13 de abril de 2024

More pollinator thoughts as we come up to World Bee Day May 20th

World Bee Day/Week 2024
To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day. Please join our project https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/world-bee-day-week-2024 Its not just about bees.

Being aware of pollinator ecology, behaviour, and biology helps to foster an understanding of the multi-faceted relationships that uphold life with a broader appreciation of the diversity and complexity of nature. Pollinator conservation helps to preserve the wonder and beauty of the natural world by maintaining spaces that promote profound relationships to nature and nurtures the soul.

Bees, butterflies, moths, birds, and bats are some of the pollinators comprising the essential elements of ecosystems worldwide. Their interaction with flowering plants ensure the survival of diverse species and maintains the intricate web of life in terrestrial and non-marine habitats. Pollination facilitation supports genetic diversity of plant populations, which is crucial for the resilience and persistence of ecosystems.

Publicado el abril 13, 2024 07:42 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

08 de abril de 2024

I'm thinking about pollinators and its not just about bees.

World Bee Day/Week 2024 Bioblitz Project May 17, 2024 - May 23, 2024, please join.

To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.

Many watch fascinated as bees collect pollen, butterflies flutter among flowers, or hummingbirds and sunbirds sip nectar. The graceful movements, vibrant colours, and intricate patterns of pollinators enhance inspiring natural landscapes. Aesthetic appreciation, relaxation, and recreation are evoked as they enrich outdoor spaces such as gardens, parks, and wild habitat.

It is not surprising that these movements, colours, and patterns have inspired the imagination of artists, poets, musicians, and storytellers. Pollinators serve as motifs in tapestries, paintings, sculptures, literature, and folklore. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds and sunbirds have symbolic meaning and spiritual significance throughout history for various cultures. Many ancient societies have a long association of bees with fertility, cooperation, and industriousness. Renewal, rebirth, transformation, beauty, and the soul's journey are symbolized by butterflies in diverse cultural traditions. Love, beauty, vitality, energy, and harmony are symbolized in many cultures by hummingbirds and sunbirds. Across cultures and generations greater appreciation, respect, and stewardship of the natural world can be fostered by recognizing and honouring the cultural significance of pollinators.

Publicado el abril 8, 2024 10:53 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

02 de abril de 2024

World Bee Day/Week 2024 Bioblitz - Welcome to all interested to participate

To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.

Pollinators visit flowers to drink plant nectar and/or eat and/or gather pollen and/or transport pollen as they move about. These actions can result in the fertilization of host plants. Bees in particular do this but so do other invertebrates such as butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, and wasps as well as vertebrates such as birds, bats, and small mammals.

Welcome to those interested to participate in the World Bee Day/Week 2024 bioblitz May 17, 2024 - May 23, 2024 https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/world-bee-day-week-2024 and help raise awareness of this day. Last year during roughly this same time period 36,649 observers posted 151,832 qualifying observations as indicated in the World Bee Day/Week 2023 mockup project. 35766 observations were posted by the top 500 observers in 2023.

Pollinators play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity and the stability of ecosystems by facilitating flowering plant reproduction. Humans rely on the results of pollinator activity for many crops yielding food production including fruits, vegetables, and nuts, but also for the production of non-food products such as fibres, dyes, and medicines derived from plant sources. In contradiction, pollinator's stability is negatively impacted by human activity which lead to loss of habitat such as urbanization, agriculture, and land development. Agrochemicals, including pesticides and herbicides, impact pollinators by poisoning them, reducing forage, weaken immune systems, or disrupt navigation abilities. Changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, and plant phenology can disrupt pollinator and their floral resource synchronization. Human activity can introduce invasive species and their parasites and pathogens that may negatively impact native pollinators through competition and pathology.

Raising public awareness and comprehension regarding the importance of pollinators and the necessary steps for their conservation is vital for successful conservation endeavours.

Publicado el abril 2, 2024 11:08 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

02 de junio de 2022

World Oceans Week 2022 - Jun 3, 2022 - Jun 12, 2022

Just thought I would let you know about the World Oceans Week 2022 project. Jun 3, 2022 - Jun 12, 2022 https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/world-oceans-week-2022

https://unworldoceansday.org/ 8 June, 2022

We would love for you join and participate in this bioblitz.

Publicado el junio 2, 2022 07:10 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

20 de abril de 2022

Using the Uploader for Traditional Projects requiring fields

There is a way to use the Uploader to upload multiple images to a traditional project that uses fields as a way to link the observation of different species  together.

 

Once in the Uploader one will want to choose the files desired to link together for the project.

 

From ones saved image files one can select all of the files desired. In the case illustrated below, on a PC, the Ctrl+mouse are used to select the desired images from the File Upload and select open.

 

All of those images will show up in the Uploader but in the case of multiple images for a single species/observation, one will want to combine those images together.

 

Once the top/favourite/best image of that particular image is selected, other images can be drag into that top image observation entry to combine them. By combining, 14 observations have been reduced to 4 observations with some of those having various supporting views at differing angle or focal planes that may help to further support identification of the observation or show a behaviour.

 

At this point, if the location is not included in the image file, all four observations recorded at the same spot, can be recorded at the same time. 1. Select all observations (shown by highlight of a green border). 2. choose the location box to enter the observation site - this will open the location modal.

 

Once the location modal is open, one can start typing in the general area to define location - in this case it is a particular park.

 

As the park is typed in a drop down menu will show up that gives choices to select from - the more that is typed in, the more defined that choice becomes. Alternately one can zoom in on the map to the spot desired location.

 

The typed in location reveals the desired area for this search but in this case further definition is desired.

 

1. The area circle can be drag and sized to a particular location. In this case 2. This location will be returned to for subsequent observations so a Locality note is made.

 

This location can be kept as a pinned location. 1. One may wish to save the location as Open or Obscured or Private (private shows no coordinates and can sometimes make it hard for identifiers to narrow down likely species by location). 2.By selecting Pin, the location is saved in Your Pinned Locations.

 

1. The pinned location shows up in the drop down menu. This menu can be curated as desired if one wishes to keep the pins manageable - case in point, on an extended vacation locations may be saved but are no longer necessary once one has returned home. 2. By selecting Update Observations, all 4 of the observations will have the desired location recorded. The pinned locations can be used for repeated observations at this location later.

 

1. As noted above, each observation has the location recorded. 2. Now deselect Select All  3. One can now enter the desired Species Name for the individual observation - it is possible that one can only name to Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order Family, or Genus - nothing wrong with this as other iNaturalist Users will more than likely help to further define the observation.


 

Because in this example we wish to fill in fields for a project, once all of the Species Names have been filled in, we will select all again. The reason for doing so in this order is that for this project it is helpful to know the host plant species name.

 

Now collapse the Details menu.

 

1.Expand the Projects menu to 2.select the Traditional Project you are a member of and want your observations to be a part of. Some may belong to a few Traditional Projects and may add their qualifying observations to several at this point.

 

Once completed the sum of projects this observation are included in will show up as a green number.

 

Certain project have fields that need to be or may be filled in. The expanded fields menu can be used to select these fields.

 

In filling out the field in this example, instruction may be given as to what is desired to qualify.


 
At this point with this example the remaining fields are not needed for all of the observations so 1. the Select All is deselected and Ctrl mouse tap is used to select the particular observations that qualify for the next field. 2. In this case the field wants what plant species is associated with the insect.

 

The next field has a drop down menu to chose the role of the observed, in this case the insects are pollinators of the plant.

 

The plant in this field gets a different value.


 
Before uploading all of the observations, don't forget to label observations that are captive or cultivated.

Publicado el abril 20, 2022 03:43 MAÑANA por bobmcd bobmcd | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

10 de enero de 2022

Bird/Mammal migration trip (Trip)

Prelimanary trip to observe fall migration

Publicado el enero 10, 2022 08:53 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 297 observaciones | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

02 de mayo de 2021

City Nature Challenge, I'm participating via the Global Project

In 2016 a challenge between San Francisco and Los Angeles started the City Nature Challenge (CNC) which has now grown into an international event that motivates people around the world to find and document wildlife in their cities. 2021 City Nature Challenge

Video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO45mO9BUJM

Although the challenge this year is from Apr 30, 2021 - May 3, 2021 and Victoria B.C. does not have a community challenge, I have decide to participate this year anyway albeit I just started yesterday with little planning. There is a global project that I joined which has been created https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-global-project

The reason I am putting this in my journal is that I realize there are a few people who "follow" me and perhaps they will see the entry and be inspired to participate or even just have their weekend observations included.

The COVID-19 pandemic has modified how this year is organized in locals run big programs but people are still participating.

Be healthy, happy, and safe

Publicado el mayo 2, 2021 03:24 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

18 de junio de 2019

E.C. Manning Provincial Park Annual Bird Blitz


Habitat photo for Lightning Lake from Lone Duck Campground 2

Participated for the second time at the annual Bird Blitz hosted in Manning Park by Hope Mountain Centre and was able to add some species to the BC Parks project.

Fantastic to have also enjoyed their evening program which included a presentation by John Neville who has produced eighteen sound guides to bird identification.

Publicado el junio 18, 2019 04:17 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 14 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

10 de junio de 2019

Spectacle Lake Provincial Park

Spent about an hour walking around Spectacle Lake. Besides the photographed species I also saw and/or heard Barred Owl, Cooper's Hawk, and unidentified Swallows.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=132461&project_id=spectacle-lake-provincial-park
I am trying to add species to this project:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bc-parks

Publicado el junio 10, 2019 06:16 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 7 observaciones | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

25 de septiembre de 2015

Virtual Naturalist

Broke my leg August 6th and have for the most part been a virtual naturalist since until some time in October hopefully. It has given me some time to go back on some other's posts and see if I can help with the identifications.

Publicado el septiembre 25, 2015 10:54 TARDE por bobmcd bobmcd | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario