An ode to the overworked identifier (with gratitude and apology)

I’ve been feeling, after all this bioblitzing, that those who Identify so many observations deserve some more explicit recognition than I’ve given them thus far. This is rather poor, but the best I’ve come up with:

Any old schmo like me or you
can take a picture of trailside poo

And any young fool like you or me
Can snap a selfie with a whatsit-tree

I photograph somebugs all day long
and make recordings of a tweet-bird’s song

Little brown mushrooms with just-so gills
and shiny herbs on last-burned hills

Bumps in stems, a vine that weaves
hairy spots on odd-shaped leaves

So much fun to just observe
but then what function does that serve?

I’d be lost in knowless mires
without iNat’s identifiers!

My position would be fetal
if @borisb knew not a beetle

And I’d just be a fungus-smeller
sans clues from @alan_rockefeller

Over snails I’d sure be tossin’
without the help of good @tlawson

So thanks to @woody54
and cheers @wildmare64

And the drum I’ll loudly bang
for @richardwasson and @catchang

I cannot rhyme with @jenniferchandler
but she sure is an ID handler

@graysquirrel is a guide to me
and IDs most of what I see

All of these and many more
raise my roof and boost my floor

Experts, friends, and those that know
are what make my interest grow

Gratefully I tag their names
and sing out their well earned acclaims

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With 262 people who’ve contributed identifications of my observations, I’ve left a lot of people to whom I’m very grateful out. I especially want to thank those who take the time to explain to me, like @tigerbb @granticadubia and @beartracker . Thank you all!

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That is such an awesome way to show gratitude to them! Your poem was great!

Shannon

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What a great tribute!

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i love this! :)

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Aw, thanks @dlevitis! I love this! A creative and thoughtful way to thank some vital members of our incredible iNat community. Thank you for being a part of it. :heart:

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to give an idea of how widely felt your sentiments are, 36 likes in just 13 hours… I don’t think I have seen any other topic draw that kind of response so quickly! I’m already working out rhymes for my own hero IDers!

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Great idea!
I love the poem!

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That was really great! An awesome way to thank those expert identifiers. I guess I should try out something to thank my great identifiers as well (especially those who brought down my observations even to the exact ssp. when I had left them at the Kingdom level😅).

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and 48 in 1 day!

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This a thousand times! I wish I could retweet! I also wish I could properly thank all my IDers, particularly @apgarm who got me hooked on iNat by immediately helping me ID everything last spring and summer when I started…

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B R A V O !!
(Idiot Robot complains that this is not a complete sentence, so i must add some random text)

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Now I know what to do! This is wonderful and in the spirit of what I was looking for but even more wonderful and entertaining. I think you’ve started a lovely trend and I can’t wait to write my own version.

Perhaps this will suffice instead of:
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/create-a-way-to-publicly-acknowledge-excellent-user-behavior-possibly-with-observer-of-the-week-or-similar/378

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Brilliant and a superb way to thank those with the most knowledge for spending their precious time helping us novices. We so appreciate your willingness to i.d., educate and share your passions.

A huge shout out Susanna_h and John Ascher
Both iNaturalist’s foremost Hymenoptera smashers!

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I am excited to read your poem of iNat gratitude!

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This is so cool and cute and sweet and I love it

I also personally want to thank @bothrops07 and @charlie for all the IDs they’ve added to my things and to things I’ve been looking at. Y’all are gr9

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AND @curiousbynature and @wayne_fidler !!!

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Does “gr9” = “grinning”? :grinning:

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https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gr9

gr9 > gr8, which is great.

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omg, it wasn’t just a typo?! It’s official, I’m old…

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