20 days, Oakbank 14PA53 and how to find under-represented organisms

Oakbank 14PA53 is in the RM of Springfield. The eskers forming Birds Hill and Pine Ridge are quarried for sand and gravel in the north west of this square. The town of Oakbank is in the central area. The square is divided by the mile road grids and drainage ditches. In the southern and eastern portion, the soil is more suitable for agricultural use..

At the time of posting, 36 observations had been uploaded by 18 observers, led by @darrellneufeld2 . 31 species have been identified here, including 12 plants and 9 insects. The most frequently observed species is the White-tailed Deer with 3 observations. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas found that 44 species of birds were confirmed breeding in this square, with another 48 species possible and probable. Here's the full list.

As you may have noticed in our parade of squares, the data to this point in iNaturalist forms only a partial picture of the organisms living around us. You are likely to see something that is under-represented in the data set just by looking out your window or stepping out your own door.

The Bird Atlas summary sheets I have been linking to were intended for the use of the volunteer observers helping to collect the data for the atlas. In the notes at the bottom of each sheet is the following..

Underlined species are those that you should try to add to this square .... They have not yet been reported during the atlas, but were reported in more than 50% of the squares in this region during the project so far.

You can find your own under-represented species by Exploring the current observations for your area and comparing them with your own experience. Use the filters to refine your search by month of observation and choose 'Research Grade', click on the icon for the set of organisms you are most interested in - plants, birds, insects, etc. then click update search. Switch the view to species and you will see a list of all the identified organisms with the number of observations of each one. here's the search for Manitoba RG observations of plants in the month of April

If there is something that seems common to you, but is not yet in the group with lots of observations (they are sorted most observations to least by default) then it can be considered under-represented. :)

This kind of search is also useful if you are new to an area - or want to explore a set of organisms that you have less experience with. Organisms that have lots of RG observations also often represent organisms that are frequently seen and have clear field marks. They can be a good place to start learning a new place or grouping.

If you click on the link under the # observations, you will see the map with points where that organism has been identified so far. Switching to grid view will let you see all the images at once. Here's the link for RG observations in Manitoba in April of our provincial emblem the Prairie Crocus (the common name in iNat may appear as Prairie Pasqueflower but it is still the same plant)

If you were not sure what something looks like in the wild, this is the way to go - lots of images by different people in differing lights and weather at different stages of growth - but all identified. Like having a field guide that has room for way more pictures than the 1 or 2 usually supplied.

So nice to see some moisture !

Publicado el abril 9, 2021 02:24 TARDE por marykrieger marykrieger

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