Biodiversity Stewardship: Virginia’s Machicomoco State Park

Image Source: AllAboutBirds.org   Great Blue Heron The great blue heron (Ardea herodias ) is a common, nonetheless impressive, sight along the shoreline of Machicomoco State Park. The following is the taxonomic and classification breakdown of the species from subspecies to kingdom. Subspecies      Ardea herodias herodias. The dominant subspecies of North America      Ardea herodias fannini. Found along the coast of the Pacific Northwest from Alaska to Washington      Ardea herodias wardi. Found in Kansas and Oklahoma to northern Florida      Ardea herodias occidentalis. Once considered a separate species - the great white heron - this subspecies is found in south Florida and the Caribbean islands      Ardea herodias cognata. Found in the Galapagos islands. Genus Ardea. Latin for “heron,” this genus is considered the genus of herons - long legged birds with spear-like bills. Within this genus, the birds are typically large (80-100 cm in length, and associated with wetlands - feedi

 

  Audubon's  Bird ID - worth flocking toward. Audubon’s Bird ID is simply great fun. You can learn a lot about birds around the world just by exploring the app’s features. It is essentially an interactive Audubon guide. However, it has functions that go well beyond what a traditional field guide could offer - such as bird songs. When you open the app, it gives you two choices - either identify a bird or search the guide. With the identifying, the user answers a number of questions about their observation to narrow down the species. These questions are straightforward and provide an interesting insight to bird behavior such as how the species flies (soaring, hovering, undulating, etc.). The user can answer as few or as many questions as they like to narrow the choices. This option is a good choice for those in the field able to make observations with or without binoculars.  Great Blue Herons ( Ardeidae Ardea herodias ) are a common site at Machicomoco State Park.  (Image Source: Aud

  Which is right for you iNaturalist of LeafSnap ? I used iNaturalist for plant identification. Its design has both positive and negative aspects. If you are seeking immediate answers, iNaturalist is probably not going to be your first choice. In order to get an identification of a plant species, I had to load the picture to the iNaturalist community and wait for a reply. About 48 hours ago, I uploaded two species and have gotten an identification for one of them. On the positive side, iNaturalist is much more than a species identifier. It has features that allow you to explore the natural area around you, review a variety of naturalist guides, and allows you to search for citizen science projects in which you could potentially participate. iNaturalist has an ecology-meets-social-media vibe and could be a valuable asset for those seeking such connections. Given the robustness of its features, iNaturalist is worth exploring. LeafSnap was able to identify this image as Chinese privet (I

 

  Exploring the Web Soil Survey. Despite working in the environmental field for some time, my experience with soil science is limited. As such, the information available within the survey can be a bit overwhelming. A scan of the soil types confirms the dominance of sandy loams and loamy sands - not surprising for this portion of the Virginia coastal plain. The available descriptions within each map unit name is helpful, though the significance of the information is a bit lost on the novice user.  As I reviewed the soil data explorer, I found it necessary to remind myself that these metrics are based on the soil type rather than actual measurements of that particular area of interest. For example, the forest productivity is based on unmanaged timber within that soil type, not a direct measurement of the forest in that area. Still, in terms of long term management of an area, these metrics provide an interesting understanding of the potential of the area in terms of the capacity of the s