October marks a bittersweet time in the annual cycle for the Research & Community Science crew. Summer is over, and along with it, go the warm temperatures, lush vegetation, and abundant wildlife. Many animals are starting to head south for the winter or are making their way toward hibernation areas. Additionally, we have come to the end of our 3-year Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) research and restoration grant from the EPA that helped create the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum. On the bright side, it's now the time to process the variety of data we have collected over the past three field seasons and start looking for trends or changes!
With the help of 166 volunteers (thank you, volunteers!!), we conducted over 160 wildlife surveys and tracked almost 130 species in the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum this field season alone! Check out the graphic to the right for summary data of our bat, bird, frog & toad, invertebrate, small mammal, snake and turtle monitoring projects.
We are still processing moth and other invertebrate species, so species numbers will likely jump dramatically in a few months. Stay tuned for more information. You may be interested to know which species we encountered this season in the new Arboretum. Check out the species listed below.
Bird Banding American Goldfinch American Robin Black-capped Chickadee Blackpoll Warbler Brown Creeper Common Grackle Downy Woodpecker Eastern Phoebe Gray Catbird Gray-cheeked Thrush Hermit Thrush Magnolia Warbler Northern Waterthrush Ovenbird Palm Warbler Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Red-winged Blackbird Ruby-crowned Kinglet Slate-colored Junco Song Sparrow Swainson’s Thrush Swamp Sparrow Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Bird WalksClick on link to view a list on eBird.org
Bats Big Brown Bat Little Brown Bat Eastern Red Bat Hoary Bat
Frogs & Toads American Bullfrog American Toad
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Turtles Painted Turtle Northern Map Turtle Snapping Turtle Spiny Softshell Red-eared Slider (unconfirmed; possible escaped pet)
Dragonflies and Damselflies American Rubyspot Ebony Jewelwing Blue-Fronted Dancer Eastern Forktail Powdered Dancer Northern Spreadwing Common Green Darner Autumn Meadowhawk Common Whitetail Eastern Pondhawk Halloween Pennant Twelve-Spotted Skimmer White-Faced Meadowhawk Widow Skimmer
Snakes Butler’s Gartersnake Common Gartersnake Northern Brown Snake
Mammals White-footed Mouse Meadow Vole Eastern Chipmunk
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The Research & Community Science Team is still conducting bird walks and bird banding (at all three branches), but bat, frog, invertebrate (dragonflies and moths), mammal, snake, and turtle monitoring projects are over for the season. Make sure to sign up for the Weekly R&R for more information on fall and winter research opportunities. If you are interested in data, please contact Anne Reis, GIS Specialist, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get involved in indoor volunteer opportunities. We will appreciate help in processing the data for the 2012-2013 Research and Community Science Annual Review. In the meantime, check out last year’s Annual Review on our website.