Save the Date -- City Nature Challenge April 28-May 1, 2023
The fun returns! Whether you are a veteran of all the previous City Nature Challenges or are not sure what the fuss is about, I hope that you will choose to join in this year; as an observer, identifier or both! At the time of this post, we have 82 days to get ready :)
The challenge is simple - any time between one second after midnight on April 28 to midnight May 1 find an organism living in the wild anyplace within the 'Winnipeg region' boundaries. Take a picture of it. Upload the picture to the iNaturalist database together with where and when you found it... and then repeat with as many different wild organisms as you can find.
Identify your observation to the best of your ability when you upload it. If you know exactly what it is, go ahead and choose that. If you are somewhat unsure, you can choose a more general identification like plants or birds. It is perfectly okay to start with a loose ID at first and then later after consulting with references, choose a more specific one. Some organisms are just tough to figure out at first glance.
You can also participate in identifying organisms observed by others. Contribute identifications where you feel most confident about your knowledge. The computer suggestions can be helpful - but they are not magic. You will still need to compare your organism with the pictures of the suggested one, and check that background info on that species to see if it is a reasonable suggestion. May 2 to May 7 is set aside to concentrate on identifying the event observations - but really there is no time limit.
This year, I invite you to spend at least some of your time on Saturday, April 29th in Birds Hill Provincial Park, documenting the organisms living there. Right now there is no specific timetable. I 'll let you know here in the blog, if that changes.
Looking forward to seeing what we find this year.
