tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34402360174067458732024-03-06T22:01:09.789+13:00Watching New Zealand natureThe blog of the <a href="http://www.nzbrn.org.nz">New Zealand Bio-Recording Network</a> (NZBRN) and <a href="http://www.naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>.Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-91140504207004061452015-01-01T17:10:00.000+13:002015-01-01T18:44:33.978+13:00This blog has moved!We've flicked the switch and turned on a Wordpress version of this blog, <a href="http://blog.naturewatch.org.nz">http://blog.naturewatch.org.nz</a>.<br />
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We're back filling it with the news stories and important NatureWatch NZ observations from 2014 that we posted on Facebook, as an archive. Then our sights will be set on 2015 and lots of new nature watching goodness.<br />
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In a few days we'll turn this site into a single post redirecting to the new site.<br />
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Thanks and Happy New Year to your all.<br />
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Jon Sullivan (for the NatureWatch NZ team)Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-7430347046401057172014-10-13T23:01:00.001+13:002014-10-13T23:01:39.320+13:00NatureWatch NZ is going global with iNaturalist.orgThis week NatureWatch NZ is merging under the hood with iNaturalist, so that we can combine all of the global power of iNaturalist with the home grown NatureWatch NZ online community.<br />
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You can read all about it at <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/pages/news">http://naturewatch.org.nz/pages/news</a><br />
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<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/pages/news"><img src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/iNat-NWNZ.png"></a>
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And, you may have noticed that we've been paying vastly more attention to NatureWatch NZ and our Facebook page than this blog. That will all change soon enough.<br />
</br>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-13559889021526379602014-06-17T12:43:00.002+12:002014-06-17T12:43:47.828+12:00NatureWatch NZ down briefly for a server upgrade.If you're wondering why NatureWatch NZ is not loading, and it's the middle of the day on Tuesday 17 June, it's because our NZ web hosting company is doing a big upgrade of their servers. We'll be back online soon. Thanks.Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-68390305508526412782013-11-01T14:48:00.000+13:002013-11-01T14:54:15.356+13:00Media release: Citizen science crowd-sources nature watchingWe just sent out a press release highlighting some of the successes of <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> in its first year of operation and celebrating our milestone of 50,000 photos of NZ species. You can see the press release over on the <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC1311/S00002/citizen-science-crowd-sources-nature-watching.htm">Scoop website</a>. I've also copied it here. Many thanks to our media man, Greg Comfort, for putting this together.<br />
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<p>Subject: <b>Citizen science crowd-sources nature watching</b></p>
<p>Release date: <b>Friday, 1 November 2013</b></p>
<p><b>Citizen science crowd-sources nature watching and discovers new stuff!</b></p>
<p><br></p>
<p>The New Zealand citizen science website <b>NatureWatch NZ</b> is celebrating over a year of people reporting their staggering variety of natural history discoveries.</p>
<p>Since it launched in August 2012, replacing a clunky 2006 predecessor, it has amassed over 32,343 records made by more than 540 observers. This week it passed the milestone of 50,000 photos online, including the very first photos added to the internet of many native invertebrate and fungi species.</p>
<p><b>NatureWatch NZ</b> is dedicated to building a record of nature in New Zealand. It lets anyone add an observation of anything natural they've spotted anywhere, in the wild or the town, in the air, on land, or in the water. Observations with photos can then be identified and verified by a network of experienced amateur and professional experts involved in the project – and increasingly by the wider NatureWatch NZ online community.</p>
<p>The observations are building a vast storehouse of useful information about all species in the New Zealand environment, from birds to plants to insects to fungi. With the website getting around 100,000 page views per month, it’s becoming one of the most popular environmental science sites in New Zealand. <br>
So what use is this vast collection of nature watching?</p>
<p>For a start, it crowd sources the collection of data in the same way that the SETI project helps look for life out in the stars. Instead of only a handful of scientists making observations, it spreads the load by letting anyone add an observation of something they've seen. And over 14,151 comments from members have added to the value of the observations. By doing so they provide a fantastic resource for scientists and researchers in NZ and around the world.</p>
<p>It’s also a valuable tool for environmental managers and biosecurity staff to monitor changes in wildlife and other biodiversity. In just one year, the NatureWatch NZ community has already discovered a new native moss species and recorded a handful of insects and fungi not previously known to be in New Zealand, plus inter-island range expansions of some pest insects.</p>
<p>Most crucially, it engages more people in being observant and informed about the world around them at a time when, more than ever, we need to understand and manage our environment more sensitively and sustainably.</p>
<p>Ecologist Colin Meurk says the website has created one of the most useful research tools he's seen. "NatureWatch NZ is more than just a website - it's a veritable treasure trove of fascinating, bizarre and surprising truths about our country. It draws people into the social medium aspect, making it fun to satisfy our natural curiosity; and perhaps it inoculates us against the modern diseases of virtual reality, environmental disconnect and <a href="http://richardlouv.com/"><span class="s1">Louv's nature deficit disorder</span></a>. It combines our love of nature and technology." </p>
<p>Lincoln University ecologist Jon Sullivan used NatureWatch NZ in Lincoln’s biological diversity course this year. “Until now, nothing our students saw in their assignments was kept. With NatureWatch NZ, our students put all their observations online where their identifications are verified or corrected. Our students have easily added more observations to the internet of local animals and plants than everyone else in the last twenty years combined. Now we can really start to watch how nature is changing.”</p>
<p>NatureWatch NZ is run by the <b>New Zealand Bio-Recording Network Trust</b>, a charitable trust dedicated to recording the natural history of New Zealand, with funding from the New Zealand Government and other supporters like the Brian Mason Scientific and Technical Trust. It is led by a group of New Zealand biodiversity scientists and biodata IT specialists, in collaboration with the open source iNaturalist project from California. The Trust is now trialing the use of NatureWatch NZ in schools, where it can make every teacher a biodiversity expert. <br>
To see the website in action, please visit <a href="http://www.naturewatch.org.nz/"><span class="s1">www.naturewatch.org.nz</span></a></p>
<p><b>Some stand-out observations</b>:</p>
<p>Released Tui named "The Bishop" spotted alive and well <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/362046"><span class="s1">http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/362046</span></a><br>
Marine life makes home in old post hole <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/373841"><span class="s1">http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/373841</span></a><br>
Tiny wasp released in Nelson in 1921 in a failed biocontrol introduction was rediscovered in Auckland <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/356987"><span class="s1">http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/356987</span></a><br>
In July this year, the fourth record of the American gull, the Franklin’s gull, in New Zealand <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/368420"><span class="s1">http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/368420</span></a><br>
In April this year, the big Noddy Flycap mushroom discovered in an urban Christchurch reserve, the first record for Canterbury, the second for the South Island, and the tenth collection ever in the world: <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/357531"><span class="s1">http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/357531</span></a><br>
ends</p>
Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-89531045033474111352013-10-29T12:39:00.001+13:002013-10-29T12:45:09.191+13:00The NZ natural history revolution continuesWe've been having a bit too much fun lately on <a href="http://www.naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> to be regularly updating our blog (our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nzbrn/">Facebook page</a> has been noting some of the most amazing discoveries). With so much going on, I thought some of you might be interested in the latest stats on NatureWatch NZ. In summary, it just keeps on growing.<br />
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Since our launch in late August 2012, <strong>548</strong> people have now added <strong>32,343</strong>(!) observations of <strong>5,004</strong>(!) New Zealand species and higher taxa. Of those, <strong>25,915</strong> observations include photos, and since one observation can contain many photos, those fine 548 people have added an amazing <strong>50,128</strong> photos. We just passed that milestone of 50,000 photos this past week. <strong>That's over 50,000 photos of NZ species, many the first photos ever added to the internet of a species.</strong><br />
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Observations become "research grade" when someone else agrees with an observation, something that is usually only possible when there's an included photo. Of the 25,915 observations with photos, we already have 14,417 at "research grade". The quality of observations keeps increasing as more people use the site and correct identification errors.<br />
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Another measure of how vibrant the NatureWatch NZ online community has become is the comments on observations. Since launch, NatureWatch NZ users have made <strong>14,151 comments</strong> on observations. Some of the discussions have been <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348222">fascinating</a>, others <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/373091">funny</a>.<br />
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Our other easy measure of how useful and successful NatureWatch NZ is becoming is how many people visit the website (including people who use the site but don't sign in and add observations). Since launch, a whopping <strong>84,357 unique visitors</strong> have made <strong>144,972 visits</strong> and in total made <strong>891,831 page views</strong>. One million page views, here we come! On average, visitors stay for just over five minutes and look at just over six webpages.<br />
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I still feel like this is very early days for what is possible with NatureWatch NZ. There's so much new to discover about NZ nature. We're especially keen to involve more schools in this discovery, and are looking forward to being a central part of the big <a href="http://ninavalleyecoblitz.com">Nina Valley EcoBlitz</a> next March. We're also keen to expand on the monitoring capabilities of the site (our bulk upload feature will be greatly expanded very soon). Plus, we're at about the stage where some serious science can be attempted with the data. Regardless, it's been a <strong>terrific</strong> start. Thanks to everyone who's been part of it. Onwards and upwards!<br />
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<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/371611"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand"" border="0" alt="" src="http://storage.naturewatch.org.nz/photos/38551/medium.jpg?1380704793" /></a>Before I return to NatureWatch NZ, I'll leave you with this amazing wingless crane fly, discovered in Christchurch's <a href="http://traviswetland.org.nz">Travis Wetland</a> by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/grahame">grahame</a>, posted on NatureWatch NZ as "ID Please", and identified by local entomologist <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/people/8787">Peter Johns</a> as a male <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/18183-Gynoplistia"><em>Gynoplistia</em></a> species (probably <em>Gynoplistia pedestris</em>.).Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-45180876162234266922013-07-15T14:16:00.000+12:002013-09-30T21:01:34.973+13:00NatureWatch NZ in schoolsToday we're at the <a href="http://biolive2013.org.nz">BioLive conference</a> of New Zealand biology teachers. We'll be demonstrating the potential of NatureWatch NZ in schools and getting teacher feedback on what they would like us to develop to help them. Our workshop at the conference is being led by our education coordinator Shane Orchard, from the board of our charitable trust, and Marie McDonald, a current Lincoln University Master of Science student and trained teacher.<br />
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You can see the slides of Shane and Marie's presentation <a href="http://canterburynature.org/species/resources/NatureWatch NZ at BioLive 2013.pdf">here</a>. We'd welcome any feedback in the comments about how you think NatureWatch NZ could best fit into New Zealand schools.
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<a href="http://canterburynature.org/species/resources/NatureWatch NZ at BioLive 2013.pdf"><img src="http://canterburynature.org/species/resources/BioLive_presentation_cover.png" width = 400px></a><br />
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Our work scoping out the use of NatureWatch NZ in schools is kindly funded by the <a href="http://www.brianmasontrust.org">Brian Mason Science and Technical Trust</a>.Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-25204934508192332932013-05-22T17:46:00.000+12:002013-07-04T22:40:30.740+12:00Celebrating 20,000 observations in 8 months since launch<div style="display:block; align=" center";="" margin-bottom:="" 5px;"=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CVB36FUWYLywTKU3oZAAezbfB_ULIAxJAhWHeFYCIe40OQWFj-ph3e9X3xHsjqduN-h4SXtDgoAfrUPlg2rADyQHIOjq45g4qGcsFCbeKeJQmXZeSfXjzKN1D03byiysRLmstzvq5Qw/s1600/NatureWatch+logo+fireworks.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CVB36FUWYLywTKU3oZAAezbfB_ULIAxJAhWHeFYCIe40OQWFj-ph3e9X3xHsjqduN-h4SXtDgoAfrUPlg2rADyQHIOjq45g4qGcsFCbeKeJQmXZeSfXjzKN1D03byiysRLmstzvq5Qw/s320/NatureWatch+logo+fireworks.png"></a></div><br>It's time to get the sausage rolls out of the oven and the champagne out of the fridge. <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> just surged past its <strong>20,000th</strong> observation added since it launched on 27 August 2012. It seems like just over a couple of months ago that NatureWatch past our 10,000 observation milestone. Oh wait. <a href="http://nzbrn.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/naturewatch-nz-hits-10000-observations.html">It was!</a><br>
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Our <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/360387">20,000th observation</a> was of an as yet unidentified spider in a web on a barberry, the 47th observation added by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/people/8425">Charles Fryett</a>.<br>
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Our online community is growing strongly with those 20,000 observations coming from 399 observers (almost twice the number of people who added the first 10,000). They have added observations of an impressive 3,553 taxa (taxa includes species and higher taxa like genus and family when a species has not been identified). NatureWatch NZ now contains 22,324 photos, attached to 15,013 observations. We're fast becoming an online treasure chest of NZ biodiversity observations, including more of the first photos of some species ever added to the internet (as found with <a href="http://google.com">Google</a> searches).<br>
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NatureWatch NZ is now a vibrant online community for identifying and discussing New Zealand natural history. And it's not just people observing and commenting on observations. In the past month, 8,909 unique visitors made 107,776 page views. That means "a lot" in web stats language, for a biodiversity website. And those web stats are growing steadily. We're really pleased at how well the new website is being used this soon after our transition from our clunky legacy NZBRN website.<br>
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It's a great start, and still just the tip of the iceberg for what we can all contribute to knowledge of NZ nature.<br>
<div style="block"> </div><br>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-28937797711675311852013-03-29T21:30:00.000+13:002013-03-29T21:32:23.159+13:00NatureWatch NZ on Radio New Zealand NationalYou can have a listen to two of <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>'s founders, <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/colinmeurk">Colin Meurk</a> and <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/jon">Jon Sullivan</a>, talk about the project on <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/">Radio New Zealand National</a>. This was part of Veronica Meduna's show, <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2550545/naturewatch-nz">Our Changing World</a>, and aired on Thursday 28 March 2013. Jon and Colin talked with Veronica about how NatureWatch NZ works and its aspirations for better connecting Kiwis to nature.<br />
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<iframe src="http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/remote-player?id=2550545" width="100%" frameborder="0" height="62px"></iframe>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-76343289280859061162013-03-20T19:14:00.002+13:002013-03-20T20:55:23.254+13:00The hunt for the toatoa gall miteHere's an interesting challenge for everyone on <a href="http://naturwatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> from entomologist <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/nicholasmartin">Nicholas Martin</a>. Nicholas is the creator of the <a href="http://plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz">Plant-SyNZ</a> website of the insect herbivores on New Zealand plants. He's an expert on invertebrate herbivores, especially galling species. And he's found something surprising in Auckland and is keen for your help.<br />
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The toatoa bud gall mite, <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/9715-Aceria-victoriae"><em>Aceria victoriae</em></a> (Acari: Eriophyidae), lives on the common native plant, toatoa (or shrubby haloragis), <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/39266-Haloragis-erecta"><em>Haloragis erecta</em></a> (Haloragaceae). The mite was first discovered in a greenhouse at Victoria University, Wellington in 1956 and <a href="http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_85/rsnz_85_03_004050.html">named and described by Graeame Ramsay in 1958</a>. (<a href="http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=125121">Here's the holotype specimen at Te Papa museum</a>.) Remarkably, it was not seen again, until Nicholas found it in 2012 in Auckland, despite his spending decades in Auckland documenting invertebrates feeding on native plants.<br />
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<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/350354"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/11849/medium.jpg" title = "toatoa gall mite galls, photo by Nicholas Martin on NatureWatch NZ"></a><br />
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Nicholas first found bud galls on toatoa in October 2012 at <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/350354">Whatipu</a> on the southwest tip of the Waitakere Ranges. He found them again in December, this time in the heart of urban Auckland in a <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/350359">native reserve in St Helliers</a>.<br />
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The host plant is common in native bush, and the galls are obvious to a trained eye, so why is it so rare in Auckland? And where has it been all these years? Is it more common elsewhere in the country? This is an opportunity for other naturalists in New Zealand to see if they can find the toatoa bud gall mite.<br />
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The galls are easily recognisable (see the photos with Nicholas's observations at <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/350354">Whatipu</a> and <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/350359">St. Helliers</a>). The galls are red. Toatoa flowers and fruit are normally green, but may be red, so you need to look closely at the shoot with suspected galls to make sure they are not red fruit or flower buds.<br />
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If you find what you think are toatoa bud galls, please add your observations to our new project, the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/hunt-for-the-toatoa-bud-gall-mite">Hunt for the toatoa gall mite</a>. Please be sure to include photo(s) with your observations. Nicholas would also appreciate a specimen if you're interested. And if you find some toatoa and there are no galls on it, that would be very useful to know too. In this case, you can enter an observation of the species and tick the "Sought but not found" box.<br />
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE08l7ybTpNy7OFkrZWThs75TcqWPzjlFaxcefW4PER0ApeZID8jttyr6YXDn0k9jg756qB89iE8eDiYlAqzylFi_UcFf-xVhytoYEYUlUMSg2T2bzDGzRCRq8aUsjoz9ce1ogqH7vC3A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.23.43+AM.png"><br />
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Good hunting!<br />
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</div>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-39151412570237760922013-03-18T16:13:00.001+13:002013-03-18T16:26:45.351+13:00Using NatureWatch NZ in a university classroom<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/340552" title="Yellow admiral butterfly by Jon Sullivan, on NatureWatch NZ"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8281/7851205948_bf24343564_n.jpg" width="320" height="214" alt="DSC_0034.JPG"></a><br />Since 2011, <a href="http://www.lincoln.ac.nz">Lincoln University</a>'s Biological Diversity class (Ecol202) has run the Great Canterbury Butterfly Hunt. As one of their nature journal assignments, each student counts butterflies in a simple, standardised way in one garden and one wild place. As a class, we can then figure out in more detail the kinds of habitats and places our butterflies most like. By doing this every year, and making it public through <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>, we are setting up baseline from which changes in butterfly numbers can be detected.<br />
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At the end of summer, each student spends one 20-minute period on a warm sunny day counting butterflies in their garden, and another 20-minutes doing the same in a wild place. They note the maximum and minimum number of individuals of each butterfly species they see within and beyond 10 m of where they stand. They photograph as many of the species as they can. They also record and photograph the presence of any host plants of butterfly caterpillars, and record and photograph the flowers that any butterflies are visiting at the site.<br />
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This is the first year that we've had NatureWatch NZ available for the butterfly count. It's made things much easier than having to deal with 60 to 70 student spreadsheets. We set up <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/ecol202-great-canterbury-butterfly-hunt">a project</a> on NatureWatch NZ, which all the students joined and used for this year's observations.<br />
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<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/project/50">View more observations from Ecol202: Great Canterbury Butterfly Hunt on <nobr>NatureWatch NZ »</nobr></a>
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Importantly, the assignment is assessed on the ability of students to create a useful dataset. That means they lose no marks if they cannot identify a species, so long as they provide sufficient notes and photographs to allow someone else to identify it. We encouraged them to use the "ID Please" function in NatureWatch NZ whenever they were unsure of an identification. This worked out really well as often someone else on NatureWatch NZ had already made the correct identification by the time we marked the observation.<br />
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Another handy thing about NatureWatch NZ for this kind of exercise is the way it deals with location privacy. Students, if they wish, can choose to publicly obscure their locations to a 10 km radius or make them private. Perhaps they don't want everyone in the class knowing exactly where they live. When they do this, the exact locations are hidden from everyone except the Butterfly Hunt project managers (in this case, me and our tutor Nathan). All projects work this way, and people are warned by NatureWatch NZ when they join and add observations to projects. It's a really useful balance.<br />
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I've also been uploading the past years' observations into the project using NatureWatch NZ's handy CSV spreadsheet upload function, and then editing the relevant observations to add photos. Soon, we'll have all three years of butterfly counts publicly available and archived on NatureWatch NZ. That will be a record of local butterfly diversity that will only get more valuable with time.<br />
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Imagine how much more we'd know if every university, polytech, and high school was doing something like this each year, throughout the country. Imagine if they'd all been doing it for decades. We wouldn't be wondering whether or not NZ butterflies were declining. We'd know so, and in enough detail to describe the conditions associated with the worst declines. (The <a href="http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/">Monarch Butterfly NZ Trust</a> is busy working to achieve this vision too.)<br />
<br />
As part of the class exercise, I prepared the following video tutorial on using NatureWatch NZ. I expect it will be of general interest to people new to NatureWatch NZ (like <a href="http://nzbrn.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/a-video-tutorial-on-adding-kereru.html">last month's video tutorial</a> on how to upload kereru observations). Note that the details we added to the tags of each observation will very soon be able to be added directly into custom fields, part of the next NatureWatch NZ feature upgrade.<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/61160283" width="500" height="375" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/61160283">NatureWatch NZ tutorial on adding observations of butterflies and their associated plants</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user16876186">Jon Sullivan</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
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I'll blog at a later time about what all these observations are telling us about butterflies. For now, I hope it's a useful example of how NatureWatch NZ can be used in a university classroom to collate and error-check observations, build students' natural history knowledge, and do so in a way that contributes to our shared knowledge of New Zealand biodiversity.<br />Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-11845640812924838722013-02-21T16:59:00.000+13:002013-02-21T17:10:17.180+13:00A video tutorial on adding kererū counts to NatureWatch NZ Following on <a href="http://nzbrn.blogspot.co.nz/2013/02/count-that-kereru.html">from our recent blog post</a> on this year's kererū count, here's an excellent tutorial video from <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/people/7835">Laura Molles</a>, of <a href="http://lincoln.ac.nz">Lincoln University</a> and <a href="http://kaupapakereru.org">Kaupapa Kererū</a>. Laura walks you through all the steps for using <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> to record your observations of <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/48513-Hemiphaga-novaeseelandiae">kererū</a> (New Zealand wood pigeon). While the video is directed at people involved in this year's <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/kaupapa-kererū-banks-peninsula-kereru-community-count">Banks Peninsula kererū count</a>, it applies equally well to the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/count-that-kererū">national kererū count</a>. Thanks, Laura, for making this.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PKHyWHDNP4M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Links:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/kaupapa-kererū-banks-peninsula-kereru-community-count">Add an observation to the Kaupapa Kererū Banks Peninsula kererū count</a></li>
<li><a href="http://kaupapakereru.org">Kaupapa Kererū</a></li>
<li><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/count-that-kererū">Add an observation to the national kererū count using NatureWatch NZ</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.kererucount.org.nz">Forest&Bird's kererū count page for kids</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.kererudiscovery.org.nz">Kererū Discovery</a> (to learn more about how to help kererū)</li>
</ul>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-3008706316193134962013-02-21T11:32:00.001+13:002013-02-21T15:00:05.379+13:00Count that kererū!<img src="http://www.canterburynature.org/species/resources/kereru_face.png" title = "Kereru look"><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> is joining forces this year with <a href="http://www.forest-bird.org.nz">Forest & Bird's</a> Kiwi Conservation Club, <a href="http://www.kererudiscovery.org.nz">Kererū Discovery</a> and Banks Peninsula's <a href="http://kaupapakereru.org">Kaupapa Kererū</a>, to count as many <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/48513-Hemiphaga-novaeseelandiae">kererū</a> (New Zealand wood pigeons) as we can. We're asking <strong>everyone</strong> (and that means you!) to get out and look for kererū from 24 February to 4 March this year. And you don't need to stop. By all means keep on counting afterwards.<br />
<br />
<strong>Why count kererū?</strong><br />
Because they big, beautiful, iconic birds that are declining in numbers in parts of New Zealand. We need to know more about where they are doing well and where they are not, and why, to better understand how to look after them. Plus, they are <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2011.0185">really important as dispersers</a> of our largest-seeded native trees, and of <a href="http://kaupapakereru.org/about-kereru/">long-standing cultural importance to Maori</a> (and admired by New Zealanders generally). Together, we can collect the observations needed to keep a close eye on New Zealand's kererū.<br />
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<strong>Do you want to keep it simple?</strong><br />
When you join this year's kererū count, you've got a couple of options. If you like to keep things nice and simple, but just a little bit less useful, you can jump straight to <a href="http://www.forest-bird.org.nz">Forest & Bird's</a> Kiwi Conservation Club <a href="http://www.kererucount.org.nz">kererū count</a> webpage. This site is targeted at kids and asks for everyone to note down when and where they see kererū, how many they see, and what the birds were doing. All their counts are archived later on <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> using just the first name of each observer (you can explore all the 2011 counts in the NatureWatch NZ project, <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/project/46"><u>Count that kererū!</u></a>.<br />
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<strong>Or, you can make your counts even more useful</strong><br />
If you would like to add some more details to your counts, including photos of the birds or the plants they were feeding on, you should add your observations straight to NatureWatch NZ's <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/project/46"><u>Count that kererū!</u></a> project, and, if you're on Banks Peninsula, to the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/kaupapa-kererū-banks-peninsula-kereru-community-count"><u>Kaupapa Kererū Banks Peninsula Kereru Community Count</u></a> project.<br />
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On these projects we encourage you to add the following tags and other details to your observations:<br />
<ul><li>"observation type: casual" for when you see kererū while out doing other things.</li>
<li>"observation type: search" for when you count a kererū while out specifically looking for kererū</li>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Igmy10ST8pWfJphCkwqVe0GWE8Y9r44escx_r2htZhWAG9XDKKj4Irvv_ZrJSQ9kkR7bf7faMw_g1nyHU-QBOrBsk2NMOvoeTEgpP5PhXQIqETTugPDG9-XddoQJCWOCb8LLEzCvqnQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.26.11+AM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Igmy10ST8pWfJphCkwqVe0GWE8Y9r44escx_r2htZhWAG9XDKKj4Irvv_ZrJSQ9kkR7bf7faMw_g1nyHU-QBOrBsk2NMOvoeTEgpP5PhXQIqETTugPDG9-XddoQJCWOCb8LLEzCvqnQ/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.26.11+AM.png" /></a>
<li>When you have specifically looked for kererū and not found any, please enter this as an observation with the tag "observation type: search" and the "Sought but not found" box checked. "Sought but not found" is in the "click for more details..." section when you add observations.</li>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE08l7ybTpNy7OFkrZWThs75TcqWPzjlFaxcefW4PER0ApeZID8jttyr6YXDn0k9jg756qB89iE8eDiYlAqzylFi_UcFf-xVhytoYEYUlUMSg2T2bzDGzRCRq8aUsjoz9ce1ogqH7vC3A/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.23.43+AM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE08l7ybTpNy7OFkrZWThs75TcqWPzjlFaxcefW4PER0ApeZID8jttyr6YXDn0k9jg756qB89iE8eDiYlAqzylFi_UcFf-xVhytoYEYUlUMSg2T2bzDGzRCRq8aUsjoz9ce1ogqH7vC3A/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.23.43+AM.png" /></a>
<li>If you were out looking for kererū, please also note how long you were searching. It's most helpful to do this by adding duration to your observation's tags, e.g., "duration: 30min"</li>
<li>If you were walking about rather than stationary, you can add a radius to your site on the map by adding a number in metres to Accuracy under "Where were you?".</li>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJ1At8mOGoPPznt6ETx3A1av7FvBo3yVSyCHHq1AiOUbp5j8MZXtnni2VFSZKErY2nJXqIHGHRmS5sX5DevPMtIJwnFJL9gLW-M0qw0_vOwaFdSmLXhKZarEVxBUG3dV9DFjlhJbMwGM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.25.31+AM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJ1At8mOGoPPznt6ETx3A1av7FvBo3yVSyCHHq1AiOUbp5j8MZXtnni2VFSZKErY2nJXqIHGHRmS5sX5DevPMtIJwnFJL9gLW-M0qw0_vOwaFdSmLXhKZarEVxBUG3dV9DFjlhJbMwGM/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.25.31+AM.png" /></a>
</ul>
(We're busy adding drop down lists and custom fields and other shiny things to NatureWatch NZ to make entering these details simpler in future, but unfortunately these won't quite be ready for the 2013 kererū count.)<br />
<br />
Adding these extra details to your observations makes it much easier for scientists to figure out how our kererū populations are doing. Knowing <strong>whether or not</strong> you saw kererū <strong>when you were out looking for them</strong> is much more informative than just noting down where you see them. Why? Because it clearly shows us the places where kererū are absent or rarely seen. Otherwise, we don't know whether there are no kererū in an area or just that no kererū counter visited the area to look.<br />
<br />
We also encourage you to add observations of the plants (fruit, flowers, or leaves) that you see kererū feeding on. You can add these as separate observations to the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/project/46"><u>Count that kererū!</u></a> project too, after you have entered a kererū observation. You can turn on "ID Please" if you'd like help identifying the plants. All NatureWatch NZ webpage links are stable so you can copy and paste the web link (URL) from your plant observation webpage into the description of your kererū observation if you wish.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXu0EWee26Co-FZagU1C0YpUfzAQDGthECOODEOUeiQQqoHQzjAxto_56se-mZPiNzD8rk8-V9xvj1rafx8sppkR4Yui5kSqbI2FGvY7jLA9_MdDW4vtlD9-GkWAupHoe2AlGks0FAwE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.30.13+AM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXu0EWee26Co-FZagU1C0YpUfzAQDGthECOODEOUeiQQqoHQzjAxto_56se-mZPiNzD8rk8-V9xvj1rafx8sppkR4Yui5kSqbI2FGvY7jLA9_MdDW4vtlD9-GkWAupHoe2AlGks0FAwE/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-02-21+at+11.30.13+AM.png" /></a>
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Happy counting!<br />
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<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/project/46">Live feed of observations from <u>Count that kererū!</u> on <nobr>NatureWatch NZ »</nobr></a>
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<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/project/46">View more observations from <u>Count that kererū!</u> on <nobr>NatureWatch NZ »</nobr></a>
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</div>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-21584715846759663802013-02-14T21:49:00.002+13:002013-02-15T10:31:24.618+13:00NatureWatch NZ hits 10,000 observations in its first 5½ months<div style="display:block; align="center"; margin-bottom: 5px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CVB36FUWYLywTKU3oZAAezbfB_ULIAxJAhWHeFYCIe40OQWFj-ph3e9X3xHsjqduN-h4SXtDgoAfrUPlg2rADyQHIOjq45g4qGcsFCbeKeJQmXZeSfXjzKN1D03byiysRLmstzvq5Qw/s1600/NatureWatch+logo+fireworks.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CVB36FUWYLywTKU3oZAAezbfB_ULIAxJAhWHeFYCIe40OQWFj-ph3e9X3xHsjqduN-h4SXtDgoAfrUPlg2rADyQHIOjq45g4qGcsFCbeKeJQmXZeSfXjzKN1D03byiysRLmstzvq5Qw/s320/NatureWatch+logo+fireworks.png" /></a></div><br />Light the fireworks and release the streamers, <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> just blasted past its <strong>10,000th</strong> observation added since it launched on 27 August 2012. Our <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348927">10,000th new observation</a> was of a New Zealand falcon, made by new user <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/eolsi">eolsi</a>. The first 10,000 <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> observations were contributed by 209 users, who have added observations of 2,486 species and higher taxa. An impressive 7,137 of these observations include photos, some being the only photos of their species that show up in <a href="http://google.com">Google</a> searches.<br />
<br />
It's a great start, and just the tip of the iceberg for what we can all contribute to knowledge of NZ nature. Here are some of our favourite treasures and surprises among the 10,000.<br />
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<div style="block">
<b>Category: What is that weird thing?!</b><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348222"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand"" border="0" alt="" src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/10832/small.JPG" /></a><br />
<b><em>Winner</em></b>: the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348222" id = "Stemonita fusca (probably)">pink, stalked slime mould</a> from <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/wbnz">wbnz</a>’s wood pile in Stewart Island<br />
<br />
<b><em>Honourable mention</em></b>:<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/myxonz">myxonz</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342901">alien sub-woofer <em>Plectania</em> fungus</a>.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/grahame">grahame</a>'s "<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343506">Black Hairy Travis Thing</a>".<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/jon">jon</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343630"><em>Doris</em> the nudibranch</a>.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/nikbaines">nikbaines</a>' <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342676">bird's nest fungus</a>.<br />
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<br />
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<div style="block">
<b>Category: Colourful and then some</b><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348222"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand"" border="0" alt="" src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/10776/small.JPG" /></a><br />
<b><em>Winner</em></b>: the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348222">nudibranch <em>Tambja verconis</em></a> from the Poor Knights observed by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/land_and_sea">land_and_sea</a><br />
<br />
<b><em>Honourable mention</em></b>:<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/gailtv">gailtv</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/345518">observation</a> of a sky blue mountain top flatworm (which we still haven't identified).<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/land_and_sea">land_and_sea</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348026">observation</a> of the black and electric blue nudibranch <em>Tambja morosa</em> from the Poor Knights.<br />
</div>
<div style="block">
<b>Category: Is it even there?</b><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/341702"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand"" border="0" alt="" src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/2834/small.JPG" /></a><br />
<b><em>Winner</em></b>: the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/341702">near invisible rock caterpillar of <em>Dichromodes ida</em></a> observed by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/nikbaines">nikbaines</a><br />
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<b><em>Honourable mention</em></b>:<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/thomasjwalsh">thomasjwalsh</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/345248">observation</a> of the "giant, camouflaged, fortified silverfish" like thing, <em>Nesomachilis</em>.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/stho002">stho002</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/346858">observation</a> of the nearly transparent <em>Eucalyptus</em> leaf mining caterpillar, <em>Phylacteophaga froggatti</em>.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/jon">jon</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/344356">observation</a> of the moss moth <em>Lysiphragma howesii</em>.<br /><br />
</div>
<div style="block">
<b>Category: Most amazing behaviour</b><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347090"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand"" border="0" alt="" src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/9245/small.JPG" /></a><br />
<b><em>Winner</em></b>: <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347090">a young bellbird feeding a fledgling silvereye</a> observed by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/nikbaines">nikbaines</a><br />
<br />
<b><em>Honourable mention</em></b>:<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/grahame">Grahame</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342703">observation</a> of a pukeko running off with a black swan chick.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/steveattwood">steveattwood</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347950">skilfully photographed series of observations</a> of a pair of great crested grebes nesting on Lake Forsyth.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/tevoleus">tevoleus</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/344343">observation</a> of a tui singing to its reflection in the window.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="block">
<b>Category: Yikes, biosecurity</b><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347727"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand"" border="0" alt="" src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/10327/small.JPG" /></a><br />
<b><em>Winner</em></b>: <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347727">a suspiciously <em>Didymo</em>-like green algae</a> observed on Stewart Island, where <em>Didymo</em> is currently absent, by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/colinmeurk">colinmeurk</a>. After people saw this observation, DOC staff went back to the spot to collect some for identification. Luckily, it was something else.<br />
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<b><em>Honourable mention</em></b>:<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/land_and_sea">land_and_sea</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348711">observation</a> of young balloon vine, <em>Cardiospermum grandiflorum</em>, spreading in Northland. This is a weed people are keen to get rid of.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/andrewpughnewzealand">andrewpughnewzealand</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342530">observations</a> of the newly arrived potato eating pest, the Hadda beetle, in Auckland. This was first spotted in New Zealand in 2010, unfortunately too late for eradication to be feasible.<br />
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<b>Category: The biggest discovery</b><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347724"><img style="MARGIN: 10px 10px 0px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 206px; CURSOR: hand"" border="0" alt="" src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/10324/small.JPG" /></a><br />
<b><em>Winner</em></b>: <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347724">the first time the poo moss <em>Tayloria tasmanica</em> had been found outside of Tasmania</a>, and a new addition to the New Zealand moss flora, observed on Stewart Island by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/colinmeurk">colinmeurk</a><br />
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<b><em>Honourable mention</em></b>:<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/nikbaines">nikbaines</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/341703">observation</a> of peripatus in Dunedin city.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/tony_wills">tony_wills</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/348736">observation</a> of a parasitic erythraeid mite attached to the back end of a kowhai moth. This is the first time mite biologist Rob Cruickshank has heard of a parasitic mite on a caterpillar in New Zealand.<br />
• <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/jon">jon</a>'s <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347639">serendipitous observation</a> of a rare golden stag beetle, <em>Mitophyllus foveolatus</em>, on a black beech trunk.<br />
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You can clearly see from our first 10,000 NatureWatch NZ observations that New Zealand nature is far more quirky and colourful and bizarre, and fascinating, than the usual marketing images of tui and cabbage trees. It's a big wild world we have to explore. We hope you'll join us in adding the next 10,000 observations.
Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-84948772100046977482013-02-07T14:10:00.002+13:002013-02-07T14:23:58.168+13:00There's gold in them there hillsHere's a nice example of NatureWatch NZ at work. In hills of the northern South Island lives an elegant beetle, the most colourful and easily identified of New Zealand's <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/21206-Lucanidae">stag beetles</a>. Its scientific name is <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/22544-Mitophyllus-foveolatus"><em>Mitophyllus foveolatus</em></a>. Very little is known about its biology, and according to entomologist <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/people/7975">Stephen Thorpe</a>, "<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347639">very few individuals of this species have even been seen alive in the wild in recent decades</a>". And I accidentally found one.<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mitophyllus_foveolatus" title="Mitophyllus foveolatus on WikiSpecies"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Mitophyllus_foveolatus_male.jpg/300px-Mitophyllus_foveolatus_male.jpg" alt="Mitophyllus foveolatus on WikiSpecies" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mitophyllus_foveolatus">The elegant adult male of <em>Mitophyllus foveolatus</em>, from WikiSpecies</a><br />Photo by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/people/7975">Stephen Thorpe</a></span></div>
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I inadvertently found one of these black and gold beetles late last month. Regrettably, I didn't realise it at the time. I casually snapped a photograph of a wasp on a honeydew scale infested black beech tree while in Hanmer. I wanted to know which <em>Vespula</em> wasps were in the area. I only realised after I got home that there was a amazing beetle on the same trunk. I posted my observation to NatureWatch NZ as Coleoptera, "ID Please", as I had no idea what it was. Stephen recognised it and identified it less than a day after I posted my observation.<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347639" title="Mitophyllus foveolatus on WikiSpecies"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8516/8442271411_b071c77807.jpg" alt="Mitophyllus foveolatus on black beech" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347639">The one photo I inadvertently took of my first <em>Mitophyllus foveolatus</em></a>. It's to the left of the wasp.<br />Photo by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/people/jon">Jon Sullivan</a></span></div>
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Famous New Zealand entomologist (and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Vernon_Hudson">inventor of daylight savings</a>) George Vernon Hudson, wrote in 1934 that <em>Mitophyllus foveolatus</em> was common on Mount Arthur in northwest Nelson "and thought it was probably attached to alpine beeches" (<a href="http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/26326/FNZ61Lucanidae.pdf">Holloway 2007</a>). Stephen <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347639">speculates</a> that they may feed on the honeydew on the beech trees. This raises the ominous possibility that few people have seen these beetles in recent decades because of competition with the exotic <em>Vespula</em> wasps that now plague New Zealand beech forests and <a href="http://dex.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2012.02412.x">monopolise the beech honeydew</a>.<br />
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Or, perhaps, hopefully, it's just that not enough people are out looking in the right places and the right times to see these beetles. This is where <strong>you</strong> come in. If you are out and about in the South Island high country, keep an eye out on the black sooty honeydew covered beech trunks for these distinctive little flecks of beetle gold.Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-4496735522507156932013-02-05T10:44:00.000+13:002013-02-06T09:05:55.208+13:00New Zealand's got a new poo moss!Hold your nose with excitement! Colin Meurk just added an observation to NatureWatch NZ of a <strong>new</strong> <a href="http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2012/02/09/poo-moss/">poo moss</a> for New Zealand! It's a moss called <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/54923-Tayloria-tasmanica"><em>Tayloria tasmanica</em></a> and was previously known from <a href="http://eprints.utas.edu.au/14647/">Tasmania</a><del> and Macquarie Island</del><small>[see comment below about Macquarie Island]</small>. Colin discovered the distinctive moss on his trip late last month to Stewart Island. Landcare Research moss expert, <a href="http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/about/people/staff-details?id=ZmlmZWE=">Allan Fife</a>, identified the specimen.<br />
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<a href="http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2012/02/09/poo-moss/">Poo mosses</a> (family Splachnaceae) are <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF03182289">world famous</a> (among moss enthusiasts) for often growing on dung and rotting animals and enticing flies to disperse their spores. Poo mosses one of the few examples of a "lower plant" using insects for dispersal. Many flies are big fans of poo and rotting carcasses, just like poo mosses, and fly just where poo mosses want their spores to go. <br />
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Have a close look at Colin's photo. It's a distinctive and attractive moss. If you're from down south, it would be fantastic to get more observations added to <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>. It would also be great to know more about it, including where it grows, whether it is associated with poo or carcasses in New Zealand, and whether flies are dispersing its spores. We also don't know yet whether this is a rare vagrant blown from Tasmania or a permanent member of the Stewart Island flora.<br />
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347724" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/10324/medium.JPG" alt="new NZ poo moss" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347724">New Zealand's first record of <em>Tayloria tasmanica</em></a><br />NatureWatch NZ observation and photo by <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/people/7748">Colin Meurk</a></span></div>
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New Zealand has an expert on these mosses at the University of Auckland, <a href="http://www.bioscienceresearch.co.nz/staff/a_gaskett/">Anne Gaskett</a>. You can hear Anne talking about her research on <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/46997-Tayloria"><em>Tayloria</em></a> mosses on <a href="http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/2508905/stinky-mosses.asx">Radio New Zealand's Our Changing World</a> programme. Te Papa botanist Leon Perrie also has a <a href="http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2012/02/09/poo-moss/">nice blog post</a> with more about poo mosses in New Zealand.<br />Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-26399994913987310022013-01-24T13:52:00.001+13:002013-01-29T10:59:44.549+13:00Tips for nature watching with a cameraThere are some amazing photos on NatureWatch NZ, taken by some talented photographers (for example, be amazed by the observations of <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/grahame">grahame</a> and <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/steveattwood">steveattwood</a>). Still, NatureWatch NZ is a site for nature watching, and you don't need to be a pro-photographer to capture really useful images. Many of you will already have an adequate camera on your mobile phone or in your bag. Here are some tips for nature watching with a regular camera.<br />
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347194"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/9418/small.JPG" border="0" alt="NatureWatch NZ observation" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">With this nice photo, NatureWatch NZ user Stephen Thorpe was able to ID it as a green soldier fly in the genus <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/24079-Odontomyia"><em>Odontomyia</em></a>.<br /><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347194">NatureWatch NZ observation by Grahame</a>.</span></div>
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Why photos? Photos are helpful for several reasons. Photos confirm for other people that you saw what you say you saw. That gives NatureWatch NZ reliable data for understanding NZ ecology. Photos can record interesting behaviours and interactions (like <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347090">Nicola Baines' incredible observation</a> this month of a bellbird feeding a young silvereye). And, photos allow other people to identify the things you don't know.<br />
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One of the game changing things about NatureWatch NZ is its <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/id_please">"ID please"</a> feature. You post the photos and other members of the NatureWatch NZ community will do their best to figure out what it is. It's a miraculous thing for those of us used to crawling through dusty scientific identification keys. What you might need a few hours, or a few years doing a science degree, to identify, someone else might happily identify with a glance. Usually, all you need are those good photos. Keep reading for some handy tips, like holding your camera up to your binoculars.<br />
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<strong>Get close, stay focused</strong><br />
If you're photographing a skittish creature, take a photo or two as soon as you see it before it might fly off. In this age of digital photography, there's no harm in taking a few photos and keeping the good ones. Still, once you've got a usable photo from where you're standing, try to get as close as you can. Fill the frame of the image as much as you can with the species. This is especially important with lower-resolution cameras. Fit as much information in your photos as you can.<br />
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338456"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/996/small.JPG" border="0" alt="NatureWatch NZ observation" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">A nice photo of a hebe flower but not of the native bee pollinating it. Get as close as you can.<br /><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338456">NatureWatch NZ observation by Colin Meurk</a>.</span></div>
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Make sure your camera is focusing on the species. Yes, it's obvious, but a camera's autofocus can often decide to focus on something in the distance rather than the small critter you're photographing. When I'm photographing small flowers or insects with a regular camera or mobile phone, I often need to hold my hand flat in the photo at the distance I want it to focus, then remove my hand before finishing the photo. Most cameras these days also have a macro button or function that you have to turn on so the camera will focus close up. Otherwise, everything close up will be blurry.<br />
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<strong>Add a scale</strong><br />
Exactly how big something is, whether it be an insect or a leaf, can be important for figuring out what species it is. It's therefore very helpful to include a scale in at least one of your photos. That can be something formal like a ruler, or a coin. Regular Bic ball-point pens are also a handy scale if nothing else is at hand. Like a hand. I usually just use my hand or a finger. You don't need a scale in every picture (they can ruin pretty pictures). Just one or two so we know how big something is.<br />
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347170"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/9359/small.jpg" border="0" alt="NatureWatch NZ observation" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">A ballpoint pen used as a scale for a photo of a fruiting <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/40125-Ilex-aquifolium">holly</a>.<br /><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347170">NatureWatch NZ observation by Jon Sullivan</a>.</span></div>
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<strong>You may already have a high-powered telephoto or macro lens in your pocket</strong><br />
Regular cameras and mobile photo cameras often have lens openings about the size of your eye. That means they can take quite acceptable photos looking through anything your eye looks through, like binoculars, a <a href="http://www.blaxalloptics.co.nz/shop/show_category.php?cat=9">hand lens</a>, or a microscope. Inexpensive binoculars can work just fine. That means that you don't need to be a pro-photographer with a lens the size of a vacuum cleaner to get identifiable photos of birds. You also don't need a fancy macro lens and flash kit to get identifiable photos of small insects. Is your flash too bright when photographing through a hand lens? Cover it with a paper towel or white handkerchief. Got no flash on your phone? Use a torch. Don't expect to win photography awards, but you can get your species identified, and the photos often look pretty good.<br />
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342221"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2283/2227535848_50684db481_m.jpg" border="0" alt="NatureWatch NZ observation" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">Juvenile black stilts photographed through binoculars.<br /><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342221">NatureWatch NZ observation by Jon Sullivan</a>.</span></div>
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347240"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/9513/small.jpg" border="0" alt="NatureWatch NZ observation" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">A <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/49435-Aedes-notoscriptus">striped mosquito</a> photographed with an iPhone held up to a microscope at 20X magnification.<br /><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347240">NatureWatch NZ observation by Jon Sullivan</a>.</span></div>
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<strong>Photograph all the bits</strong><br />
If you're photographing a species you don't know, it's important to photograph all the parts that might be important for an identification. For plants, that usually means both sides of the leaf, the stem, and flowers and fruit if there are any, as well as the whole plant. Even a couple of old dried up flowers or fruit can be really handy if they're on a plant.<br />
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347167"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/9350/small.jpg" border="0" alt="NatureWatch NZ observation" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">The stem and stipule of a <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/36670-Coprosma-repens">taupata</a> photographed with an iPhone through a <a href="http://www.blaxalloptics.co.nz/shop/show_single_product.php?prod=6">10X botanical hand lens</a>.<br /><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347167">NatureWatch NZ observation by Jon Sullivan</a>.</span></div>
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Some species are just plain tricky and a little knowledge goes a long way. For <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/36593-Coprosma"><em>Coprosma</em></a> species, a big group of NZ native plants, it's important to know the shape of a little strap of tissue called a stipule that wraps around the stem between each pair of leaves. It can also be important to photograph the domatia, the little holes in some <em>Coprosma</em> leaves that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0030-1299.2007.15654.x">leaf-cleaning mites live in</a>. For insects, things like wing venation and the patterns of hairs can be important so its important to get your focus right. For some flies, there's a little fold called the scutellum between the top of the thorax and the abdomen that's important. For mushrooms, the pattern of the gills can be important to know, so make sure you don't just photograph to the top of the mushroom.<br />
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The more you get to know NZ nature, the more familiar you'll get with the right things you'll need to photograph to ensure an ID. It's all part of the journey. But don't panic. Most of the big common things around you can be identified just fine with normal photos.<br />
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<strong>When photos aren't enough</strong><br />
I should note that some species cannot be identified to species with regular photos. You might only be able to get an insect identified to a genus or family using a photo. That can still be useful. However, if you find something odd that you think is important, like a new pest insect in your neighbourhood, it's also useful to take a specimen. Insects can be preserved long-term in ethanol, or just stuck in the freezer for a few months. Plants can be pressed and dried in newspaper squashed under a few books.<br />
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With a specimen, you can photograph other more esoteric parts of it later if someone on NatureWatch NZ asks about it, or you can send the specimen to an expert for identification (e.g., at <a href="http://biosecurity.govt.nz">Biosecurity NZ</a>) should the users on NatureWatch NZ suggest it. Most of the time, a few photos are fine, but if the ID really matters to you and you're not familiar enough with the group to know what features to photograph, consider collecting a specimen. (Note that you need a permit from DOC to collect on conservation land.)<br />
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So, there you have it. I hope you found some helpful hints. Have I missed something? Do you have favourite tip you'd like to add? You can add a comment below.
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/346348"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8076/8335839826_b9eb45e7bc_m.jpg" border="0" alt="NatureWatch NZ observation" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">Some photos take a lot of skill and luck, like this amazing photo of the fast moving little forest bird, the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/48565-Mohoua-novaeseelandiae">brown creeper</a>.<br /><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/346348">NatureWatch NZ observation by Steve Attwood</a>.</span></div>
</span>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-72879350829551456862013-01-24T11:36:00.000+13:002013-01-24T11:49:05.089+13:00Nature Watching in 2013What does the new year have in store for NZBRN and NatureWatch NZ? Quite a lot. I'm glad you asked. I think you'll be excited by some of the new things on the way.<br />
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<strong>Back to school</strong><br />
We're keen to make NatureWatch NZ a useful resource for schools. Imagine if New Zealand's school grounds became a network of nature watching hotspots! This year, we will be trialling NatureWatch NZ in a selection of Canterbury and Westland schools, thanks to funding from the <a href="http://www.brianmasontrust.org">Brian Mason Trust</a>. We are considering a few tweaks to the way NatureWatch NZ works to make it easier to use in the classroom. We especially want to allow teachers to create and administer their pupil's classroom user accounts on the website.
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<strong>Shiny new features</strong><br />
Our developers are currently running to catch up with the fast-paced development of <a href="http://inaturalist.org">iNaturalist</a>, the amazing open source project on which we base NatureWatch NZ. Look forward to a major NatureWatch NZ upgrade in the next couple of months. It will bring shiny new features like custom fields (so you can enter just what you need for your project) and more advanced ways to search for observations by location, among many other refinements.
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<strong>Go on, count that kereru</strong><br />
NatureWatch NZ is partnering with <a href="http://www.forestandbird.org.nz">Forest and Bird</a> and <a href="http://www.wwf.org.nz">WWF NZ</a> this year for their nationwide kereru count. We'll be releasing more information about that soon.
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This year, we'll also complete the migration of all the legacy NZBRN data and users, which will add another hundred thousand or so observations to NatureWatch NZ. And we've got a few more surprises up our sleeves.
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Thanks for your support through 2012. You got NatureWatch NZ off to a great start! And welcome to everyone who discovers NatureWatch NZ for the first time in 2013.
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347090"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/9245/small.JPG" border="0" alt="NatureWatch NZ observation" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">The remarkable observation this month of a bellbird feeding a young silvereye.<br /><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/347090">NatureWatch NZ observation by Nicola Baines</a>.</span></div>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-11627017490837934542012-11-07T09:54:00.000+13:002012-11-07T10:21:14.594+13:00ID if you pleaseHere's another taste of some of the amazing plants, animals, and fungi that <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> users have posted as "ID Please" and then been identified by other <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> users. If you've got your own photos of strange New Zealand critters and creepers, you can post them on <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> and learn more about them. If you're a whiz at these things, you can help people identify the outstanding observations waiting for identifications on the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/id_please">ID Please list</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342676"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/4046/small.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342430"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8033/8031833501_78c8eb20f0_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343186"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/4871/small.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342902"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/4407/small.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342788"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8472/8081225413_114e9622f2_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342771"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/4179/small.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343506"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/5297/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343413"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8048/8137659359_e0cb98541f_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343206"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8049/8121000018_a2f0d6d14b_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342905"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/4414/small.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342929"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/4461/small.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342737"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8195/8078411238_41ea512e70_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343461"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8463/8137224606_5962db22a0_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342504"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/3853/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342432"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/3746/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343198"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8332/8120973525_fdfd7d2a4d_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343130"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8324/8108141787_6567e1f449_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342343"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/3711/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342310"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/3673/small.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342301"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8454/8040402824_771a627d47_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342297"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8039/8040380845_757d07b568_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342153"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/3429/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/342049"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/3246/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/343528"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8442/7912171096_3b68a88a2b_m.jpg"></a>
Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-64150413407587240822012-09-30T20:58:00.002+13:002012-09-30T21:01:18.349+13:00NatureWatch NZ Intro on YouTube<div>The fine media people over at <a href="http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz">Landcare Research</a> were so impressed with <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> that they put together a nice video introduction to what we do. The piece stars Landcare Research ecologist and natural historian, Colin Meurk, who is one of the founders and current chair of the NZBRN Trust which produces NatureWatch NZ.<br />
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<iframe width="520" height="293" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cQ0m7M3rR6I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-47910861907379981082012-09-24T16:08:00.000+12:002012-09-24T19:29:03.336+12:00Add a little NatureWatch NZ action to your website<div>One of the neat new features of <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> is its <strong>widgets</strong>. These are little snippets of website code (HTML) that you can add to any other website to display live content from <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>. You can see it in action down the right side of this blog (if you're viewing the big computer format and not the teeny mobile screen format).<br />
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There's a <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/widget">widget for your <strong>Observations</strong></a>. You can use this to display your latest observations on your own website. It includes links back to <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> that your website visitors can follow to see more.<br />
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There's a widget for any <strong>Taxon</strong>. In other words, you can get a widget for any species or higher level taxa, e.g., <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/widget?taxon_id=48780-Animalia">Animals</a>. This lets you highlight the new observations being made of your favourite living things.<br />
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There's also a widget for <strong>Projects</strong> (e.g., <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/widget?project_id=11">NZ Butterflies</a>). This lets your organisation or institution make a project and display all the latest observations on your website.<br />
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There's not much to it. Just select what you want from the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> settings, copy the provided HTML code, and paste it into the code running your website.<br />
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If you know about such HTML-type things, you can further customise the formatting to your liking (just don't mess with the line beginning with <script). We've done a little tinkering like this on the right column of our blog to make a widget that jointly displays the latest observations of animals, plants, and fungi.<br />
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Here's how to make a widget for a project, using the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/nz-butterflies-and-their-caterpillars">NZ Butterflies</a> project as an example.<br />
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</div><div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_widget creation.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_widget creation.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">The <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/widget?project_id=11&logo=logo-small.gif&limit=5&order_by=created_at&order=desc&layout=large&commit=Configure+»">widget creation page</a> for the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/nz-butterflies-and-their-caterpillars">NZ Butterflies project</a>.<br />
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</span></div><div>Here's the resulting widget, displaying live from the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/nz-butterflies-and-their-caterpillars">NZ Butterflies</a> project:</div><div><style type="text/css" media="screen">.inat-widget { font-family: Georgia, serif; padding: 10px; line-height: 1;}.inat-widget-header {margin-bottom: 10px;}.inat-widget-header img {border:0px; padding:0px;}.inat-widget td {vertical-align: top; padding-bottom: 10px;}.inat-label { color: #888; }.inat-meta { font-size: smaller; margin-top: 3px; line-height: 1.2;}.inat-observation-body, .inat-user-body { padding-left: 10px; }.inat-observation-image {text-align: center;}.inat-observation-image, .inat-user-image { width: 48px; display: inline-block; }.inat-observation-image img, .inat-user-image img { max-width: 48px; border:0px; padding:0px; }.inat-observation-image img { vertical-align: middle; }.inat-widget-small .inat-observation-image { margin: 0 5px 5px 0; }.inat-widget-small { margin-bottom: 10px; }.inat-label, .inat-value, .inat-user { font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Arial, sans-serif; }.inat-user-body {vertical-align: middle;}.inat-widget td.inat-user-body {vertical-align: middle;}</style><div class="inat-widget"> <div class="inat-widget-header"><a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/"><img alt="Logo-small" src="http://naturewatch.org.nz/images/logo-small.gif" border = 0/></a></div> <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/project/11.widget?layout=large&limit=5&order=desc&order_by=created_at"></script> <table> <tr class="inat-user"> <td class="inat-user-body"> <strong> <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/project/11">View more observations from NZ Butterflies and their caterpillars on <nobr>NatureWatch NZ »</nobr></a> </strong> </td> </tr> </table></div></div>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-20827987048539041252012-09-19T18:21:00.000+12:002012-09-19T23:13:11.781+12:00It's colouring in time at NatureWatch NZ<div>
In our <a href="http://nzbrn.blogspot.co.nz/2012/09/naturewatch-nz-built-by-you.html">last blog post</a>, we introduced some of the many ways you can edit the content of <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>. Not only can you add your observations, but you can add places, projects, common names of species, new links about species, and more. Here's another one. From today, you can select the <strong><font color="red">c</font><font color="blue">o</font><font color="green">l</font><font color="magenta">o</font><font color="purple">u</font><font color="black">r</font><font color="orange">s</font></strong> found on any species in <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>.<br />
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Why would you do that? So that people can easily find the species they're trying to identify. Imagine you're looking at a butterfly with blue on its wings. If <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> users have added colours to all the butterflies, then all you need to do is search on "butterfly" in the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> species search, click "blue", and you'll see a <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/search?colors=6&iconic_taxa=19726&q=butterfly">list all the New Zealand butterflies with blue</a>. Handy!<br />
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As a demonstration, I've already quickly whizzed through the NZ butterflies, since we don't have many of them, and <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/search?colors=6&iconic_taxa=19726&q=butterfly">done exactly that</a>. New Zealand is a big tangle of thousands of other species so the rest is up to all of us.<br />
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Below I'll describe just how stupidly easy it is to add colours to a species page. But first, a big tip of the hat goes to Ken-ichi Ueda and the other developers of our parent system, <a href="http://inaturalist.org">iNaturalist</a>, from which we got the code to do this. And thanks to Patrick Davey of <a href="http://egressive.com">Egressive</a> for getting it working on <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>.<br/>
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_colouring in a tui.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_colouring in a tui.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">Noting the colours found on a tui on the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/48677-Prosthemadera-novaeseelandiae">NatureWatch NZ species page for tui</a>.<br /><br /></span></div>
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To set (or edit) the colours for a species, first go to the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa">NatureWatch NZ</a> species page of your choice. You can do this by clicking on any species name on an observation page, or going to the entry <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa">taxa page</a> and searching. Here we'll start with the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/32048-Vanessa-gonerilla-gonerilla">kahukura (red admiral butterfly) page</a>. The screenshot below shows the area down the left hand side of the page where you can specify colours.<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_colouring kahukura species page.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_colouring kahukura species page.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">Colouring in a kahukura butterfly, NatureWatch NZ style. Click all the colours found on the species, in this case red, blue, black, white, and brown.<br /><br /></span></div>
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_coloured kahukura species page.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_coloured kahukura species page.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">The same area of the species page for the kahukura butterfly now looks like this.<br /><br /></span></div>
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In next to no time, I worked through all of the NZ butterflies and added their colours. Now, when I search on butterfly and select "Insect"under taxonomy (to remove plants like butterfly bush from the list) and select "blue" under colour, I get just eight butterfly taxa with blue on them.<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_NZ blue butterflies.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_NZ blue butterflies.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">The NatureWatch NZ search page for blue butterflies, built by me in about ten minutes.<br /><br /></span></div>
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So what's your favourite group you want to colour in?<br />
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(P.S. Yes, Americans don't know how to spell "colour". We're fixing that ASAP.)
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</span>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-17335530595468017192012-09-18T17:16:00.001+12:002012-09-18T17:52:01.524+12:00NatureWatch NZ: built by you!<div>
We say on the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> website that it's built by NZBRN, the New Zealand Bio-Recording Network. In some ways it is. In a lot of ways, it's not: it's built by <strong>you</strong>. We'd like to take a moment to explain some of the different ways that you can add and edit the content of <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>. For example, did you know that you can add a common name for a species? Or, that you can add a link to an external webpage with more information about a species? Or, add a place to our map?<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_you can edit this.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_you can edit this.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">You can edit all sorts of content on NatureWatch NZ, from common names to species photos to places.<br /><br /></span></div>
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We'll start with some obvious things and ease on into things you might not have noticed yet.<br />
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<strong>Add observations</strong><br />
This is the obvious one. It's what <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> is all about. You can add observations, comment on and correct the identifications of other users' observations, and add observations to <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects">Projects</a>. The more we fill <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> up with observations, the more we learn about New Zealand biodiversity, and the happier everyone is (and wealthier, and better looking too).<br />
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<strong>Add projects</strong><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects">Projects</a> are places in <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> where like-minded (e.g., equally crazy) people can gather to share observations about just the species or place they most care about. If there's not the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects">Project</a> you want, <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/new">you can create it</a>. You can also invite other users to join it, and promote other users to administrators to allow them to also edit the Project settings.<br />
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<strong>Add places</strong><br />
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/places">Places</a> in <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> are named areas on our map. From our legacy system we have populated <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> with lots of named points on the map, but since they don't have any area, they cannot generate species lists and observation lists. Only places with an area can contain observations. We're working behind the scenes on uploading lots of places with areas into <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>. However, there's no need to wait, and we're never going to get every one of your special places. That's nothing to worry about because <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/places/new">you can create places</a> yourself by drawing a polygon on our map, giving it a name, and saving it.<br />
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Every place you make becomes available for everyone else to use, and since it has an area, you'll get a list of all observations available in that place. You can even subscribe to a place (yours or someone elses' place) and get informed of all new observations made in that place. And, if you made a mistake or the place boundaries change, you can edit your place at any time.<br/>
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_editing place.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_editing place.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">I can edit my places whenever I like, or even delete them.<br /><br /></span></div>
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You'll also see that <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> attempts to get photos from <a href="http://www.flickr.com">Flickr</a> and information from <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> about your place. If there's no information, or you want to add or edit it, you add your photos of the place to <a href="http://www.flickr.com">Flickr</a> (just be sure to tag them with exactly the same name as you gave your place) and you can log onto <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> to create or edit the page on your place (again, the place name will have to be exactly the same). If there's already a page on <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> with a different name, you can create a new page with your place name and have it re-direct to the existing <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org">Wikipedia</a> page. Wikipedia has instructions on how to set up a redirect page <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Redirect">here</a>.</div>
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_ernle clark observations.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_ernle clark observations.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">All observations listed with Ernle Clark Reserve, a place I created in NatureWatch NZ.<br /><br /></span></div>
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_about place page.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_about place page.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">NatureWatch NZ attempts to find Flickr photos and Wikipedia information about your place. If it finds nothing, you can add to Flickr and Wikipedia.<br /><br /></span></div>
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<strong>Fill in the Species Page</strong><br />
Now we start getting fancy. Every species in <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> has its own page, which by default contains its taxonomy, a list of recent observations, a distribution map, photos from <a href="http://www.flickr.com">Flickr</a> tagged with that species' name, and whatever has been entered into Wikipedia about it. Let's go to the species page of your favourite species. Assume for the sake of this demonstration that it's <em>Austrosciapus proximus</em>, a pretty little fly.<br />
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Wait, you haven't heard of it? Neither had I until today when user <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/emanning">Eve Manning</a> uploaded <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/341712">an observation of it</a> along with some excellent photos.<br />
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Perhaps not surprisingly, clicking on the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/49609-Austrosciapus-proximus">Species Page link</a> for <em>Austrosciapus proximus</em> in NatureWatch NZ didn't give us much, beside the fact that its name is <em>Austrosciapus proximus</em>, it's in the family <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/2933-Dolichopodidae">Dolichopodidae</a>, and it's found in Mount Eden, Auckland (thanks to Eve's observation). If <em>Austrosciapus proximus</em> really was you favourite species, you could add a lot more.<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_default species page.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_default species page.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">A default NatureWatch NZ species page, in this case for a species without any Creative Commons copyrighted photos on Flickr and no Wikipedia page. It's a bit dull.<br /><br /></span></div>
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For a start, there is no default photo, which means that the little icon next to the species throughout the site will just be our little butterfly icon (since it's an insect). It's better to select a few nice photos of it, the first of which will become the icon for this species across <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>. To do so, just click "Add one" next to "This taxon has no default photo!". (If you don't see this, it means someone has already done this.)<br />
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After you're done adding a photo, be sure to click on it and make sure that it has a large size. If you're picking a photo from the Flickr photo browser that pops up, it is possible to pick photos that are too small and don't have a large size in Flickr. We don't want these as the first photo you choose or otherwise there will be an ugly blank photo on the species entry page banner when this species is randomly chosen for display. When choosing a photo from Flickr, it's also best to pop over to Flickr and try to track down photo(s) taken in New Zealand. The easier thing is to choose the best photos from already in NatureWatch NZ, when we have some, which in this case we do. <br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_choose photos of this taxon.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_choose photos of this taxon.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">You can choose photos for the Species page from Flickr, NatureWatch NZ, and EOL (the Encyclopedia of Life).<br /><br /></span></div>
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_taxon photos updated.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_taxon photos updated.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">Here's the same page after we've selected some photos. It looks much more useful already.<br /><br /></span></div>
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Notice that there is also no common name. If you know one, you can add it. You can also specify what language the common name is in, so you can add one or more English and Maori common names for the species. You can also edit any existing common names if there's been a mistake made. Any names you make will be available to everyone when they hit the Lookup button when they make their observations.<br />
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Landcare Research has a webpage on the species where they call it the small green long-legged fly. So we can click the "Add a name" link and add the name "small green long-legged fly", say it's a name in English, and press save. I did that earlier today so you'll see it when you visit <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/49609-Austrosciapus-proximus">the page</a> now. This is an Australian fly so won't have an Maori name, but if you knew one, you could add that too.<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_note add common name link.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_note add common name link.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">No common name? There's a link for that!<br /><br /></span></div>
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_add common name.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_add common name.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">The NatureWatch NZ page for adding common names. Note that you can also select the language.<br /><br /></span></div>
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There's also no Wikipedia entry on this species. It's free and easy to log into Wikipedia and make the page, if you have the time and know something about the species. In this case, I don't, but all is not lost. I do know that there is a webpage on the species on the <a href="http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/animals/bug-id/alphabetic-list-of-bugs/small-green-longlegged-fly">Landcare Research website</a> made by Leonie Clunie. I can help other <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> users by adding this link to the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/taxa/49609-Austrosciapus-proximus"><em>Austrosciapus proximus</em> Species Page</a>. Just click "Add a link" and add in the details. Bingo! One new link added to the page. You may notice there's a checkbox called "Show for descendent taxa". Only tick this if you're adding a link to a genus or family or other high level taxon and want the link to be visible on all species that it contains.<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_add a link.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_add a link.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">If you know of good external webpages on a species, you can add the links to the NatureWatch NZ species page.<br /></span></div>
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_new taxon link.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_new taxon link.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">Adding a taxon link to the <em>Austrosciapus proximus</em> Species Page.<br /><br /></span></div>
<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_edited species page.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatchNZ_edited species page.png" border="0" alt=""id="NatureWatch NZ screenshot" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">Here's out new <em>Austrosciapus proximus</em> Species Page, complete with photos, a common name, and a link for more information.<br /><br /></span></div>
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So there you have it. If you see something that's missing or not quite right on <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>, in most cases you can change it yourself. And that's a good thing. <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> will become as good as <strong>we</strong> can make, and <strong>we</strong> includes <strong>you</strong>.
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</span>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-62511176163857214152012-09-07T11:06:00.001+12:002012-09-07T17:32:00.186+12:00NatureWatch NZ goes mobile<div>
We're excited to announce that the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> mobile app for iPhones and iPads is now available from Apple's App Store. <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/naturewatch-nz/id556791608?mt=8">Click here to see it on the App Store.</a> It's free and it's good and you should use it! (Did we mention we're excited?)<br />
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<div style="display:block; margin-top: 10px;"><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/naturewatch-nz/id556791608?mt=8"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 480px;" src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/NatureWatch NZ iOS iPhone screen.png" border="0" alt=""id="iPhone splash screen for NatureWatch NZ" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;">The entry screen for the new NatureWatch NZ iPhone app</span></div>
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You can use it to add observations when you're out and about. Your iPhone will automatically provide the date and location and location accuracy (using its inbuilt GPS). You just need to provide a species name or say "yes" for "Need ID help?". And take a photo (if you like). This works both online and offline. When you're online, you can sync all your iPhone observations with the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> website. Give it a go. It's all very intuitive.<br />
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You can also use the app to add your observations to projects you've joined, or join new projects. Projects in <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> are like villages within our online community, interested to one aspect of NZ nature. For example, there are projects on the biodiversity of local reserves, like the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/travis-wetland-nature-heritage-park">Travis Wetland nature park</a> in Christchurch. Other projects are interested in particular groups of species, like <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/projects/nz-butterflies">New Zealand butterflies</a>. The app lists all projects near to where you are, and lets you search for and join projects.<br />
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Our app, like <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>, is powered by the mighty <a href="http://inaturalist.org">iNaturalist</a>. Thanks to Dunedin-based developer and amateur mycologist, Kit Randel, for adapting the iNat app for <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>. Being an open-source project, all our modifications and potential improvements to the app will be shared with <a href="http://inaturalist.org">iNaturalist</a> and vice versa. So, if there's anything else that you'd really like it to do, <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/naturewatchnz">just let us know</a>.<br />
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Now go forth, iPhone toting Nature Watchers, and record!<br />
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(For those of you with Android-based smart phones, you're not forgotten. That's our next job.)
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Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-32831876626815536712012-09-04T11:36:00.000+12:002012-09-04T13:13:09.166+12:00ID Please!One of the great features of the new <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> (which went live last Monday) is its "ID Please" feature. You can upload a photo, or photos, of a species you don't know, tag your observation as "ID Please", and other <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> users will suggest identifications. It's the internet at its finest.<br />
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Here's a look at the diversity of species that have been identified already. If there's something you don't know, pop over to <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> and log your observation. It's free. And while you're there, have a browse of the <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/id_please">ID Please</a> list to see if there's anything you know that you can help someone identify.<br />
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And, of course, if you disagree with any of the identifications made on any observations on <a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>, you can sign in and suggest another ID. We're all about getting it right.<br />
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<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338429"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8287/7784263290_373fcaa0c7_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338407"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/843/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337642"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/712/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337524"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/589/small.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338724"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7276/7879260372_ef3023c27d_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338725"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8294/7879259600_cb9f50b818_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338482"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7275/7780088980_7280fb99cb_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338431"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7116/7784227112_df3c1701c5_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338413"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8443/7779988196_cc7aa7d29d_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337425"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/447/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337517"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/581/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337380"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/415/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337375"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/410/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337296"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/366/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337294"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/364/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/336414"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7104/7134550079_3af0d2f810_m.jpg"></a>
<a href=""><img src=""></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338583"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/1117/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338616"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7270/7851528440_c13caa71a4_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337308"><img src="http://inat.nzbrn.org.nz.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/photos/383/small.JPG"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/337531"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5089/5342186706_367de9b121_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338185"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8421/7783380532_4e6d1b4eeb_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338419"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8438/7780230818_c9a04d480d_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338440"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8282/7784084432_05cb39e148_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338507"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8283/7783416224_9bea15be4b_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/338606"><img src="http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7263/7780437216_73762c4742_m.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/340580"><img src="http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8430/7851184750_c3221ccaf3_m.jpg"></a>Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3440236017406745873.post-53019984259076820192012-08-27T19:41:00.000+12:002012-09-07T11:11:42.689+12:00And then there was NatureWatch NZ!Today at Dataversity's <a href="http://dataversity.org.nz/livingdata/">Living Data</a> workshop in Wellington, we introduced <a href="http://www.naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>. <a href="http://www.naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a> is the new, vastly modernised website from NZBRN. Anyone can use it to enter their observations of almost any New Zealand species (in a couple of weeks it will really be <b>any</b> species of anything). And if you don't know what a species is, you can load up photo(s) and other details and flag it with "ID Please" and we'll help. It's now live so give it a spin!<br />
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We're working a lot on developing more features and ironing out the <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/naturewatchnz">last bugs</a>. Join <a href="http://www.naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>'s online community of keen nature watchers and help us grow.<br />
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You can see <a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/20120827NatureWatchNZ.pdf">our presentation here</a> which goes through some of the many features of <a href="http://www.naturewatch.org.nz">NatureWatch NZ</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/20120827NatureWatchNZ.pdf"><img src="http://www.canterburynature.org.nz/species/resources/20120827NatureWatchNZ.jpg"></a>
<br />Jon Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03779043132309365553noreply@blogger.com0