I just finished reading about someone discovering a mammoth jaw fossil in their backyard in upstate NY.
This made me wonder: what is the ‘biggest’ iNat observation that you have ever made in your backyard and/or that you have heard of?
To be clear on my ambiguity, by ‘big’ it can be by size (relative to others of its group, or relative to us), or by importance/interest/significance.
Probably the most common “largest” (animal) by (weight) backyard observation (at least for the northern hemisphere) is probably the moose Alces alces, with a close second for Brown bear Ursus arctos.
As for plants, there are many large trees that could be in someones backyard, so someone would need to know a specific example.
I live in a forest. I have trees too big to get in one frame.
Other than those, I have seen black bears from the house and too far to photograph beyond large black blob… and these… right past my bench… someday I’ll see it closer
Living in one of Europe’s most densely populated areas means that there isn’t really any chance of something big making it to our garden, especially no large mammal. (A fox is probably the best I can hope for, but I have never seen one anywhere near my home).
We have a reasonably sized pond which gets visited by 2-5 Mallard ducks every spring. I don’t think a larger wild, non-human animal has never been there.
I saw that article too, what a terrific find!
My biggest known visitor, and most surprising, was this Pekania pennanti (Fisher)! Seeing it on my deck, peeking into my dining room window was incredible. I’m sure it was due to the chipmunks and squirrels snacking on seeds on my deck, and the water dish there - free Fisher buffet! I moved all that off the deck for a while, since I didn’t want to have to choose between photographing it and fending it off in person, and have not seen it since (2 years ago)…
Do you mean “biggest” in terms of size or “biggest” in terms of most important or interesting? The biggest in terms of size, for me, would be a black bear that was raiding our bird feeders.
Thanks. I went back and edited my post to clarify that by ‘big’ I meant either physically relative to others in its group, or to us – and also interest, significance.
Bear with me.
Well, if you insist!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/182910168
This black bear I got some cute videos and pictures of that was raiding my tree for leftover apples
Lots of moose visit my backyard. Sometimes black bears too, though I don’t know if they’re bigger than a moose.
I sometimes get deer in my backyard:
I was excited to find an American Giant Water Bug in my backyard!
Biggest by size would be this Bear who knocked my trail camera off the tree and played with it. I got some cool photos of the bear’s chin.
Most interesting/unexpected would be the first bobcat that my trail camera caught. My family had lived in this house for almost 13 years and never saw a bobcat in all that time since they’re so reclusive. Since then there have been several more sightings via the camera, plus one bobcat seen crossing the road nearby.
I live in an apartment building. But, there is a small patch of woods next to the parking lot. I have seen a big male wild turkey walk through the lot one morning.
I also see red-shouldered hawks on the edge of the woods hunting the critters in the grass in spring and summer. They nested back in the woods one year.
We get moose here in Calgary, as well as in other cities in Alberta, in which I have lived (Red Deer, Medicine Hat, etc.).
Folks who live on the coast in certain parts of the world haven’t chimed in yet, but I imagine that, at certain times of year, they can see Blue Whales from shore, which is essentially their “backyard”. And that would win “biggest by size” in this thread.
Until the mushroom folks chime in with the technicality of “largest organism”, or the botanists chime in with Aspen (Populus) clones, Giant Sequoias, etc.!
Actually a very common species, but it was my lifer: Florida Scarletsnake. And this bear was technically down the street but I’ll count it.
Ironically not literally “big”, these guys are the most exciting few obs. I’ve had in the backyard.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/240154763
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/236943537
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/231538771
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/231538767
None of mine have truly been large, all of them are under 5mm:
First record of Axinopalpus illectus outside of California, first iNat records of Laemophloeus shastanus and the incredibly tiny (sadly, I think I lost the specimen) Acritus komai. Having a chicken coop helps to attract some pretty underobserved species!
Maybe not the biggest but the oddest I’ve seen is either a red fox or a coyote with mange:
Felt really bad for the poor fella.
