IN THIS ISSUE
- I see, I conserve
- Catch the dawn chorus
- Report lantern flies, tegus
- Allatoona ospreys in action
 Photograph and upload wildlife you see, like this red-banded hairstreak on a daisy (Mark Scott/GNPA)
By ANNA YELLIN
Do you have a cell phone? If the answer is yes, you’re on your way to becoming a volunteer for DNR’s community science iNaturalist project.
Don’t worry, this isn’t time-consuming. You can take part while hiking in a state park, watering plants at home or even searching for your car in a mall parking lot.
Picture this: While walking my dog in the neighborhood last year, I spotted a caterpillar munching on a leaf hanging from an oak branch. I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo. My dog was happy for the extra time to sniff the grass. I was happy to have another photo to add to iNaturalist.
It wasn’t a rare caterpillar. But I didn’t even need to know what it was. I only had to take a quick photo and upload it to iNaturalist. The app, the community of scientists who curate it and DNR would do the rest.
Documenting common and uncommon wildlife helps with conservation. The popularity of iNaturalist and the ease of recording observations have made the app a valuable tool for many conservation organizations.
DNR’s Wildlife Conservation Section uses iNaturalist to learn about common invertebrates as well as the distribution and seasonality of state-tracked species. Since the Georgia Tracked Species project began last year, more than 200 people have joined and about 2,100 species occurrences have been added or updated.
These observations reflect much more information than our staff could have gathered in the field during that time, even if we worked only on this project.
To all who contributed observations, thanks for helping conserve Georgia’s wildlife!
To those who haven’t joined our iNaturalist community, what are you waiting for?
 A cluster of pink lady's slippers, a state-tracked species, in north Georgia (Alan Cressler)
HOW TO TAKE PART
- Log into your iNaturalist account or create one.
- Using a computer (the following is not available on the app), go to the top-of-the-page dropdown labeled Community and search for or select Georgia Tracked Species, Georgia Invertebrates or Georgia Small Mammals.
- Join the project. In Your Membership, answer the question “Trust this project with hidden coordinates?” with “Yes, for any of my observations.” This allows biologists to access the data, whether reported by computer or phone.
- Do this for all three DNR projects: Georgia Tracked Species | Georgia Invertebrates | Georgia Small Mammals
Anna Yellin is a wildlife biologist with the DNR Wildlife Conservation Section.
 Carolina wrens are regular contributors to the dawn chorus in Georgia. (Ty Ivey/GNPA)
By TERRY W. JOHNSON
Whenever we talk about what makes spring so glorious, the discussion usually turns to the season’s well-known virtues. The kaleidoscope of flower colors and scents. The varied shades of green foliage. The pleasant weather.
Unfortunately, rarely is the dawn chorus mentioned. Yet this event, performed by some of the bird world's most accomplished vocalists, is Mother Nature's most extravagant musical production.
It’s happening near you. To catch it, you just have to rise early. Very early. …
Read Terry’s column for more on this amazing audio event and what spurs it.
Terry W. Johnson is a retired DNR program manager and executive director of TERN, friends group of the Wildlife Conservation Section. Check out past columns and his blog. Permission is required to reprint a column.
 Comprehensive nesting surveys of Georgia beaches reveal loggerheads slowly rebounding (DNR)
Any day now Georgia’s first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the season will be found on a barrier island beach. “It’s like clockwork,” DNR Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Mark Dodd said. “We always get our first nest during the first week of May.” That nest will likely be the first of many. Population modeling shows loggerhead nesting tracking a three-year pattern, and this is an up year. The state’s modern-day record of 4,071 nests was set in 2022.
A second Georgia case of chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in Berrien County. Because this deer was taken about 400 yards from where the state’s first case was documented, the DNR CWD Management Area (which covers all of Berrien and Lanier counties) did not change. CWD is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose that has been found in 36 states and five Canadian provinces.
 Smiles and swagger: the Brunswick team Eagle Eyes during the Youth Birding Competition (DNR)
Almost half of the teams in this spring’s Youth Birding Competition were taking part for the first time, more evidence that the annual Georgia birdathon is getting kids outdoors and interested in birds. The Amazing Anhingas from Glynn County led the competition’s high school division and overall competition, seeing or hearing 121 species in a 24-hour search that ranged from the coast to Forsyth.
Make that 11 North Atlantic right calves for the 2024-2025 calving season, with the latest calf documented last month in Cape Cod Bay. The mom, catalog No. 2460 and nicknamed Monarch, was not seen this winter in the Southeast, the only known calving grounds for these imperiled whales.
 Spot one or more spotted lantern flies? Click to report. (Adobe Stock)
Your help is needed in combating spotted lanternfly, the invasive, sooty mold-spreading pest first found in the state in Fulton County last fall. If you spot one: Photograph it, kill it and report it. Tip: One preferred host for this insect is tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), also an invasive species.
Argentine black and white tegus are another invader to watch for, especially in Toombs and Tattnall counties, home to Georgia’s only known wild population of the big lizards that pose threats for native wildlife. Just last month, a police officer reported seeing an adult tegu on U.S. 280 near Lyons, but the tegu escaped by hiding in a culvert and then scrambling into the woods.
 Waylon Bowden's first-place entry among third and fourth graders in the Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest
Quick hits:
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Check out the winning art in this year’s Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest, held by DNR and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
- Pearson’s Wesley Daniels was fishing for catfish in the Suwannee River April 15 when he hooked a whopper of a stumpknocker, a 12-ounce spotted sunfish that tied the state record.
- DNR’s Dr. Bob Sargent saw at least two chicks in a nest of common ravens at Tallulah Gorge State Park last month, confirming the state-rare birds returned to nest at the north Georgia park. See next month’s Georgia Wild for news of even more raven results.
- When hiking or camping where bears abound, be BearWise: Double-bag your food, pack out all food and trash, and don’t burn food scraps or trash.
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In this post, the Center for Conservation Biology explores findings from its work with DNR to document habitat that marsh sparrows favor in winter.
- Because taking young wildlife from the wild often does more harm than good, DNR's advice is to leave the animal alone for 24 hours: If it’s still there, contact our offices for guidance.
- The Georgia Prescribed Fire Council North Georgia meeting, set for June 12 at Chattahoochee Technical College in Jasper, will cover topics varying from fire effects on forest health to meeting air quality standards.
 Family, friends and officials celebrate the Joe Tanner Discovery Center. (Natalie Andes/DNR)
Names in the news: A recent ribbon-cutting introduced Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center’s new building for education programs as the Joe Tanner Discovery Center. Tanner, who died in November, served as DNR commissioner from 1972-1984 and from 1990-1995. Current Commissioner Walter Rabon said the agency is “proud to celebrate the legacy of Joe Tanner and honor his memory by teaching students, families and more about our incredible environment and how to be good stewards.” The center near Mansfield is expected to open for camps and other programs this summer. Tasha Messer received the Mentor Award at DNR’s Youth Birding Competition last month. The DeKalb County naturalist spent almost 200 hours helping two teams prepare: the Birding Crew, which won the primary division, and American Eagles, which tied for third in the elementary division.
 DeKalb's Tasha Messer receives the Youth Birding Mentor Award from DNR's Bob Sargent (Max Nootbaar/DNR)
WHAT YOU MISSED ...
In the previous Georgia Wild:
- Looking for twinleaf
- Operation Oystercatcher
- Living with (or near) snakes
- The amazing appeal of mealies
 "Sandpipers' Last Supper," Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
"All about Tegus," DNR
"Birding with Bostic," Georgia Public Broadcasting
"Invasive Plants Dirty Dozen: Japanese Climbing Fern," Georgia Forestry Commission
(+video) "What to do if you see a snake in Georgia," with DNR's Daniel Sollenberger on Good Day Atlanta, WAGA-TV (ch. 5, Atlanta)
"Georgia's State Wildlife Action Plan: saving species for the future," Georgia Great Places
"Bird outing in Oconee County finds unexpected treat," Athens Banner-Herald
(+video) "Second case of ‘zombie deer disease’ confirmed in state," WSB-TV (ch. 2, Atlanta) and others
"Argentine tegus creeping their way into Georgia, Florida," USA Today
"DNR birdathon: ‘great year’ for youth and birds," The Covington News
"Prescribed burns offset wildfires," The Augusta Chronicle
"Wayward pair of female right whales took 2,000-mile journey around Fla.," USA Today. Related: "Mixed outlook for calving season" (CapeCod.com).
"Columbus doctor fined $900,000 in largest bird mount trafficking case," (Columbus) Ledger-Enquirer
"When it comes to alligator bites, blame humans," The Wildlife Society (study in Human-Wildlife Interactions)
"What to do if you spot wildlife away from the nest," The Augusta Chronicle
"Winners announced in wildlife poster contest," WNEG-FM (93.1, Toccoa)
"Study: North America faces sprawling 'pollinator crisis,'" USA Today (study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
"Banded bald eagle makes epic journey," New York Almanack
"Losing wildlife to benches, ballparks? Research shows how smart designs can avoid it," University of Florida (study in Urban Forestry & Urban Greening)
 Ospreys sprucing up a nest at Lake Allatoona caught the eye and lens of photographer Ron Goldfarb in March. Goldfarb captured an osprey picking up and flying away with a long stick. He likened the swoop-and-snatch to how ospreys catch fish. When the bird grabbed the stick, its nictitating membrane – a protective, goggle-like eyelid – appeared, “perhaps because the stick got a little too close to the eye,” Goldfarb wrote. The photos were taken with a 600mm lens from a boat far from the nest. Goldfarb’s work has graced Georgia Wild before, including this fish crow harassing an osprey and a young osprey perching on a snag.
CREDIT
Masthead: osprey in flight (Ron Goldfarb)
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