(Photos and article by Anita Fernandez)
From Sunday, June 22-Saturday, June 28, NH Audubon ran a statewide BioBlitz event on over 20 of our wildlife sanctuaries during the NH Audubon Nature Challenge. We received 47 checklists totaling 112 bird species through eBird and 2,785 observations totaling 746 species in iNaturalist. Over 65 individuals participated in the challenge, and data was collected on every included sanctuary.
Reflecting on my own experience during the challenge, I saw some new species, some personal favorites, and learned a few things about both the wildlife and the land they inhabit. I began the week in Antrim at the dePierrefeu-Willard Pond Wildlife Sanctuary (Willard Pond). I found several damselflies, a small American Toad, an Orb weaver spider that I only noticed because of its metallic colored abdomen, a Red Spotted Purple and a Common Buckeye Butterfly, and an attention-grabbing black and white Calligrapher beetle. Two days later it was up to the Gertrude Keith Hoyt & Edward Eaton Hoyt, Jr. Wildlife Sanctuary in East Madison to meet with sanctuary steward and guide Heather McKendry to find more species of dragonfly and damselfly, some bullhead near the wetland cove off the Heath View Trail, a Tiger Swallowtail that finally decided to land for only seconds, and a mating pair of caddisflies that perplexed us with two sets of wings until later reviewing the photos. Wednesday, I stayed “close to home” at our state headquarters in Concord, the McLane Center. Biologist Pam Hunt led us out to Turkey Pond to locate about a dozen species of dragonflies and damselflies, including the tiny Sedge Sprite and the Calico Pennant, which looks like it belongs on the castle grounds in Alice in Wonderland. My favorites at this location, though, were the pond plants: purple pitcher plant and the native orchid Rose Pogonia.
Thursday, I traveled out to the Seacoast, meeting up with Director of Communications Dyanna Smith at the Bellamy River Wildlife Sanctuary in Dover. The temperatures cooled from the mid-nineties to the high seventies, lending to a nice tour of the property. We were closely watched by a female deer as we walked the trail, and some highlights of that visit were a “Dog Vomit” slime mold and a Tiger Crane Fly, with beautiful iridescent wings and bold black patterning. Friday afternoon offered a return to the Monadnock region with Wildlife Biologist Diane DeLuca at the Deerfield Wildlife Sanctuary in Deerfield, where we found several other species of dragonfly and damselfly, along with Threeleaf Goldthread, Northern Starflower, and a large, curved beaver dam. I ended the challenge with visits to two sanctuaries on Saturday, June 28. Ecologist and volunteer Tracy Brunner led a group around the Massabesic Audubon property in Auburn, where we heard and observed Tree Swallows, Veery, Pine Warbler, and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird visiting the gardens. We also found evidence of a black bear. In the afternoon, I drove up to Hebron, walked along W. Shore Rd. and along the 2.1-mile trail of Bear Mountain sanctuary. The most exciting “find” of the trip was a North American porcupine, moving along the ground and seemingly disinterested by our presence, slowly turning and leaving us to the trail.
We hope that everyone who participated had an enjoyable, although some days very warm, time observing, collecting data, and spending time on NH Audubon’s sanctuaries. We are excited to collate and analyze our findings and plan for next year!