I've always had an interest in the natural world, but I have no background in life sciences.

The majority of my observation are from South Australia.

My blog with an iNaturalist/Biodiversity focus.

Observations

I have no particular focus area. I'll record any taxon, but my observations tend toward life most frequently encountered, and that which can't scurry, hop, crawl, fly, swim, scamper, slither or glide away before I can take suitable photos.

When uploading observations I try to include multiple photographs and, where necessary, something for scale.

All my observation locations are recorded with a GPS enabled device and manually checked when uploading. Location accuracy is typically set to a conservative 20 metres.

If you add a comment to one of my observations, I will endeavour to reply. (Although it may take a few days).

All of my observations and photos are licenced CC-BY.

Identifications

When adding IDs I follow the guidance in the iNat Forum Wiki: Identification Etiquette on iNaturalist.

On my own observations I occasionally provide a coarse ID even if familiar with the species, in order to avoid biasing identifiers, and lower the risk of identifiers 'auto-agreeing'.

I only agree to identifications on my own observations after doing the requisite research, and refrain from 'auto-agreeing'.

I'll often ID already Research Grade observations as part of my learning process and to pick up occasional ID mistakes.

Although I err on the side of caution, from time to time I will no doubt make ID errors. If you find an error, please correct it and add an explanation so I can avoid such an error in the future.

For efficiency I'll typically provide IDs without comment. However if you require further info or wish to question the ID, please do so. It'll encourage me to validate my understanding and inspire me to broaden my knowledge.

All of my IDs can be found on my Identifications Page. This page can be filtered by taxon by adding to the URL the parameter &taxon_id=*****, replacing the * with relevant taxon number.

ID Assistance Needed!

As of September 2022, I have 5,971 observations at Needs ID. Many have multiple clear photos and are relatively common in the region species where ID to Genus or species is relatively easy. Some have reached their ID limit from the photos. See the full list HERE.

Thank you to all the knowledgeable people that can provide IDs and guidance on iNat for taking the time to share that knowledge.

Below are a few filtered lists of observations of specific taxa that Need ID.

All Plants ∣ Magnoliopsida ∣ Liliopsida ∣ Fabaceae ∣ Orchidaceae ∣ Bryophyta ∣ Marchantiophyta

All Insects ∣ Blattodea ∣ Coleoptera ∣ Dermaptera ∣ Diptera ∣ Hemiptera ∣ Hymenoptera ∣ Formicidae ∣ Anthophila ∣ Apocrita ∣ Lepidoptera ∣ Neuroptera ∣ Orthoptera ∣ Psocodea ∣ Trichoptera

Arachnida ∣ Mollusca ∣ Fungi

Feathers ∣ Galls ∣ Scats ∣ Bones ∣ Eggs

My Backyard (All Species)

My iNaturalist Year in Review

2018 ∣ 2019 ∣ 2020 ∣ 2021 ∣ 2022

Local Projects of Interest

A project open to all residents of South Australia: South Australian iNaturalists.

A project bringing together all observations inside the Protected Parks of South Australia.

A list of all iNat projects relating to South Australia: iNaturalist Projects List for South Australia.

Backyard Biodiversity

A project to record all the species found in my suburban backyard: Backyard Biodiversity (cobaltducks)

BioBlitz History

An Umbrella Project brining together my City Nature Challenge and Great Southern BioBlitz history.

Equipment

Current:
Canon 90D + EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS
Canon 550D + EF-S 55-250mm IS
Olympus TG-6 + FD-1 Flash Diffuser
Galaxy Note SM-N950F
Saxon RST Stereo Microscope
Techview Trail Camera QC8043
TC WiFi Endoscope 5.5mm
Historic:
Olympus TG-870
Galaxy Note SM-N9005

Other

Heat Map of My Observations
iNat user ID #997336