Diario del proyecto San Mateo County Bio-Blitz

First of all, Happy New Year Lists! May 2019 be another successful year for this most successful project!

Second, I learned of something called the Five-Mile Radius Challenge. It came from a blog called I Used to Hate Birds, and was picked up by some iNatters. Here's an example of it: https://inaturalist.ca/posts/20418-5-mile-radius-2019-challenge

The goal is to focus on areas around your house, and look for under-eBirded and under-iNat-ted zones, as well as visiting the parks closest to you. If everyone in the country did this, we'd have a lot better coverage, and therefore a better picture of biodiversity. Of course, here in San Mateo county, as leaders in citizen-science projects, we are already ahead of the curve on the question of coverage. But this Five-Mile Radius Challenge has the added advantage of being "Green" - requiring less consumption of fossil fuel, and being more open to walking, cycling, public transit, and car-pooling.

Just another thing to think about, as we move forward in the New Year!

Dear iNat San Mateo County participants -

Today, while searching for rare birds along Butano Creek in Pescadero, I met a researcher, Brendan, who is trying to determine the status of Beaver in our county. Any records - including historical data and private communication - would help him. I couldn't recall any sightings here, and he checked the data base to confirm this. Post to this journal if you see beavers, or signs of beavers. Thanks for marshaling the power of citizen-science!

Jennifer Rycenga (a.k.a. gyrrlfalcon)