Mitchell Hayes

YHS Student Graduating in '23, focusing on Environmental/Wildlife Studies.

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

Not much else to comment on this week besides finishing up document notes in places of annotated bibs, so in the meantime enjoy this video that shows a cat's curiosity can lead to unlikely companionships.
@YHSMrsMero #WISE2023 #WildlifeBiology

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

@YHSMrsMero #WISE2023 #WildlifeBiology

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

Haven't posted about these in a while, so just as a quick update: algae has become very apparent in multiple of my ecospheres, most likely due to the increasing temp and sunlight they have received. One has also grown orange strains of fungus which I've yet to identify.

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(3) ...the remaining organic matter in each Ecosphere to pave the pathway of possibly newly reformed biomes.
#WISE2023 @YHSMrsMero #WildlifeBiology

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(1) As an update on the Ecospheres (which won't have images currently due to Google Drive being beyond difficult) it seems some life is dying out and being replaced or overtaken. The one from Sparkle Lake has become much less lively and the microbes have been taken over by...

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(2) ...some sort of orange fungal growth on the bottom. The ecosphere from Tarrytown still appears to have a few faithful snails slithering around the top rim. However, the other 4 ecospheres appear to be dormant in terms of animalistic life. It is up to...

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(3) #WISE2023 @YHSMrsMero #WildlifeBiology

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(2) Snails who are terrestrial actually find baths in water relatively soothing. When snails are cold and dry they'll generally hide in their shell out of discomfort and protection from their environment, however water baths can actually bode them out and even make them social!

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(1) Since I've noticed a few more snails arise in both my Ecosphere from Sparkle Lake and from Tarrytown I'd like to share with you all a fun fact about them in general: snails may actually like to bathe! If this video wasn't enough proof, there's a scientific reason at play

[Buitengebieden @buitengebieden]

Snail enjoying a shower.. 😊

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(Had me*, not mehad, still wish there was some way to edit tweets, let me know if there is!)

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(1) Did I originally say 3 Ecospheres? Okay, I may have gone a tad overboard and collected two more! For the pictured three, from left to right, the first was collected from Croton, the middle from Sparkle Lake, and the rightmost from Tarrytown.

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(2) For the pictured two, the one on the left is from the Hudson and the one on the right is from FDR park. I've seen things that have both pleasantly surprised me and mehad questioning what's in some of our waters as I've observed them over the past few days.

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

#WISE2023 #WildlifeBiology @YHSMrsMero

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

IT'S ALIVE! Here's one of the things that had me less surprised and more taken aback at first sight. I believe these are nematodes, from the family Enchytraeidae. They've also been nicknamed "Boogie Worms" due to their tendency to... yeah.

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

The jar with the nematodes is from Tarrytown, however the jar panned to later in the video is from Sparkle Lake, which is even more abundant with life! It has microbial looking guys bouncing around all over the place along with a small snail who I couldn't catch in frame.

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

(3) For example, I honestly didn't expect anything to be swimming around in the Hudson water that would be bigger than a microbe in such a small enclosure, and yet I was surprised one night when a singular shrimp was speeding around!
#WISE2023 #WildlifeBiology @YHSMrsMero

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

@LemusWise @YHSMrsMero Congrats on the performance! I wasn't able to attend myself, but from the people I've asked I've only heard that the concert was nothing other than incredible.

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

I plan to create 3 separate Ecospheres which will allow me to observe and research self-sufficient ecosystems in the comfort of my home! I'll post some updates on here as they progress over time. Excited to see what arises! #WISE2023 @YHSMrsMero #WildlifeBiology

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

Finding an opportunity to observe animals in the wild with consistent enough conditions has proved too difficult to pull off in WISE. However, that's where my new project direction comes in: the Ecosphere. Pictured here is an example of an aquatic based Ecosphere.

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

Prey* instead of pray, if only you could edit tweets :( (or maybe I just can't find the option to)

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

...that animal being the Great Horned Owl! These illustrious birds are a bit more feisty than your typical owl. They sport feathers that branch off of the top of their head that sort of resemble horns, and some people even mistake them as their ears, but don't be fooled!

[Mitchell Hayes @MitchellHWise]

Their ears actually reside on the sides of their face. They're rather hidden beneath all their feathers, however they are oval shaped and rather large when compared to the owl's head. They can also raise them to amplify sound, allowing them to hear pray that may be farther away.