What observations are useful? and What should I record when i go out?
The City Nature Challenge is a competition and one of the statistics is the number of observations. This will result in many observations of dandelions, pussy willows, pigeons, seagulls, starlings, garden plants and pets. There may also be many observations of the same bumblebee from a number of people on a nature walk. Is this type of data useful?
The objective of our local CNC-HRM is to promote iNaturalist as a tool and the more people that we reach the better. 'iNatting' may not stick with all but a few may latch on and incorporate iNat into their daily lives. Our hope is that if we tell 10 people that they will then tell 10 more people and so on. The objective is to reach as many people as possible. We need your help to spread the word.
Once people are aware of iNat then they need to test various means of sharing their observations. Over time the quality of the observations should improve as the new iNatters learn what to look for and what to include in the photographs to facilitate identification.
Initially the first few observations may be of plants/animals easily observed – these could be the pet cat or pretty flowers in the garden. Although these are not the focus of iNat these observations are still relevant as the presence of the cat may affect the local bird and rodent population, and without the flowers maybe there would be fewer insects, birds, etc. The important bit is to remember to flag these observations as ‘not wild’.
The first few observations may also be of poor quality (out of focus, too far away, missing features required for identification, etc). In these cases, identifiers may add a tag to indicate that this observation can only be coarsely identified and will never be identified down to species level. Don't be insulted - take this as a challenge to improve and share better photos next time! There is a learning curve.
To better answer the question 'What should i photograph' we took a look at a few other CNC web pages ... In Boston they set up a number of ‘Data Quests’ which they defined as follows: 'Data quests are an opportunity to link your species observations to specific science and conservation needs. By collecting data on data quest species, you'll be helping researchers and managers better understand where key species exist from our city centers out to our rural regions. Each quest has been chosen to answer relevant questions or as a key indicator of an important habitat. What’s more, by joining a data quest, you'll increase your knowledge and observational skills about nature across our region.' (https://www.zoonewengland.org/protect/here-in-new-england/boston-area-city-nature-challenge/)
Below we have compile a few CNC-HRM data quests:
Help build a species list for various trail associations and watershed groups and the Cole Harbour Farm. How many areas can you visit and add observations?
Help complete a plant survey for Point Pleasant Park.
Look for ash trees and note if evidence of ash borers.
Listen for frogs/salamanders and share sound clips
Keep an eye out for invasive species
Explore our beaches
• look for shells – take numerous photos and indicate if the animal was alive/dead or empty shell. Note if the shell was found on the beach or in tidal pools, etc.
• Help look for different kinds of seaweed and record if alive or found cast up on the shore. Take numerous photos (Learn a few new terms: what is the frond? What is the holdfast?)
• Share observations of jellyfish - Help with arrival and geographic distribution and abundance of various species
Reach out to others and encourage them to share observations of weird, unusual, rare species found along our coastal areas.
Look for sparrows and other migrating birds along our coasts.
While exploring the Lawrencetown/Chezzetcook area stop in at Hope for Wildlife and take photos of captive animals – make sure to tag as captive. Also look around the area and look for butterflies, bees, wild flowers, trees, etc explore the local beach.
Watch for wildlife https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/watch-for-wildlife-wildlife-vehicle-collision-tracking
Take photos showing association between two species and then post two observations. Examples include lichen on tree; bee on a flower; tick on a dog; etc. Add a comment in the description box to tie the two observations together. Advanced: add an observation field for AssociatedTaxa.
Calgary also has a long list of city wide challenges http://citynatureyyc.ca/citywide-challenges/
We are competing against 160 cities around the world – check out their web sites and see if they have quests that interest you.
OR
Create/share your own quest...
Can you improve your ability to recognize trees – over the 4 day period try to identify a number of different kinds of trees based on bark and assign the best name that you can. Do not assign a name other than ‘plant’ if you are unsure.
Look for provincial species
o Nova Scotia: Our provincial bird is the Osprey, our flower the Mayflower and our tree the Red Spruce.
o Nova Scotia adopted the trailing arbutus or mayflower (Epigaea repens L) as its official flower in 1901, when an Act of the provincial legislature stated that it “is hereby declared to be and from time immemorial to have been the emblem of Nova Scotia.”
o Nova Scotia adopted the red spruce (Picea rubens) as its official tree by an Act of the House of Assembly in 1988. The tree is able to survive in virtually any terrain and condition and was chosen to represent the strength and resilience of Nova Scotians.
o Nova Scotia adopted the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) as its official bird by an Act of the House of Assembly in 1994. This bird of prey is larger than a hawk and smaller than an eagle. Its main source of food is fish, and it can often be seen flying over oceans, rivers and lakes
Look for other symbolic species
Can you share observations of kingfishers? These birds are a symbol to Halifax (a symbol of industry)
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