LfW Nature Challenge Sunshine Coast

Making Great Observations

Here are a few tips to help with a positive ID:

• Taking multiple, clear (full frame and in focus) photos of your living organism not only helps community identifiers confirm your observation to Research Grade, but also improves the accuracy of the observation.

• If you’re not sure of exactly what your observation is, rather than selecting ‘something’, try and drill down to what you are confident of (eg plant, animal, fungi etc.) That way community identifiers with a special interest are more likely to help ID it.

• iNaturalist uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to make identification suggestions – sometimes it’s way off! Be sure to cast a critical eye over the suggestion before accepting. It can be useful to consult relevant field guides if you have them.

• Did you notice anything unique that the photo doesn’t capture? Make sure to pop it in the notes section!

Hints and Tips Links:

• How to make an observation on your mobile: https://www.youtube.com/watch/xENz1xRu0wI
• Getting good photos for identification: https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/2465
• Tips for making iNaturalist observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/5360-tips-for-making-inaturalist-observations

Thanks for making observations of the plants, animals and fungi on your LfW property! The more you do it the more you will learn and the better our understanding of biodiversity on the Sunshine Coast.

Kylie less ↑