How to usefully post repeated observations of growing juveniles?

[shallowsky]

For example, dealing with birds who’ve decided a ledge outside an office window is the place to put a nest, which can then be easily observed by the office workers without alarming the birds. Is it useful to post repeated images of the hatchlings as they’re growing? Should they be marked/connected? How long should there be between observations of the same birds?

[deboas]

The frequency is really up to what you find rewarding or interesting. Some people like to make an observation each day, others might make two or three in total for a case like this - up to you.

You can use the Observation Field “Similar observation set” to link repeated observations of the same individual(s): https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/using-the-field-similar-observation-set-for-linking-observations-of-lepidoptera-when-raising-on/1018

[thedrw]

You might want to check out Nestwatch (https://nestwatch.org/) as an additional citizen science project for nesting birds. You can of course still post those photos on iNaturalist, but the Nestwatch program might also give you an idea of how to structure/time your observations.

[fluffyinca]

I prefer the field “same individual over time”. While both fields can serve this function, the latter seems more specialized for it.

On my own observations, I usually link them all in the descriptions (upload all connected observations, then copy/paste each URL into each other observation). However, this can be very time-consuming, so observation fields may be the better option. I only use the manual linking method because I think observation descriptions are more likely to be noticed than fields.