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300,000 Verifiable Observations!

/ Geoffrey Cox


On the 8th of March 2022, we reached 300,000 verifiable observations uploaded in South Australia!


Congratulations to all who have contributed to this milestone. The first observations in SA were uploaded around mid-2011 and had only reached 4,500 by the end of 2017. Since then however the rate has increase dramatically reaching 23,500 by end of 2018, then 66,800 by end of 2019, on to 162,400 by end of 2020, and 282,700 by end of 2021.

We surpassed 100,000 observations in May 2020. It took 9 years to reach that milestone. It took only 12 months to add the second 100,000, and only 10 months to add the third 100,000! We are currently uploading over 300 new observations per day.

Alas, the exponential increase in observations cannot continue forever, and has been dropping year by year. 2018 saw a 520% increase in observations, 2019 a 280% increase, 2020 a 240% increase, and in 2021 a 170% increase. If we estimate a 140% increase this year, we’ll reach 400,000 observations by the end of 2022. And all it would take is 336 observations per day.

Quick Stats:

  • 4,242 observers have uploaded records of 8,726 species across the state
  • 68.2% of all verifiable observations are Research Grade
  • 9,401 observations of 244 Threatened species
  • 22,639 observations of 932 Introduced species
  • 4,780 identifiers have made 543,600 identifications on observations from SA
  • Observations by Taxa: 56,340 Birds, 884 Amphibians, 7,293 Reptiles, 7,016 Mammals, 11,729 Ray-finned Fishes, 10,360 Molluscs, 8,832 Arachnids, 52,725 Insects, 114,858 Plants, 11,376 Fungi, 1,588 Kelp & 155 Protozoans
  • Species by Taxa: 362 Birds, 20 Amphibians, 172 Reptiles, 85 Mammals, 278 Ray-finned Fishes, 486 Molluscs, 344 Arachnids, 2,685 Insects, 3020 Plants, 499 Fungi, 71 Kelp & 15 Protozoans

Pacific Black Duck….or Not?

/ Geoffrey Cox

For more in depth info head over to eBird Australia

‘Identifying Mallard x Pacific Black Duck Hybrids‘

The Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa), in the Family Anatidae, is one of the most common native dabbling Ducks. It can be found all across Australia, typically in association with water sources, i.e. ponds, lakes, rivers, wetlands, and is frequently seen in urban waterways.

The Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) was introduced to Australia in the 1860s and has been spreading slowly across the south east and other populated areas.

These closely related species have similar habits and occupy the same environments. Where they are both present, the Mallards will breed with the local Pacific Black Ducks. With several broods each year of 7 to 12 ducklings, and 20% reaching adulthood, the Mallard genes quickly make their way into the local Pacific Black Duck population.

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New iNaturalist Project: Mount Bold Reservoir

/ Geoffrey Cox

As of December 2021 a section of the Mount Bold Reservoir has been opened up to the public. A 450 hectare area is now accessible, with more than 13km of walking trails, new carpark, toilets, and picnic facilities, and a new lookout platform.

There are three new walking trails along the southern side of the reservoir. A 1.3km Grade 2 Lookout Trail, and two Grade 5 trails at 5.1km (loop) and 9.4km (one way). See the full details including map on the Reservoirs SA website.

An iNaturalist Collection Project has been established to collect observations from across the Mount Bold Reservoir, even though much of the area is still restricted. This project has been added to the ‘Protected Parks of South Australia’ Umbrella project.

City Nature Challenge: Greater Adelaide 2022

/ Geoffrey Cox

The City Nature Challenge has been running since 2016 when it was started as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco to record urban biodiversity using the iNaturalist platform. During a 7-day period, over 20,000 observations were made of 2500 species by over 1,000 participants. In 2017 the number of cities involved grew to 16, in 2018 it grew to 68 cities from various countries. In 2019 a full 159 cities participated and then 244 cities in 2020. Last year 419 cities participated from 44 countries, producing 1.27 million observations from 52,000 participants.

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How Many Species?

/ Geoffrey Cox

How many species would you expect can be found it a typical suburban backyard? Maybe 50? Or perhaps 100? More? The question is a little vague, so lets try to narrow it down.

There are going to be quite a few factors that affect exactly how many species you are likely to find on a suburban property.

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