10,000 observations
On March 1st of 2014 I gave in to peer pressure from my new friend Sam and posted my first observation to iNaturalist. Just a single image of a Question Mark butterfly. Fitting since it was a question on whether I would ever post anything again. At the time I was really only interested in birds and used ebird for that. So why would I want to post to a second site? Especially where I could only post what I had gotten pictures of.
Thankfully Sam kept on me about trying it again and I did. Slowly I began to get interested in other things because I could post them and get help knowing what it was. And then well, if I was going to post something I might as well post some other things too.
Gradually the interest in other things led to calling myself just a generalist and ultimately primarily an iNatter. It has gotten to where every time I go somewhere I am looking for things to observe. And then of course more things to go with that for the day. I plan trips to add observations. And iNatting has morphed into an obsession, addiction, passion, love, way of life
So that now, as of yesterday just shy of five years later I posted my 10,000th observation. And I am so very thankful for Sam pushing me to make those first observations. I have made many new friends, some of whom I spend a lot of time with. And have explored areas of Texas I probably never would have gone. And seen things I know I never would have seen.
So, here’s to iNat, all the creators and designers and pushers. Look forward to the next 10,000 and beyond.
