City Nature Challenge 2022: City of Cape Town's Journal

Well - we are done for the City Nature Challenge 2022!

Very well done Cape Town. Now we wait for the results in about 15 hours time.

Thanks everyone for an exciting and interesting Challenge. We hope that you enjoyed it, and that you found time to see what other cities were doing and how things were progressing.

Please thank all those who took part in the challenge: The honours roll is here:
Observers!

And a very big thanks to those who identified all our observations over the past week. We set them a huge task, and they almost cleared half of it. The honours roll is here:
Identifiers!

But it is not over. The organizing committee still have to collate the results and sort out the prizes. We will announce that in due course, Meantime, please keep an eye out for any comments on your observations - that is where you will be notified of your prizes. The prizes for 2022 are here!
An especial thanks our sponsors and prize givers.

Dont forget to fave observations for our winning photos: The current faves can be seen here!

The latest status going to the final can be seen
here
and here

The other towns can be found here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022

Just 10 hours to go and we have

Of our 65,527 observations - our observations by rank:
.* 10,370 observations (16%) dont have any Identifications at all
.* 3,544 observations (5%) have an ID above family level
.* 3,447 observations (5%) have an ID at Family or Tribe level
.* 10,082 observations (15%) have an ID at Genus level
.* 38,112 observations (58%) have an ID to species level

These are roughly as by state of identificaiton:
.* 10,370 observations (16%) dont have any Identifications at all
.* 7,187 observations (11%) are casual grade (planted/captive or missing information)
.* 24,508 observations (37%) have an ID but need it refined or confirmed.
.* 23,481 observations (36%) are Research Grade.

Action over the next 10 hours!

Group 1 (all, except Specialists). Clear the Observations with no identifications:
(and remember to fave and mark as planted - even if you skip them!
Click here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?iconic_taxa=unknown&order_by=random&verifiable=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&place_id=any
8,782 IDs needed: 10% of effort required

Group 2 (specialists and fundis). Get course IDs to Species level:
click here and in the "search species' box, enter your taxon (family, tribe, genus).
remember to "Agree" with correct IDs, and Fave
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&verifiable=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&hrank=family&place_id=any
22,727 IDs needed: 60% of effort required

Group 3 (fundis and enthusiasts). Get species IDs to Research Grade:
click here and in the "search species' box, enter your taxon (family, tribe, genus).
remember to Fave and mark if cultivated
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&verifiable=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&hrank=species&place_id=any
11,159 IDs needed: 20% of effort required

Special & URGENT Groups:
MARINE:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&verifiable=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&place_id=138786
1,494 IDs needed
SPIDERS: please ask all spider people you know to help: deadline midnight tonite!!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?iconic_taxa=Arachnida&order_by=random&verifiable=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town
663 IDs needed

See our faves!!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?order_by=votes&place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&subview=grid&verifiable=any

We need help with IDs please: our identifications are progressing at a snails pace.

Summaries - just before Midnight on Friday night:

.* Birds - 4,957 observations of 191 species. RG: 4,504 (91%)
.* Herps - 955 observations of 48 species. RG: 870 (91%)
.* Mammals - 744 observations of 49 species. RG: 466 (62%)
.* Fish -391 observations of 67 species. RG: 231 (59%)

.* Molluscs - 1,797 observations of 210 species. RG: 862 (48%)
.* Insects - 3,238 observations of 389 species. RG: 1,057 (33%)
.* Arachnids - 872 observations of 97 species. RG: 260 (30%)

.* Monocots - 5,873 observations of 484 species. RG: 1,010 (39%)
.* Dicots - 24,618 observations of 1,962 species. RG: 7,954 (29%)

.* Fungi - 746 observations of 120 species. RG: 51 (7%)

.* Marine - 5249 observations of 700 species. RG: 2,818 (54%)

Of our 63,210 observations - our observations by rank:
.* 12,980 observations (21%) dont have any Identifications at all
.* 3,238 observations (5%) have an ID above family level
.* 3,038 observations (5%) have an ID at Family or Tribe level
.* 9,269 observations (15%) have an ID at Genus level
.* 34,557 observations (55%) have an ID to species level

These are roughly as by state of identificaiton:
.* 12,980 observations (21%) dont have any Identifications at all
.* 6,791 observations (11%) are casual grade (planted/captive or missing information)
.* 24,308 observations (38%) have an ID but need it refined or confirmed.
.* 19,212 observations (30%) are Research Grade.

So we still have a gargantuan task over the next 50 hours.

OK: it is raining. At last.
Now let us knuckle down the identifications.

Please all help. This is going very slowly. If we are going to hit our target of 75% of non-casual observations to research grade, we are going to need a team of 50 people working 4 hours for the remaining three days of the competition.

Please rope in anybody who can help!

URGENT:: First pass - no identifications::
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=any&page=25&iconic_taxa=unknown&place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town
Anyone can help with these. Just ID those that you can ID to family or lower for plants, or to the major group for animals (e.g. birds, fish, insects). We need to get this backlog cleared.
There are 18.437 still to be done:: that is 30%. Almost 1/3 of our observations have no ID at all. This backlog must be moved into the specialist domains - anyone can help!
Note:
.* Remember to FAVE for the observation of the CNC 2022 CT
.* Mark all pot plants as planted
.* Skip over anything you dont know (dont make "plant" IDs - leave them for someone who knows).
.* When you have done a page, mark it as done so that they wont be included in your workflow again.
.* !! How to use the ID tool: https://vimeo.com/246153496

URGENT:: Second pass - vague identifications::
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=any&page=5&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&lrank=epifamily&place_id=any
Again, most people should be able to help. These tend to be a little more tricky, and tend to have poor observations included, making it slower work. But we still need to do it please. Many of these are cases of conflicting Identifications, so if you can help, please agree one way or the other.
There are 3,178 observations to be done here, so if you like a bit more of a challenge, you are welcome to work here.

MARINE::
375: 1st Pass: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=any&iconic_taxa=unknown&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&place_id=138786
404: 2nd Pass: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&lrank=epifamily&place_id=138786

SPECIALISTS
It is now time for the specialists to start getting active.
The aim here is to get to species level, from Family to Genus ID.
please use this link:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=any%2Cneeds_id%2Ccasual&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&hrank=family&place_id=any
Please add your taxon of interest in the "search species" box and start the tool.
Note:
.* Remember to FAVE for the observation of the CNC 2022 CT
.* !! How to use the ID tool: https://vimeo.com/246153496
.* Focus on the rarer and exciting species, The more common species are less urgent at this stage.
We have 26,798 observations in this category (44%). So this is our most urgent. Please contact any specialists you know and please send them instructions! This is where the missing species are hiding, but we need the specialists to look at these.

We wont have time to review any IDs at all. That will have to be carried over to after the challenge.
But we do want Research Grade IDs.

Pass 4: getting Research Grade
If you know a group well consider helping out with these observations. Our goal is 75% which is nearly impossible but let us try!!!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?page=10&place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&hrank=species
Enter a group (family, genus) to speed up the process and make consulting your guides easier.
Marine: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?page=3&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&hrank=species&place_id=138786

Lets go ...

Well done Cape Town.
I dont think that we can match La Paz!! They did superbly and I suspect have raised the bar going forward. Congratulations La Paz!
I trust that you had fun and an exciting City Nature Challenge.

Two things now!

Finish Uploading

If you have any outstanding observations, now is the time to upload them. Please try and finish these on Tuesday and Wednesday, so that the ID teams can get working on them.
You do have until the 8th of May to finish uploading, but if you are a high-end user, we do need your help with the identifications please. So please prioritize this: we will need your ID skills soonest.

Initial Identifications

It is time to start with the identifications. Stage 1 is to clear the unidentified observations.

1. Please dont bother to ID something as a Plant - you are just wasting time. If you know the family or genus of the plant, then please make an ID, otherwise just skip it for someone else to ID. Identifying Birds, Mammals, Fungi, Frogs, Fish and Reptiles is great (just not "Plants"). This is Blitz ID time, and with 51,000 Identifications to make, dont spend more than 10 seconds on an observation.
2. Identify as fine as you know. Family, Tribe, Genus, species, subspecies. Just skip what you dont know, above the level of Family in plants.
3. Use the curation tool. It is fast and efficient and supercool. This is how it works: https://vimeo.com/246153496 - it is a 2 minute refresher or tutorial, and worth the time taken to look at it.
4. Remember to FAVE any observation that you think should be included in the running for "Observation of the CNC 2022 CT." Just the best of the best please.

So here we are: at these please::
Top Priority: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&lrank=epifamily&place_id=any&page=5
Top Priority Marine: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&lrank=epifamily&place_id=138786&page=2
There are 16,000 of these. Please tackle them with a vengeance. We need these identified to a level where the experts, specialists and enthusiasts can take them further.

In groups other than plants, teams can get starting to species level - these need ID to Research Grade please:
Birds - 674: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=casual%2Cneeds_id&iconic_taxa=Aves&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town
Mammals - 247: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=casual%2Cneeds_id&iconic_taxa=Mammalia&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town
Herps - 69: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=casual%2Cneeds_id&iconic_taxa=Reptilia%2CAmphibia&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town
Fish: - 164: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=casual%2Cneeds_id&iconic_taxa=Actinopterygii&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town
Spiders - 514 : https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=casual%2Cneeds_id&iconic_taxa=Arachnida&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town
Snails - 721: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=casual%2Cneeds_id&iconic_taxa=Mollusca&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town
Insects - 1893: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=casual%2Cneeds_id&iconic_taxa=Insecta&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town

Fungi: -532L https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=needs_id%2Ccasual&iconic_taxa=Fungi&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town

Todays is our last chance to fill in the gaps.

On the map the big gaps are:

NE Nothing in Fisantekraal, Joostenbergkloof, Klapmuts - that whole ecosystem not visited.
NW Very little in Silverstream-Koeberg or Mamre areas
E Nothing at altitude in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve or at Haasendal.
& Robben Island.

Smaller gaps are
above Simonstown,
Kleinplaasie (understandable),

Please check for your favourite species and make sure that they have been seen: it not, please go and get them.
These are recorded:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species
Add your group in the species box to filter them, and see what is missing.
For instance, we have these Butterflies: what is missing?
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&taxon_id=47224&verifiable=any&view=species

Have a great day.

Events in Cape Town Monday: Day 4 of the City Nature Challenge

Warning: The WC Resurgence Monitor puts us - Cape Town - into the start phase of Wave 5 of the Covid saga. If you are not feeling well, please do not attend events. If you are feeling weak or tired do not over-exert yourself. You can focus on your garden, and tonite with the rains should be good for moths and frogs. And - there is always next year!

Click here for a map of Cape Town events for Monday

or visit our Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/CitynaturechallengeCT/events/?ref=page_internal

MONDAY- 02 May

MORNING

Merpeople Bioblitz 08:15 - all day (all) Georgina Details here
Tygerberg NS&E Survey 09:00 (course students only) Marisa
Smitswinkel Bay Marine Life Discovery 09:30 (all) Eleanor Details here
Hout Bay Lower River Survey 10:00 (all) Sihle Details here

EVENING

Arriesfontein Night Walk 17:00 (all) Abraham Details here

Are you planning a walk / outing / activity that you would like people to join?
Tell us below and leave a contact if you want a response.

We are half way through the challenge with another lovely day ahead of us.

See our leading contenders for observation of the City CNC.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?order_by=votes&place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any

Use the map on the home page to see areas that need to be visited.

But in this weather, why not focus on the beaches: the moon is perfect and this morning is great for exploring our shores.
See our marine data here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?order_by=votes&place_id=138786&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any

Events in Cape Town Sunday: Day 3 of the City Nature Challenge

Warning: The WC Resurgence Monitor puts us - Cape Town - into the start phase of Wave 5 of the Covid saga. If you are not feeling well, please do not attend events. If you are feeling weak or tired do not over-exert yourself. You can focus on your garden, and tonite with the rains should be good for moths and frogs. And - there is always next year!

Click here for a map of Cape Town events for Sunday

or visit our Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/CitynaturechallengeCT/events/?ref=page_internal

SUNDAY- 01 May

MORNING
Merpeople Bioblitz 08:15 - all day(all) Georgina Details here
Smitswinkel Bay Marine Life Exploration 09:00 (all) Eleanor Details here
Die Oog Eye-Spy 9:00 (all) Sihle Details here
Shark Spotters Open Day 09:00 (all) Taryn Details here
Meadowridge Meander 11:30 (all) Sihle Details here

AFTERNOON
(nothing planned)

EVENING
Van Schoorsdrift Night Walk 17:00 (all) Abraham Details here

Are you planning a walk / outing / activity that you would like people to join?
Tell us below and leave a contact if you want a response.

Today is looking fantastic. Some fog and relatively calm, although temperatures are cool.
Please go out and have fun. Today we set the groundwork for the rest of the adventure. At this stage we still needs lots of everything, so visit your favourite places and see what you can find.

So despite the rain and cloudy conditions yesterday, we made excellent progress.

At the end of day one we are:

2nd place (8,600 observations) behind La Plaz in observations
5th place (1,180 species) in number of species, but it is neck to neck, except for La Plaz
5th place (438) in observers: this is to be our focus, so please everyone: get your friends and family and get our there and everybody participate. Even one observation is great. But if you can manage 10 on each day, that would be marvellous.
See the competition here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022
(click on observations/species/observers to see the positions)

Dont forget to vote for your favourite observations: see the top contenders here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?order_by=votes&place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any
(instructions here: https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/64988-vote-for-cape-town-s-observation-of-the-2022-city-nature-challenge )

What are we missing:
Gaps: see here - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town?tab=observations&subtab=map
Try and target some of these areas?

We have these species: - what are we missing? If you know where to find any missing species, please go and get them ....:
Birds: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Aves
Mammals: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Mammalia
Herps: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Reptilia,Amphibia
Fish: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Actinopterygii

Molluscs: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Mollusca
Arachnids: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Arachnida
Insects: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Insecta

Plants: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Plantae
Wild Plants: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?captive=false&place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Plantae

Fungi: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2022-city-of-cape-town&verifiable=any&view=species&iconic_taxa=Fungi

Dont forget to look to Venus and Jupiter together in the sky tomorrow morning, just before dawn!