OK BioDiversity Bulletin

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Oklahoma BioDiversity Bulletin
February 2022

Winter BioBlitz! OK 2022 is Complete!

Our first winter inventory was a success! We had several firsts during this winter week of BioBlitz! OK. Our first event with snow on the ground! Our first BioBlitz! that terrestrial invertebrates didn't blow away the competition. In fact, BioBlitzers saw more birds than inverts - 112 species! We also had the first BioBlitz! records of several winter resident birds - such as the Common Loon, Dark-eyed Junco, and Lapland Longspur.

You veteran BioBlitzers know the inventory numbers can continue to change as records get verified by experts, but our numbers as of Tuesday Feb 8 are:

222 BioBlitzers made
2394 iNaturalist observations and submitted
98 eBird checklists to record
513 species!

Check out all the iNaturalist and eBird stats!

Local artist, Lauren Rosenfelt designed the beautiful illustration for our winter event. This logo with bobcat, junco, fish-on-a-pole grass, lichens, and post oak represents some of the iconic organisms seen in Oklahoma's winter. You can still request a free sticker!

Request a Sticker

Free Webinar!

Take a virtual tour of Oklahoma's natural diversity. From alligators in Gulf Coastal sloughs to pronghorn in the Panhandle, Priscilla Crawford will take you on a journey across Oklahoma highlighting the flora, fauna, and natural habitats. Join us on Feb 22 at 7:00 p.m.

Registration is required.

Dates for Spring and Summer BioBlitz! weeks are set!

While we still have a few more weeks of winter left, you can start dreaming about the warm weather, migratory birds, and spring wildflowers during our Spring BioBlitz! OK 2022 - April 22-29. We start on Earth Day and celebrate for 8 whole days!

You can also mark you calendar for our Summer BioBlitz! OK 2022 -June 17-24. Summer BioBlitz! overlaps with Pollinator Week. So plan for lots of pollinator activities, events, and special inventory challenges!

Want to Collect More Bird Data this Winter?

Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days people are invited to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to us. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.

Learn More and Sign Up

iNaturalist Highlights

Just a few of our Winter BioBlitz! OK 2022 observations!

Golden-eye Lichen Teloschistes chrysophthalmus by iNaturalist user yoshieslunchbox
Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta (in the snow!) by Bill Carrell
Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis (in the snow!) by iNaturalist user peeppeepnuthatch
Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis by Teresa Shaefer Randall