I am sitting at my departure gate wondering: what is the most countries an inaturalist user has observed in in a singl day? The most research grade?
I expect to get three countries today. Maybe a research grade observation in each, if the Panama City airport has something better than a tree on the far side of a runway. Maybe another couple countries with non-RG observations if cloud cover is not too bad and I just observe “plants”, but that seems silly.
I would guess that someone has done much better: UK, France, Luxemburg, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany looks easy.
The world record for most countries visited in one day is 19(some sources say 30 but those are suspicious).
I would assume 20 would be around the maximum possible with current geopolitical boundaries. If observations during travel count, and you did not need to step foot in each country, you could extend the number to 25 or so.
You could set up a route through a few international border tripoints, especially in parts of Europe or Southern Africa, and you could make observations in many countries over a 24-hour span. But why? It’s like “visiting” 200 countries, just to step outside the airport and tick a box.
Isn’t iNaturalist about contributing meaningful observations to science, rather than accumulating a giant twitcher lifelist?
You could spend the rest of your life documenting the biodiversity of a single tree in the tropics. To me, depth will always beat a checklist. But you do you!
Yeah, as Tom mentioned to each his own. If some user wants to have their own fun twitching challenge, why not? Maybe they’ll accidently find a new country record in some obscure airport corner.
Avianca Airlines used to have a ‘milk run’ through El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. As long as you don’t mind grackles and tropical kingbirds, that would have been 6. But I don’t think they do that anymore. The most I could do would be three which I think is common. More than that would start to require planning.
Before joining iNat I had 4 countries in one day twice - Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, this was done driving. You could conceivably get a boat and do all 4 in like 5 minutes under the Kazangula bridge. Unfortunately only 1 obs from one of the days https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218449957
I was just about to say that Southern Africa would be very difficult because of border controls, which can take hours on each side, and then you came along to prove me wrong I forgot about that funny little corner. I’ve managed Zim, Botswana and South Africa, but more than that would set my head spinning.
Depends on where you live. Germany/Switzerland/Austria/Liechtenstein would be an easy 4-country combination that wouldn’t really require planning if you are local to the area.
You might be able to observe an organism on a plane while it flies over many countries? You can’t really bring it with you for it to be wild, but maybe if a fly (Diptera) follows you in, repeatedly observing it as the plane flies over multiple countries, it might get you the high count you seek?
I saw a grackle at Panama City airport, but the 45 minute layover didn’t leave enough time to get a photo. I did manage to photograph some grass, though…
No, because (with a few exceptions, such as blue cheese, which is most airlines are unlikely to have on their menu), humans do not intend for mold to be on food, meaning that it got there of its own accord.
Slightly derailing this topic, as it wasn’t for most countries visited - but during this year’s City Nature Challenge, I participated in 6 different CNC projects: 4 in one day, and 2 during another day.
Actually, the first 4 regions were all covered in less than 2 hours, as this could be easily done along the railway, while travelling from A to B.
I wondered the same thing during the last City Nature Challenge - I did two due to pre-existing travel plans, but hypothesised that someone was doing more.
I forgot about that funny little corner. I’ve managed Zim, Botswana and South Africa, but more than that would set my head spinning.