On iNaturalist's global leaderboards for December 2020

As was the case last year, in December 2020 my husband Ed and I went to stay in Sanibel Island, Lee County, Florida for almost three weeks. Here is the journal post about last year's trip:

https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/susanhewitt/29786-on-the-global-leaderboards-for-december-2019?

During my Sanibel trip this year, I was able to make observations of a lot of species that I had never seen (or in some cases never noticed or paid attention to) before. In fact, during the month of December I was happy to see that I recorded 92 "Newly Added" species:

https://www.inaturalist.org/stats/2020/susanhewitt

We were fortunate in that our trip overlapped for two days with a trip to Sanibel by our friends @ginsengandsoon and @maxcavitch, so we were able to go out iNatting with them twice, once to a nature preserve, and once to a good beach with lots of shells.

A substantial number of the "Newly Added" species that I found during this trip were thanks to an excellent, extremely helpful iNat meet-up outing with local (Fort Myers) botany professor @jayhorn.

I also met, and got to go out shelling with, iNatter @lukemiller17, who lives on Sanibel Island, and who works on the front desk three days a week at the wonderful Shell Museum on Sanibel. We went to Lighthouse Beach, and also to West Gulf Drive, beach access #7, which is the beach next to the cottages where Ed and I stay, and that beach was very rich in shells this year.

But I was somewhat surprised to see that this year I am once again currently on the global leaderboards (one of the top 5 observers) for the most observations in December 2020 (number 3), and also on the leaderboard for the greatest number of species observed in December 2020 (number 5). And I was even more surprised to see that I was also on the iNat global leaderboard (number 4) for the most observations overall in the year 2020.

https://www.inaturalist.org/people

2020 certainly felt like a productive year for me on iNat. And the three weeks on Sanibel felt like the best part of the year. When I went to Nevis, West Indies, back in March, the country of St Kitts & Nevis shut down suddenly, and we were forced to leave after eight days instead of the planned 28 days, plus we were not allowed to go anywhere off of the hotel grounds during those eight days, so I did not record nearly as many new organisms as I would normally have done during four weeks on that lovely island.

In late December, I had 8 days of being back again in NYC after the Sanibel trip. During that time, as was the case last year, I made a conscious effort to add more species to my December 2020 total, by observing as many species as I could here in NYC that do not occur on Sanibel.

Making those extra observations was not easy this year, as for the first six days of being back in NYC, we were in very strict traveler's quarantine for Covid, having come back from Florida to NY State. I could not set foot outside my apartment at all, except to go get a second Covid test. So for the first few days back, I had to keep my iNat streak alive by photographing wild organisms out of our back windows, and there is not too much biodiversity visible that way!

But once we got all our Covid test results and knew they were all negative, I was able to go out locally and find things to observe during the final 2.5 days of December.

Some people seem to think that leaderboards are a bad idea, because they can (supposedly) encourage mindless competitiveness. But I think that Streaks and Leaderboards help encourage people's involvement with iNat, and help record their remarkable levels of commitment.

Note: The first 42 images here are from Sanibel, starting on December 3rd. The last ten images here, from "Goldenrod Rust" onward, are from NYC, starting on December 29th.
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Publicado el 31 de diciembre de 2020 por susanhewitt susanhewitt

Observaciones

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Totolquelite (Melanthera nivea)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 19, 2020 a las 02:02 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 19, 2020 a las 04:53 PM EST

Descripción

????

It is a male anyway.

On the door at the hotel.

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 17, 2020 a las 11:04 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Auquenorrincos (Suborden Auchenorrhyncha)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 20, 2020 a las 11:24 MAÑANA EST

Descripción

Little cuts in a row on the mid vein of the underside of a silver buttonwood leaf.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Almeja Berberecho (Dallocardia muricata)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 20, 2020 a las 02:37 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Lisa Rayada (Mugil cephalus)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 20, 2020 a las 02:37 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 20, 2020 a las 02:40 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 20, 2020 a las 02:41 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 10:53 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 11:28 MAÑANA EST

Descripción

In a leaf of Pale Passionflower.

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 11:34 MAÑANA EST

Descripción

A really amazing-looking fungal leaf spot on what I think is Ficus aurea.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Rana Arborícola Cubana (Osteopilus septentrionalis)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 11:40 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Rana Arborícola Cubana (Osteopilus septentrionalis)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 11:44 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 11:50 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Polillas Tigre (Tribu Arctiini)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 11:52 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 12:09 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Calavera (Ludwigia octovalvis)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 12:10 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 02:41 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Almeja de Venus (Chione elevata)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 02:52 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Caracol Aceituna (Oliva sayana)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 02:53 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 06:10 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 21, 2020 a las 11:06 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 07:41 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 07:44 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 07:53 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Almeja Cálico del Atlántico (Argopecten gibbus)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 07:55 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Almeja Berberecho (Laevicardium pictum)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 08:01 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 08:07 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 08:13 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 08:19 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Cangrejo Topo (Emerita talpoida)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 08:21 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Cangrejo Moro (Menippe mercenaria)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 08:50 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 09:01 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 09:21 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Erizo Verde de Mar (Lytechinus variegatus)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 09:27 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Almeja Catarina (Argopecten irradians)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 03:05 PM EST

Descripción

The red variety.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Escalopa (Lindapecten muscosus)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 03:05 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Caracol Rojo (Triplofusus giganteus)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 02:53 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 2020

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 04:05 PM EST

Descripción

A nice large piece of coral.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Cianobacteria Nostoc (Nostoc commune)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 04:37 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 22, 2020 a las 04:42 PM EST

Descripción

On Beach Naupaka, Scaevola taccada.

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 29, 2020 a las 02:25 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Paloma Doméstica (Columba livia var. domestica)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 29, 2020 a las 02:31 PM EST

Descripción

Quite a big flock that lives here.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Ortiga de Carolina (Solanum carolinense)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 29, 2020 a las 02:37 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Gordolobo Común (Verbascum thapsus)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 30, 2020 a las 11:29 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Peral de Flor (Pyrus calleryana)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 30, 2020 a las 11:32 MAÑANA EST

Descripción

A volunteer, presumably grown from seed after a bird ate the little pears that the adult trees produce.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Liquen Limón (Candelaria concolor)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 30, 2020 a las 11:41 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 30, 2020 a las 11:48 MAÑANA EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Mastuerzo de Indias (Lepidium didymum)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 30, 2020 a las 01:59 PM EST

Fotos / Sonidos

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 30, 2020 a las 02:03 PM EST

Descripción

On someone's windowsill.

Fotos / Sonidos

Qué

Caa Piquí (Stellaria media)

Observ.

susanhewitt

Fecha

Diciembre 30, 2020 a las 02:14 PM EST

Comentarios

Beautiful!

Publicado por maxcavitch hace alrededor de 3 años

Your level of commitment truly is remarkable and your recognition is certainly well-deserved. Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your experiences. Part of me was on the beach too, vicariously following your adventures and forgetting our covid winter.

Publicado por danielatha hace alrededor de 3 años

Congratulations Susan, and thanks for being a daily inspiration to the INat community. I can't often ID your posts, but I learn from them. Good luck in the New Year, stay safe!

Publicado por rtwhitson3 hace alrededor de 3 años

Congrats Susan, and thanks to you (and @lukemiller17 and @jayhorn) for all the help with Sanibel plant and shell IDs!
May your 2021 be even more biodiverse.

Publicado por mattparr hace alrededor de 3 años

Thanks Max!
Thanks Daniel!
Thanks Ray!
.....and
Thanks Matt!

We would be nowhere without the iNat staff, and above all the iNat community -- sine qua non!

Publicado por susanhewitt hace alrededor de 3 años

Way to go, Susan!!! I so hope that our paths will cross one of these days. :) In the meantime, I really enjoy living vicariously through your observations! :)

Publicado por sambiology hace alrededor de 3 años

What an amazing month (and year) you have had! That's the way to make the absolute most of 2020. And thank you for your help with my IDs, too. You are an inspiration!

Publicado por anudibranchmom hace alrededor de 3 años

Thank you Sam. Maybe one of these days we will meet up; I do hope so! I know you are very busy, so I am amazed that you even have the time to look at my observations!

And thank you Robin for all your wonderful observations. This coming year, after most of us are able to get some vaccine, I hope that I manage to make it out to California. In 2020 Ed and I did not go, because of the health risk.

Publicado por susanhewitt hace alrededor de 3 años

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