City Nature Challenge 2021: Winnipeg Region's Journal

Journal archives for April 2021

April 1, 2021

28 days and Prairie Centre 14PA11

Prairie Centre 14PA11 is shared between the RM of Macdonald, the RM of Cartier and Headingley . The square is dominated by agricultural cropland. It has generally flat topography with constructed ditches and drainage channels. Like much of southern Manitoba, it is divided into squares by the grid of 'mile' roads each with adjacent ditches. Some are high speed connecting roads; others are quiet,and suitable for moving at a slower pace, one that allows the natural world to be more easily observed.

At the time of posting, 3 observations had been uploaded by 3 observers, a Coyote, a Western Meadowlark and a Water Smartweed. These three are great clues for what else might be found.

Coyotes are opportunists - they will eat berries, insects, and carrion, as well as hunt for voles, mice, ground squirrels and rabbits. An observation of a coyote here implies the presence of enough food to attract it. Ground squirrels are active during the day and may be using the roadside as a vantage point to look for danger. They may be more easily observed than the nocturnal mice and voles. The plants that all these creatures eat and shelter in are always willing to pose for your camera.

The western meadowlark is a bird of the open spaces, building its nest on the ground hidden in the grass. It depends on presence of insects to feed both itself and its nestlings and those insects in turn also require plants. Where there are meadowlarks, there often are also those sparrows that prefer the open spaces and then the hawks and owls that hunt them and the small rodents. Several of these birds have distinctive calls so you might like to try recording your observation evidence instead of using your camera.

The water smartweed is a plant that loves its feet in water. Those drainage ditches provide ribbons of damp habitat for water-loving plants, aquatic insects and frogs. These in turn draw in the animals and birds that like the shelter from the wind and eating the things that like to live there.

Observing how organisms make use of constructed landscapes like this one adds to our understanding of the natural world. I wonder what we will find there once we take the time to look.

Posted on April 1, 2021 11:54 AM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 2, 2021

27 days - Headingley 14PA12 - and the Breeding Bird Atlas

Headingley 14PA12 is shared between Headingley and the RM of Rosser. The Assiniboine River meanders from west to east through the square. Land on either side of the river was settled using the river lot pattern and the banks of the river support large trees. The square is more rural in its western half and more suburban or urban in the east. The eastern half of Beaudry Provincial Park is included in this square.

At the time of posting, 105 observations had been uploaded by 36 observers led by @buckyd54 . 92 species have been identified here -- plants (39) in the lead with birds (30) next in line. The most frequently observed organism is Ostrich Fern (3). Lots of room to fill in the blanks here.

These same grid squares were used by the survey teams who put together the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas and their work is a great resource to draw on. The data gathered from each square surveyed can be obtained by entering the grid code on this page. This is the actual results for grid square 14PA12. The sheet provides a short list of the habitats found in the square - mature broadleaf forest, agriculture/open country and urban/unclassified. 46 different species of birds were confirmed to be breeding in this square during the survey period - 97 species in total were observed during the breeding season.

Let's have a look at the Red-winged Blackbird. The summary sheet tells us that there is 100% chance that this bird can be found nesting in every survey square in the Red River Valley. Supposing that you are unfamiliar with this bird, you can find more info about its distribution in Manitoba and preferred habitat in the atlas species account You can use this info to find out under what situations you might observe them.

The Red-winged Blackbird breeds in an exceptional variety of wetland types, both freshwater and saline, and also in sedge meadows, wooded riparian edges, roadside ditches, towns and suburban greenspaces, and in fields of hay, alfalfa, or even annual crops

One can see from that description why the atlas suggests the 100% chance. Those new to bird identification or wanting to sort out two similar species will find a great resource at Cornell Labs All About Birds. They also have a field guide app - Merlin - that you can put on your phone. Here's their info for the Red-winged Blackbird. There are notes on the birds behaviour and examples of its calls and song.

Male Red-winged Blackbirds do everything they can to get noticed, sitting on high perches and belting out their conk-la-ree! song all day long.

The distinct fieldmarks and recognizable behaviour and song make these birds a good species to get to know as a beginner birder. It also makes them easier to identify even from images that you might not consider your best wildlife photography. On iNaturalist, images need to show evidence of the organism - loveliness is a bonus but not essential.

eBird shows 29,853 observations of Red-winged blackbirds in Manitoba. At the time of posting, there are 86 observations of Red-winged Blackbirds in the Red River Valley region of Manitoba. To me this seems a little low - Maybe we can change that this year. And while you are chasing your blackbird observation, please keep an eye out for other organisms found nearby... perhaps you might find some cattail, willow or even an insect or two .

Posted on April 2, 2021 02:05 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 4, 2021

25 days and a twofer: Rosser 14PA13 and Grosse Isle 14PA14

Rosser 14PA13 is shared between Headingley and the RM of Rosser. The land is generally flat divided by the mile grid roads and adjacent drainage ditches. Most of the land is used for agriculture. Sturgeon Creek flows into the city from this area augmented by several constructed drains.

At the time of posting, 2 observations had been uploaded by 2 observers. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas mentions that 18 species of birds were confirmed breeding in this square, including ducks and geese, several shorebirds, hawks and various warblers and blackbirds. Here's the full list. Lots of room to fill in the blanks here.

The Canadian toad is a species that has a range map added to its iNaturalist species account. Click on the 'Map' tab if your don;t see it right away. Range maps can help by letting you know if this organism is expected to occur where you saw it. INaturalist data has been helpful in better establishing the expected ranges of many species around the world.


Grosse Isle 14PA14 is shared between RM of Rosser and the RM of Rockwood. Like our preceding square, the land is generally flat divided by the mile grid roads and adjacent drainage ditches and used for agriculture. There is a few patches of forest. The Prime Meridian trail begins from the the town of Grosse Isle following the old railbed north towards Fisher Branch. A small prairie remnant is preserved in the town just north of the old train station.

At the time of posting, 136 observations had been uploaded by 6 observers. 89 species have been identified - dominated by plants (68). The most frequently observed species here are Big Bluestem and Prairie onion- each with 4 observations. Only two species of birds have been observed to date. The Mantoba Breeding Bird Atlas confirmed that 56 species can be found breeding in this area with another 52 species possible or probable. Here's the full list.

Happy observing!

Posted on April 4, 2021 04:49 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 6, 2021

23 days and two more squares to explore: Lilyfield 14PA24 and West St. Paul 14PA34

Lilyfield 14PA24 is part of the RM of Rockwood. the square straddles the Gunton escarpment, the limestone bedrock cliff buried in Lake Agassiz mud that runs north from Winnipeg. The limestone raises the overall elevation of the area and changes the soil depths and moisture available to organisms. Grassmere Creek has been straightened and deepened for much of its length to form the main drain for this area. The mile grid roads and drainage ditches divide this square into sections dominated by agricultural use.

At the time of posting, 62 observations had been uploaded by 14 observers, led by @toriol . 48 species have been identified here, including 22 plants and 11 birds. The most frequently observed species is the Salt Marsh Moth with 3observations. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas mentions that 35 species of birds were confirmed breeding in this square, with another 64 species possible and probable. Here's the full list.


West St. Paul 14PA34 is shared between RM of West St Paul and the RM of Rockwood. Grassmere Creek flows east through the square, altered to more efficiently drain the agricultural area. The mile grid roads and adjacent drainage ditches meet the river lot divisions stretching back from the Red River. The areas of this square nearest to the city itself are being divided into smaller lots for residential use.

At the time of posting, 64 observations had been uploaded by 8 observers, led by @sevenoaksgrows . 57 species have been identified - dominated by plants (39). The most frequently observed species is the Salt Marsh Moth with 3 observations. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas confirmed that 18 species of birds can be found breeding in this area with another 43 species possible or probable. Here's the full list.

Phenology is the study of cyclical natural phenomena, the relationships between climate and plant and animal life. Heat islands are urban areas that experience higher temperatures than their surroundings. Buildings, roads, and other infrastructure tend to absorb and re-emit the sun's heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies. Our observations within the survey area both within the city itself and the areas adjacent can provide data that can be used to understand our particular heat island effect on the phenology of our particular ecology.

Happy observing!

Posted on April 6, 2021 01:52 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 1 comment | Leave a comment

April 7, 2021

22 days to go - Narol 14PA44 - and the naming of names

Narol 14PA44 is part of the RM of St. Andrews, RM of Springfield and the RM of East St Paul. Both the Red River and the Floodway run diagonally through the square rejoining just to the north. The eastern portion of Birds Hill Provincial Park is located in the southeast corner. Birds Hill Park is situated on an esker complex rising above the surrounding plain. The changes in relief and soil provide a wide variety of conditions that interest a similar wide variety of organisms.

At the time of posting, 1,358 observations had been uploaded by 83 observers. 438 species have been identified here, including 244 plants and 83 insects. The most frequently observed species is the Bur Oak with 91 observations. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas mentions that 37 species of birds were confirmed breeding in this square, with another 53 species possible and probable. Here's the full list.

iNat has chosen a community based identification process. This makes huge sense as the iNat team is small and the community is continuously growing and multi-talented. You may have already experienced some expectation gap around getting identifications of your observations - especially if you thought you were downloading an 'expert' app. No worries - a little adjustment to the expectations and I think you will find iNat to be an extremely interesting and useful tool in learning which organism is which.

The first asset I would like to draw your attention to is the dynamic taxonomy data. Taxonomy - the study of naming and classification of living things - has been making enthusiastic use of DNA analysis to review and revise our collective understanding of how things are named scientifically. This can be a little unsettling when huge swathes of your reference material (and your memorized facts) throw off their old names to parade in shiny new ones. iNat has worked towards selecting authoritative global sources for the names and portions of the iNat community specialize in keeping the naming used in iNat in sync with the latest understanding. These changes are then propagated through the observation data so your observations remain associated with the name that is currently belongs to the organism you observed.

Here's an example. Our Manitoba provincial flower, the Prairie Crocus, used to be known as Anemone patens ssp multifida. When the new name Pulsatilla nuttalliana became authoritative, identifications using the old name that were attached to observations were automatically copied and updated with the new name. You can see in the example - the original identifications and the auto-revised copies.

This is actually not the first time that the scientific name has changed for this plant. It was first described in 1817 under the name Anemone nuttalliana DC; this then lumped in with the European Anemone patens as a variety in 1841 becoming Anemone patens var. multifida. Things stayed quiet for a while then it was elevated to a subspecies in 1941 - Anemone patens subsp. multifida. Then DNA studies uncovered Anemone had a number of genera lumped in including the group that this plant belonged to. After a period of discussion, the new name became Pulsatilla nuttalliana.

Hope you are enjoying the spring activity as much as I am!

Posted on April 7, 2021 12:50 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 8, 2021

3 weeks (21 days), a look at Cooks Creek 14PA54, and observing the familiar and the new

Cooks Creek 14PA54 is shared betwen the RM of St. Clement and the RM of Springfield. Cooks Creek flows from south to north through the square on its way to the Red River. The western portion of Birds Hill Provincial Park is located in the west half. The Manitoba Bird Atlas listed the habitats in 2014 as Young broadleaf forest, Mature broadleaf forest, Mature coniferous forest, Mature mixed forest:, Open Wetland, Agriculture / open country and urban.

At the time of posting, 3,669 observations had been uploaded by 138 observers. 692 species have been identified here, including 319 plants, 148 insects and 112 birds. The most frequently observed species is the Black-capped Chickadee with 95 observations. Bur Oak and Trembling Aspen are tied for second with 57 observations each. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas found that 70 species of birds were confirmed breeding in this square, with another 53 species possible and probable. Here's the full list.

The things you see, hear and smell at the moment of observation become the data that can be linked to our collective knowledge and producing an identification. The stuff that gets later uploaded to iNat is the evidence of your experience. A better observation experience for you is more likely to lead to an identification. Take your time; enjoy yourself!

You may be very familiar with some things that you see - you can recognize them immediately and know their name without any hesitation. For these organisms, you probably know what needs to be in the stuff you upload to help others confirm your id. Things that don't fit in the image (or recording) can be described in the description field. Just check when you add the name during your upload, that you have the right organism. We all know situations where similar names can be confusing when you are in the midst of uploading your day's haul.

What to do then when you have no clue what the organism might be... The first thing is to gather as much evidence as practical while you and the organism are still in the same place at the same time.

If the organism is stationary and unaffected by your presence (like a tree or a moss) take pictures of the whole thing, and then pictures of the major parts like leaves or flowers. If the organism is really small, then use the closeup or macro features to get more details. Check for any smells - or textures like stickiness that seem distinctive.

If your approach causes the organism to change its behaviour, then keep your distance. Use telephoto features to zoom in without disturbing the organism. Note the surroundings and behaviour details to be added to the description when you upload your images. If the organism left traces like tracks or scat then photograph that too. The Audubon Society has great resources on recommended ethical practices. Remember that you can obscure the location of your observation to reduce repeated disturbance for organisms that are tied to a location like a nest or roost.

When you upload your unnamed organism, you can choose to identify it as a member of a large group rather than a single species. The top level of the taxonomic tree are the kingdoms. Here are the ones in iNat at the time of this post together with the observation and species count to date for Manitoba...

  1. Animals:45,222 observations of 2,599 species
  2. Plants:38,599 observations of 1,447 species
  3. Fungi: 5,093 observations of 405 species
  4. Kelp, Diatoms, and Allies: 10 observations of 3 species
  5. Protozoans: 113 observations of 13 species

As you gain experience with more organisms, you will be able to confidently assign your observations to the smaller groups within the kingdoms. You are probably already able to tell if it is a bird even if you are brand new to identification.

Happy spring observing!

Posted on April 8, 2021 03:10 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 9, 2021

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 !

Posted on April 9, 2021 02:24 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 12, 2021

17 days to go, Dugald 14PA52 & Lorette 14PA51, and what is Research Grade in iNat

Dugald 14PA52 is in the RM of Springfield. The town of Dugald is located in the northern section. The square is divided by mile road grids and drainage ditches. Agriculture dominates the land use in this square.

At the time of posting, 3 observations had been uploaded by 2 observers; 2 observations of Western Yellowjacket and 1 Blue Jay The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas found that 35 species of birds were confirmed breeding in this square, with another 40 species possible and probable. Here's the full list.


Lorette 14PA51 is in the RM of Tache. The town of Lorette is located in the southern section. Mile roads and drainage ditches divide up the land in the northern section. the Seine River runs east to west through the southern part of the square. River lots run perpendicular to its course. Agriculture is the main land use.

At the time of posting, 37 observations had been uploaded by 11 observers, led by @rdcromarty . 28 species have been identified here, including 7 plants and 14 insects. The most frequently observed species is the Common Dandelion with 3 observations. The Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas found that 11 species of birds were confirmed breeding in this square, with another 52 species possible and probable. Here's the full list.



The idea of 'research grade' in iNat seems to be a puzzlement for many. I like to think of it as simply a strategy towards creating observations that are more useful to the users of iNat data.

For an observation to become RG, it has to meet several criteria.

  1. there must be an organism (or evidence of one) in the image or sound file
  2. there has to be a location for the observation
  3. there has to be a date for the observation
  4. the organism cannot be captive or cultivated
  5. at least 2 identifiers must agree on an identification
  6. the community must agree that the identification cannot be any more specific than it is

There is a list at the bottom of each observation page which shows these same criteria and the thumbs up/thumbs down status of each. For a fuller explanation check out these links.

And feel free to ask questions in the comments .

Posted on April 12, 2021 01:54 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 13, 2021

16 days, Landmark 14PA50, and Nature Conservancy Canada - Manitoba Division lends a hand

Landmark 14PA50 is in the RM of Tache. The town of Landmark is located just east of its centre. The Seine River and the river lots running perpendicular to it cross the northern portion of the square. The remainder of the square is divided by mile road grids and drainage ditches. Agriculture dominates the land use in this square.

At the time of posting, 5 observations had been uploaded by 4 observers. Lots of room to fill in the blanks here.

The Nature Conservancy Canada-Manitoba Division is helping to raise awareness of the upcoming City Nature Challenge event by promoting it on their website here.. They also let me know about an upcoming webinar hosted by their Alberta region discussing the benefits of iNaturalist data on April 26th at 6:30 pm (free, pre-registration required). The presenter is Matt Wallace (@wowokayyes), very active in the Calgary City Nature Challenge as well as actively encouraging other Canadian cities to join in on the fun.

The main City Nature Challenge website is refreshed with resources for this year. If you or someone you know would benefit from checking out videos or reading through activity plans related to the event, this is the place to go. They are actively looking for feedback on their resources to improve the experience particularly for people new to iNaturalist and educators interested in using iNaturalist in their learning toolkit.

Here in Manitoba, iNaturalist continues to make gains - as of the time of posting, 90,152 observations of 4,474 species have been posted by 3,020 observers. 8,547 of these are observations made since January 1 of this year. Last year in the same period, 1,498 observations were made. We are well on our way to breaking that 100,000 milestone sometime this summer.

Looking at all of Canada, there are 4,508,886 observations of 28,149 species by 102,462 observers at the time of posting and globally, 61,512,695 observations of 327,755 species by 1,529,298 observers. Don't forget to update your photo licensing before April 15th. Read all about it in the blog.

Enjoy the snow!

Posted on April 13, 2021 12:49 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 14, 2021

15 days, Ile des Chenes 14PA40 and some thoughts on prepping observations

Ile des Chenes 14PA40 is shared between the RMs of Tache and Ritchot. The town of Ile des Chenes is located in its north.The square is divided by mile road grids and drainage ditches with two major drains combining near the center then flowing west towards the Red. Agriculture dominates the land use in this square.

At the time of posting, 17 observations had been uploaded by 7 observers, led by @meghann_81 . Twelve species are represented including 5 plants and 4 birds. The survey for the Breeding Bird Atlas of Manitoba confirmed 6 bird species nesting here, with another 40 species probable or possible. Here's the full list. Lots of scope for discovery here.

Today I thought I would share with you some details of my particular process. Feel free to ask questions or add useful alternatives in the comments.

These days I rarely use my phone to collect observation images - having almost completely switched over to using digital cameras. My workhorse is an Olympus TG6 - which I originally bought because it was waterproof and could take pictures underwater. I have not yet summoned the courage to plunge the the thing into the drink - but it is comforting to know that if we tip while out on the water, it won't turn into a brick. It has a 'microscope' mode for super closeups of moss and lichen. It has a wrist strap so I don't drop it very often. I chose the red body - this is good for me as it is harder to mislay but has the unfortunate consequence of causing pink reflections on some closeup subjects.

This camera also has the ability to collect a GPS log - this feature I use whenever our little band is on the move. I start the log as we leave base and leave it running continuously until we return. I generally also take a few 'sync' images - pictures of known locations during our outings. These prove useful later when when using the software to tag the images with the locations. Logging and taking lots of images means that I often need at least one battery change during the day - so the two spares are very useful. If I am observing at my bases, I don't bother with the GPS log. I have pinned location circles in the upload wizard for my habitual observation localities and use those instead. I figure that 'somewhere in my yard' is probably sufficient location accuracy for people to work with.

I set the camera time on initial setup and then forget it ever after. Some of my digitals auto-switch between daylight savings and regular - others do not. Most of my observations are of plants so unlikely that time is an important data point - the heavy lifting is all done by date. YMMV. I have a few trail cams as well and these vary in their approach - some require that the date and time be reset when the batteries are re-inserted - a pain if one forgets.

Trail cams can be an interesting way to augment your observations - we never guessed that a red fox was wandering through our yard regularly until we put out the trail cam. I did not opt for any wi-fi or cell capability, content just to place the camera, then see what I get when I retrieve it. It takes a bit of experimentation to find the right sensitivity for the kind of organism you would like to record. Too little sensitivity and no photos - too much and many photos of nothing that you wanted. :) Place your trail cam so that it does not face into the sun at any time of the day. You will get less false positives if you choose a relatively sheltered location without nearby grasses or tree branches in the triggering cone. My best results have come from finding places where there is a natural reason for animals to pass by the trail cam and preferably reasonably fresh sign that they are.

All the images get transferred to the computer. I keep them in date folders. This has the interesting side-effect of iNat acting as a searchable index of my images. Next I tag the images that need it with the locations from the GPS log. Here's a tutorial from iNat and a forum discussion on the many solutions. I then use my photo-editing software to adjust exposure if the images is badly over or under exposed - and to ruthlessly crop images to isolate my chosen organism.

Once all the images are ready, I use the web page to upload them - using the drag feature to combine multiple images into single observations where appropriate. I find that I need to keep the number of images added at one time to under 50 as otherwise the whole thing bogs down in lag. I then add the identifications and check for any missing locations or dates that may have slipped though. Once the images have been uploaded, I can add the extra details like tagging dead things as dead.

After the dust is settled, I work through the observations that I did not recognize, using both my stack of field guides, the internet in general and other iNat observations to see if I can come up with more specific ids. Sometimes I just find that I need to make a note to return and get another observation with more details. This I do not regard as a setback. :)

Still working through my backlog...

Posted on April 14, 2021 12:45 PM by marykrieger marykrieger | 0 comments | Leave a comment