway, day 2 of 4 days.

What a ride it has been! Let’s recap again about some highlights.

So when you want to check out how Saskatoon and area is faring there are two counters. One is on iNaturalist here. The other scoreboard is here, as the Saskatoon City Nature Challenge signed up to BioSmart.

What is the difference? Well BioSmart shows the addition of both iNaturalist and eBird observations! In two days this is how Saskatoon and area has fared on BioSmart;

598
Observations

419
Identifications

217
Species

38
People

So that is pretty sweet! Hats off to everyone.

The ever beautiful Crocus Pulsatilla nuttalliana has been recorded today as an observation!

There has been an observation of a “Puccinia monoica (Rust Fungus) that infects prairie plants in early spring, usually species of Rock Cress (Boechera/Arabis)” (the description given by Glen Lee)

There are no more white rabbit sightings, only brown White-tailed Jackrabbits *whew*.

Some very beautiful Wintergreens are making a carpet of green which is ever wonderful to see.

If you have never seen a wondrous Spring Avens, well they are in bud now, so that is pretty cool!

But besides saying what is recorded, we should mention what is NOT recorded. There are NO pelican sightings recorded yet! And yet we know they arrived April 21! NO beaver nor muskrat sightings. So now the race is on, to see who can get the first pelican, beaver and muskrat sighting! Can you do it? Check on eBird Saskatoon for end of April usual bird sightings, and then it will be discovered what there may be to look for still 😉

Out of all the potential birds of prey around and about Saskatoon which may be sighted such as hawks, owls, vultures, only two have been registered to date = a Turkey Vulture, and a Merlin.

You know what is a rather unique and interesting happenstance of the City Nature Challenge? iNat user svetlana-bogdanovich out of Ukraine has made the most observations! So in the middle of war-torn Ukraine, svetlana has made 505 observations in 2 days! That is pretty incredible.

User eduardoramirez-anapri from Madrid Spain has made 444 observations in the first 2 days.

American Pelican Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area, Saskatoon, SK, CA — Pelican Preening

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

Beginnings of the CNCYXE2022 Second Day!

What a chorus! What a symphony! Meadowlarks and Robins. What a spring!

Blackbirds and Ducks. Geese and Crows. Pigeons and Magpies.

Song Sparrows, Bluejays and Dark-eyed Juncos.

And these were only the birds.

On this Saturday spring day, what will you see for the City Nature Challenge?

City Nature Challenge

Take part outside in nature

With the free inaturalist app

Find it

Snap it

Share it

What will you discover?

April 29 – May 2

City Nature Challenge

More information

Friendsareas.ca

YouTube Video

Canada City Nature Challenge with all the cities across Canada

World Wide City Nature Challenge with all global cities participating.

Help show the world what Saskatoon’s biodiversity looks like – and sounds like—grab your smartphone, the free @inaturalistorg app, & join this year’s #CityNatureChallenge from April 29–May 2! Great for all ages; find details at FriendsAreas.ca #CNCYXE

Baby American Robin (Turdus migratorius) — American Robin., Turdus migratorius

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

Nearing the end of the first day of the CNCYXE2022!

Nearing the end of day one of the City Nature Challenge. Quite a few waterfowl are back, and a lovely array of dark-eyed junco are seen. Some amazing pictures making the scene, two turkey vultures soaring overhead, and a cute playful North American River Otter peeking out of the water giving a smile! A mourning cloak butterfly loved the warm weather today. So these are just some tidbits of what has been seen during the Saskatoon City Nature Challenge! And the rabbits cannot make up their mind. A white rabbit was seen and a brown rabbit, so will we get more snow or not. Usually the color of the rabbits confirm spring once they are brown. The songs of the songbirds is quite amazing and what a treat for International Dawn Chorus Day which is the first Sunday of May! Our hint for the CNCYXE2022, remember to record the songs of the songbirds! Take photos of seeds and pine cones on the ground. Remember the trees are starting to flower. Bugs are just waiting to peek out if you move some of the leaves on the ground. The CNCYXE is very important this year. Citizen Scientists can document if the Avian flu is affecting our bird population. What will you see?

City Nature Challenge

Take part outside in nature

With the inaturalist app

Find it

Snap it

Share it

What will you discover?

April 29 – May 2

City Nature Challenge

More information

Friendsareas.ca

YouTube Video

Canada City Nature Challenge with all the cities across Canada

World Wide City Nature Challenge with all global cities participating.

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

Songs of the Songbirds!

International Dawn Chorus Day is the first Sunday of May! What an amazing day to listen for our Black-capped Chickadees, Robins, and Meadowlarks, with the Red-winged Blackbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds bringing in the harmony.

The day honours the birthdate of Chris Baines is an English naturalist, one of the UK’s leading independent environmentalists. He is a horticulturalist, landscape architect, naturalist, television presenter and author.

This year the first Sunday of May is May 1, when the City Nature Challenge is taking place! This year besides being Saskatoon’s first year for the City Nature Challenge, it is_ we believe_ to be the first year to record sounds on iNaturalist. Let us see how many song birds can be recorded for International Dawn Chorus Day! What great fun that will be! We will make an announcement at the end of the City Nature Challenge about how many people placed sound recordings during their time outside in nature.

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

A Greater Miracle

What nature and biodiversity is around you today? As science teaches about various plants, and animals, wildlife and nature, awareness increases that Elephants exist in Africa, Kangaroos in Australia, Koala Bears in China. What insects thrive in Saskatoon? What songbirds remain in Saskatoon? Are there any animals that can be seen in Saskatoon? How many did you come up with?

Join the #CityNatureChallenge from April 29–May 2! Document Saskatoon’s nature in the free @iNaturalist app by taking photos of wild plants and animals—and help contribute to the world’s largest citizen science event. More at FriendsAreas.ca

Celebrate National Volunteer Week which has a theme ‘Volunteering is Empathy in Action.’

Check out these upcoming events

CITY NATURE CHALLENGE Connect with Nature

Fri, Apr 29, 7:00 PM

George Genereux Urban Regional Park • Saskatoon, SK

CITY NATURE CHALLENGE Connecting to Nature. Calling all Nature Lovers

Sat, Apr 30, 2:00 PM

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area •

CITY NATURE CHALLENGE Nature Lover Observation Party

Sun, May 1, 2:00 PM

Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area •

CITY NATURE CHALLENGE George Genereux Nature Canvass

Mon, May 2, 7:00 PM

George Genereux Urban Regional Park • Saskatoon, SK

City Nature Challenge ID Party – Insects! Help for insect IDs/questions

Tue, May 3, 2022 7:00 PM CST

City Nature Challenge ID Party FOCUS ON PLANTS!

Wed, May 4, 2022 7:00 PM CST

City Nature Challenge I.D. Party Fungi and LIchen

Thu, May 5, 2022 7:00 PM CST

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

Three Days Away

Send in your cool/unusual/rare sightings! What is way interesting during the City Nature Challenge April 29- May 2? That is only three days away! Wow

For rare sightings during the City Nature Challenge CNCYXE don’t place your iNat observation on private but do protect your rare sightings with obscured! And do let us know, so that the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County can run a press release!

In Saskatoon and area we are taking part in #CNC2022! Join us between April 29 – May 2 as we take part in this International initiative to collect information about the wildlife flourishing in Saskatoon and area.

Researchers, school groups, citizens and wildlife enthusiasts across the world will be taking part in this race against the clock to put nature on the map, submitting photos and observations of wildlife in their neighbourhoods and greenspaces through the free, easy to use iNaturalist smart phone app.

New finds! Species that haven’t been recorded in particular areas before. Important finds of rare/endangered/threatened species. Observations that have a great story that go along with them. Really cool photos. Fun finds!

Send your photos of yourself, your friends or your family taking images in nature with iNaturalist! friendsafforestation@gmail.com

Taking a photo of mushrooms (fungi) with iNat on a smart phone

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday! We have some cool events planned coming up!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

Celebrate the Dark Sky

International Dark Sky Week (IDSW) 2022! April 22 to April 30 – what will you do? Download iNaturalist on your phone, and take pictures of the night life?

What could you find?

Bats, night herons, owls.

When butterflies go to sleep, moths wake up.

Crickets, and grasshoppers are also noctural.

Frogs, rabbits, beavers, skunks are night time creatures.

Go for an explore, and share your observations for the City Nature Challenge taking place April 29 to May 2! The City of Saskatoon and Area CNCYXE,

Find it. Snap it. Share it.

“...if it feels like a true magic might be possible; it is truly a Blue Moon experience....” ― Isabella Koldras, Blue Moon Magic. — City Nature Challenge Dark Sky

January 31, 2018 features a Blue Moon, as it is the second Full Moon of the month, the first having been January 1, 2018. — City Nature Challenge Dark Sky

“Love is where attentiveness to nature starts, and responsibility towards one’s home landscape is where it leads.” – John Elder (1998)

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

Connecting to Nature. Calling all Nature Lovers

Would you like to meet up at Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area on Sat, 30 April 2022 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM CST, at the South West Off Leash Recreation Area parking lot? We will explore one of the neighbouring forests using the iNaturalist app while out this afternoon.

“The City Nature Challenge is an annual, global, community science competition to document urban biodiversity. The challenge is a bioblitz that engages residents and visitors to find and document plants, animals, and other organisms living in urban areas. The goals are to engage the public in the collection of biodiversity data, with three awards each year for the cities that makes the most observations, find the most species, and engage the most people.

Participants primarily use the iNaturalist app and website to document their observations, though some areas use other platforms, such as eBird in Saskatoon. The observation period is followed by several days of identification and the final announcement of winners. Participants need not know how to identify the species; help is provided through iNaturalist’s automated species identification feature as well as the community of users on iNaturalist, including professional scientists and expert naturalists.” [source]

Celebrate 50 years! Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional park were planted to trees in 1972, 50 years ago. Come out and say Happy Birthday!

YouTube

Donations can be made through Paypal, Canada Helps, Contact Donate A Car Canada, SARCAN Drop & Go 106100594 for the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.

United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

Use the UN Decade’s Visual Identity
Make it your own
Spread the word about the UN Decade
Let’s Bring Back Forests
Let’s Green Our Cities

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