August 30, 2020

Support Authors Supporting You

The wonderful community here on iNat is now home to a growing number of authors who have books published. They are spending their time helping identify your observations, so if you can, support them by purchasing their books and expand your knowledge from their hard work.

Here is a list of books that I'm aware. I either have purchased copies of these myself or have them on my wish list.

Praying Mantises of the United States and Canada by @mantodea
I recently purchased this book. I'm putting it to work with an abundance of recent mantids. Time will tell how good of a student I am because this is a great book.

Leafminers of North America by @ceiseman
This is going to be my birthday present from my understanding wife. Just a few more days to wait.

The Butterflies of San Diego County by @koji
Number One on my wish list. Will probably purchase this winter to be ready for next season.

I am sure that I am missing some other authors, so please add a comment telling me of those.

Posted on August 30, 2020 11:18 PM by finatic finatic | 0 comments | Leave a comment

January 30, 2018

City Nature Challenge 2018

This is the first year that San Diego will be participating in this growing event. Only 3 years old, now more than 50 cities from all around the world are taking part. Help show how species-rich San Diego is by observing and uploading as much as possible during this event, April 27-30, 2018.
http://citynaturechallenge.org/

San Diego Natural History Museum is the sponsor for San Diego and I believe they are working with the Natural History Club at San Diego State University.

Check out last year's results.
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2017/journal/9605-city-nature-challenge-2017-results

Your help is needed! If you can't be here in person, you can help by identifying what people find.

@jaykeller @milliebasden @biohexx1 @hikingsandiego @alex_bairstow @patsimpson2000 @sidesplotch @snakeinmypocket @ryanandrews @matthew_salkiewicz @efmer @microm @naturenate @sandiegomike @chiriria @jacoboh @stevennoyes @sacroosevelt @pileated @dmh0716 @jemhikes @sflax @johnmartin @ryanubrown @mhedin @treichard @chrispherp @serpophaga @amplex4love @upandadam @pdecino @leptonia @samfellows566 @richbreisch @dean_leavitt @justinscioli @rachelshoop @swbirder @alice_abela @brendan6 @michael_bear @rwaayers @jrebman @kestrel @rebeccafay

Posted on January 30, 2018 03:59 AM by finatic finatic | 12 comments | Leave a comment

November 20, 2017

Get your Bugging On - BioQuip Open House

For those of you really into insects I'm sure you've heard of BioQuip. Most will know it from online shopping. They are open during the week but on one day a year they are open on a Saturday for their holiday open house. This year that is December 9th.
https://www.bioquip.com/AboutUs/Events_Calendar.asp

They have a bit of food out and some drinks. They will have raffles and last year both @jaykeller and @silversea_starsong won something (or was that 2 years ago?).

So if you've ever wanted to see the place in person and meet other insect enthusiasts this is a great time to do.

@cedric_lee @glmory @psyllidhipster @alice_abela @dlbowls @ryanandrews @bbunny @biohexx1 @patsimpson2000

Posted on November 20, 2017 06:56 PM by finatic finatic | 12 comments | Leave a comment

June 16, 2017

Roadtrip Observations - Let Someone Else Drive

I'm fortunate in having a wife who enjoys extended road trips as much as I do. To make me even luckier, she enjoys doing the driving so that I can focus on my attention on the flora and fauna of the places we are passing through. During our recent trip through Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and California I started trying to photograph while we were on the move after noticing all the roadkill on the sides of the highway. This then morphed into shooting birds (mostly raptors) and some larger plants. This was difficult, especially up north where the posted speed limit is 80 MPH.

For years I've wanted to record a bird species in each and every county in the US. Now, with the advent of iNaturalist I want to have an observation with media in each of those counties. Yes, I'm an iNaturalist addict and proud of that fact! But, these observations do have scientific purpose especially in less visited areas of our country. It's a way to document what species you can while trying to get from Point A to Point B without time to stop.

Here is a map showing my progess on recording a bird in each county

Hopefully one day iNat will be able to create map like this for each person with their observations.

So, on your next trip I recommend letting someone else drive and have your camera ready. I suggest having a DSLR where you can set the shutter speed to at least 2000/sec but any camera where you can set it to take fast enough photos will work. Plan on taking lots of photos that are going to be immediately trash worthy, but hopefully you'll get a surprise, like I did with a Wolverine http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6676965. And, had I not been doing this, I wouldn't have gotten photos of a Common Raven eating a Deer Mouse http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/6676981.

So, take the challenge and give this a try. If nothing else, you'll pass the time trying to document species.

Posted on June 16, 2017 02:41 PM by finatic finatic | 52 observations | 6 comments | Leave a comment

March 14, 2017

Borrego Springs Invaded by iNaturalist

What is being called a "Super Bloom" in Borrego Springs brought a few people from the Bay Area down and I had the pleasure of please of spending a day with them. @kueda @damontighe and @sea-kangaroo are the three user names I remember that made the trip down and they joined myself, @matthew_salkiewicz and @biohexx1.

As usual, simply spending the day with and learning from the others was my highlight. We found flowers galore, some of which are rare (in San Diego County) and/or endangered. It is a banner year for Desert Lily and we had hundreds of them down on the desert floor. Another favorite of mine, the Ghost Flower, was in large numbers up one of the canyons that hiked.

Finding mushrooms in the desert is always interesting to me. Damon tried to teach those of us interested but I came home a bad student and entered in one incorrectly and was quickly corrected. I'll try to do better next time.

Thanks to each of everyone of you for a fun day. I look forward to spending more time with you out in the field somewhere soon.

Posted on March 14, 2017 06:01 PM by finatic finatic | 37 observations | 5 comments | Leave a comment

December 21, 2016

iNat-athon in Southeast Arizona August 20-26, 2017

Set the calendars as the dates that we will be having an unofficial iNaturalist gathering are now set, what I'm calling an iNat-athon Join us for some or all of the days!

I hope to keep this journal entry free from most comments and only have important information and the itinerary. Please continue to post comments to the original post at http://www.inaturalist.org/posts/7999-southeast-arizona-august-2017

We will begin Sunday, August 20th and end Saturday, August 26th in Tucson. I'll soon post links to a few of the hotels that are near each other and close to the airport so that everyone can choose which hotel they wish to use.

I've started another journal where you can post if you are looking to share a ride or room with someone else who is coming on the adventure. Please post away what you need and hopefully someone will reply. You can work out the exact details offline if you wish.
http://www.inaturalist.org/journal/finatic/8120-inat-athon-august-20-27-2017-ride-and-room-sharing

I'm very excited about this outing and getting to meet so many people who I've corresponded with on iNaturalist over the past few years.

Itinerary

This is a rough itinerary. Due to weather and wildfires the routes and exact locations may change. But these are the days that we plan on being in each of the mountain ranges. We will have at least one night of blacklighting in each range and which night will depend on the weather.

Saturday 8/19
Arrive in Tucson. We will try to meet in the evening and make a run to a store to stock up on water, snacks and other needs.
I recommend getting a hotel room near the airport so that everyone is on the same side of town.
I'll be staying at the Quality Inn & Suites Airport North
5251 S. Julian Drive, Tucson, AZ, 85706, US
https://goo.gl/Ni3bac

Sunday 8/20
For those interested, we will meet at Quality Inn & Suites Airport North
5251 S. Julian Drive, Tucson, AZ, 85706, US at 7am and then leave as a caravan.
Head to the Chiricahua Mountains, making stops along the way.
Hotels either in Portal, AZ or Wilcox, AZ
Multiple campgrounds in the Chiricahua Mountains
https://goo.gl/4XdSxx
I'll be staying at the Portal Peak Lodge
2358 S Rock House Rd, Portal, AZ 85632
http://portalpeaklodge.com/

Monday 8/21
Chiricahua Mountains

Tuesday 8/22
Head to the Huachuca Mountains stopping along the way when we see something that catches out eye.
We will be helping out on a bioblitz at Coronado National Monument that is being coordinated in part by @skyislandalliance.
Hotels in Sierra Vista
Multiple campgrounds in Carr Canyon
https://goo.gl/Enthi9
I'll be staying at QUALITY INN SIERRA VISTA
1631 South Highway 92, Sierra Vista, AZ, 85635, US
https://goo.gl/1cLpB6

Wednesday 8/23
Huachuca Mountains
We will being ending the day in Carr Canyon. The morning activities are still unplanned but may include visits to one or more of the hummingbird hotspots. We do not plan on going onto Fort Huachuca.

Thursday 8/24
Head to Madera Canyon. We'll make stops along the way, possibilities include Patagonia, Pena Lake
Hotels in Green Valley or Tucson (lower priced, further away)
Multiple campgrounds in Madera Canyon
https://goo.gl/otB3Kc
For the rest of the trip I'll be staying at the Comfort Suites Airport Tucson
6935 S. Tucson Blvd., Tucson, AZ, 85756, US
https://goo.gl/zBHhFS

Friday 8/25
Madera Canyon
We may visit one or more of the other nearby canyons for part of the day but will end the day with blacklights hung in Madera Canyon.

Saturday 8/26
Mt Lemmon
For those who can stay late, we'll spend the day and end it with blacklighting until too tired to go on.

Sunday 8/27
Head home.

What to bring

Cameras, Batteries and Memory cards
Any other way that want to record your observations for iNaturalist. There are lots of bats so bring along ultrasound recording equipment if you have it.

UV Light and way to charge it. I have one but the more we can have hanging the better with multiple people in a group. The AC and DC Night Collecting Lights at BioQuip are ideal for this as they can be plugged into a portable battery or a vehicle 12-volt DC system.
https://www.bioquip.com/Search/WebCatalog.asp?category=2900&prodtype=1
This is the battery that I use:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Schumacher-Electric-1-200-Amp-Car-Battery-Jump-Starter/50223897

Flashlights and batteries
Always have a backup in case your main one stops working.

Clothing
Be prepared for sunny hot/warm days, cool nights and rain at any time. We will do our best to avoid the rain and especially the cool nights.

Food and Drinks
The days in the Chiricahua Mountains will be the most difficult. There really isn't a place to buy food and drink there except at the Portal Lodge. We will be making a trip to the store the evening of the 19th so that those who desire can purchase supplies.
While in other locations there are plenty of stores and restaurants when not in the mountains.

Posted on December 21, 2016 06:33 PM by finatic finatic | 13 comments | Leave a comment

iNat-athon August 20-27, 2017 (Ride and Room Sharing)

If you're planning on attending the iNat-athon and need to share hotel rooms or transportation please feel free to connect with other through this journal post. Add a comment and say what you need and/or if you're willing share anything.

Posted on December 21, 2016 06:32 PM by finatic finatic | 38 comments | Leave a comment

December 14, 2016

Intertidal Invertebrates ID

The Light and Smith Manual. Intertidal invertebrates from Central California to Oregon is considered a top resource and must have for those who live in that region. But the fauna in Southern California is different. Is anyone aware of anything that is considered of equal or close quality for Southern California?

@gbentall @kueda @tiyumq @susanhewitt @pliffgrieff @rebeccafay @anudibranchmom @loarie

Posted on December 14, 2016 10:26 PM by finatic finatic | 5 comments | Leave a comment

December 6, 2016

Southeast Arizona - August 2017

So, I'm thinking about trying to put together an informal iNat outing to Southeast Arizona in August 2017, a real true iNat-athon! I'm thinking about a week with the trip starting and ending in Tucson so that air travel is fairly easy. Right now this is just a thought, but if enough people are interested I will move forward with finalizing dates and a rough timeline.

August is monsoon season in southeast Arizona and it is a 2nd spring in many cases. It is high season for for almost all the fauna and flora. It is the perfect time to visit for birds, plants, insects, herps....
My prior August Observations from Arizona can give you some insight into what we may find.

I would like to hit three different sky islands; Chiricahuas, Hauchucas and Santa Ritas. Each range has endemic plants and animals that obviously can't be found elsewhere. On a trip like this I would like to alternate between majority day outings and majority night outings, but doing a bit of both each day.

@jaykeller and I have done trips out to the area quite a few times and know the area a fair degree. I would guess that we average over 700 species on summer outing so there is plenty to find and see for everyone.

I don't like camping and plan to stay in a hotel each time I sleep, which in the past has often been 6am - noonish. But, if you're into camping there are campgrounds in each of the mountain ranges. As for travel and hotels, hopefully we can use this forum for ways that people joining can connect and work things out to carpool and share rooms.

Those of you who have been to this area know of how wonderful it is. Please post a comment about your experiences there to help convince those who haven't been to make the trip.

Who's interested in joining? I know that I'm missing some people who may be interested, so please feel free to tag them.

@greglasley @pileated @gcwarbler @gyrrlfalcon @jimjohnson @borisb @kueda @loarie @sambiology @charlie @silversea_starsong @cedric_lee @maractwin @muir @matthew_salkiewicz
@biohexx1 @erikfunk @dpom @ryanandrews @screws @treegrow @mchlfx @mhedin @rachelshoop @rwaayers @dkavanaugh @d_kluza @kevinhintsa @hughmcguinness @mlodinow
@herptracker @john8 @kschnei @zabbey grnleaf @gbentall @berkshirenaturalist robberfly

Posted on December 6, 2016 11:03 PM by finatic finatic | 200 comments | Leave a comment

October 3, 2016

October Kick-off - Mollusca with Friends

I was very fortunate to have the chance the start the month of October off with friends, both new and old, at one of my favorite "shelling" locations in San Diego. @susanhewitt was in town from New York and organized a get together with a few other SoCal people that are interested in Mollusca. @jannvendetti @cedric_lee @silversea_starsong joined Susan and me for a fun time along the coast.

It was great to get meet Jann, Cedric for the first time and re-meet James again. Each of them has helped me with or more life forms in the past.

It is always a learning experience when I get to spend time with Susan. And it is so much fun. He knowledge of the shells that are strewn along the beach is just amazing, and not only does she teach you how to figure out the species of the shell, but can provide the life history of them to. It makes finding a chuck of sculptured calcium carbonate so much fun.

Jann let me know how I can help her SLIME project with my observations here in the San Diego area. I look very much forward to doing this. She thanked me for my previous contributions to SLIME, but were it not for SLIME I am certain that I wouldn't have taken photos of just about every snail and slug that I encounter. I think I'm getting better with identifying them to species, but it isn't easy at all.

I am flabbergasted by the knowledge that Cedric that has gained in a relatively short time with the local Land Snails and Slugs (Order Stylommatophora). Plus he taught me trick to hopefully start finding some additional species on my own even though I will have no idea of what they. I bet I'll be typing "@cedric_lee " lot in the future.

James is very well rounded with interests all across the board. I'm not sure if he has a true specialty any longer as it seems he's venturing all over the place with flora and fauna, but it used to lady beetles and he is my go to source there.

This outing was a perfect example of how iNaturalist can bring together professional scientist with avid amateurs in the growing of Citizen Science. I urge all iNat users to meet with specialist, whether professional or amateur, whenever they get the chance. The fun times and knowledge gained during these outings is invaluable.

That you all for starting off my October on such a high note.

Posted on October 3, 2016 03:59 PM by finatic finatic | 16 comments | Leave a comment

Gracias al apoyo de:

¿Quiere apoyarnos? Pregúntenos cómo escribiendo a snib.guatemala@gmail.com