Bio-Blitzes

I wish every weekend there was a Bio-Blitz somewhere within reachable distance of where I am. I don't even think that's a pipe dream, actually. It could happen within a decade.

The thing about Bio-Blitzes - I've done exactly two as of now - is that, as a participant, one is constantly doing three-five things simultaneously. Here's my short list of what I do during a Bio-Blitz:

  1. Learning - I so enjoy lapping up information from the other experts with whom I am in the field, who know these other taxa of which I am just beginning to be aware. It is exhilarating, because it is so experiential and immediate.
  2. Teaching - I am helping those for whom birds are new, or for whom a habitat or climate zone is new.
  3. Photography - Every taxa presents its own challenges to a frightfully amateur photographer like me. Mushrooms: you've got to get both sides. Odes: perpendicular. Birds: full-size camera. Flowers: iPhone. Trees: bark, leaves, canopy, contour.
  4. Strategy for this Habitat - What are we looking for? What could be here? How do we find it? What should we be sure to "not miss" in our section/habitat of the park? What time of day is it, and what comes out then? I love thinking this way, systematically, even while the edge of my knowledge is moving out to meet my strategic thinking.
  5. Organizing - Thinking and reflecting on how this helps this park/area/habitat/neighborhood, and how it gets people involved. I love to spread my enthusiasm to others, and Bio-blitzes give the opportunity for everyone, from rank beginners to top professionals, to be enthusiastic and productive.

I am so impatient for more Bio-Blitzes, that I might just organize one, or two, or four, or eight myself!

Posted on October 23, 2013 04:46 AM by gyrrlfalcon gyrrlfalcon

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