I came up with this idea while looking through my own observations but I think it would be more interesting for the people who have either been all over the world and for people who have observations in a smaller general area.
Basically, what is your 1. Northernmost observation 2. Southernmost observation 3. Easternmost observation and 4. Westernmost observation.
Here is an example:
I think this is going to bog down unless some things are defined. Northern and southern are straightforward but how do we parse eastern and western? For example, I live in western Quebec and have observations on both eastern and western coasts of North America, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean Australia and Thailand. Also some in Africa and Europe. Are the ones from Midway Atoll (middle of the Pacific), for example, eastern or western? How about Australia and Thailand. Is the reference point where I reside. Is it 0 degrees longitude? Something more arcane?
North: redpolls in Anchorage, Alaska
South: Alpaca and ducks in Peru (I could check my time in Argentina for nature photos, but it was mostly statues and food)
West: Hawaiian silverswords
East: reef fish in Eilat, Israel
A friend told me that the plant furthest south in south point (the southernmost point in the US) is a Boerhavia repens although I never made it to the true point myself.
North: Rocky Mountain Maple in northern Montana
South: Lilac-breasted Roller near Lilongwe, Malawi
East: Red-winged Starling in Nairobi, Kenya
West: Spinner Dolphins off Kauai, Hawaii
I’m going with eastern and western being determined by my current location which is at 76.0 degrees west longitude. That makes my easternmost observation a great hornbill in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand at 101.4 degrees east longitude. My westernmost is a flowery rockcod at 145.66 east longitude. My northernmost is a harp seal in the White Sea, at 65.9 degrees north latitude. My southernmost is African penguins in South Africa at 34.2 south latitude.
If we’re using the prime meridian as the reference, my easternmost is a sulphur-crested cockatoo near Brisbane, Australia at 152.9 east longitude. My westernmost would be a masked booby on Midway Atoll at 177.4 west longitude.
All my observations, except a small number in Quebec just 45 minutes from my home, are from Ontario, Canada. My most southerly and westerly observations are rather close to each other on Pelee Island.
North: Stair-step Moss, Temagami
East: Northern Dog-day Cicada, Ottawa
South: Sharp Hornsnail, Pelee Island, southern tip
West: Shephard’s-Purse, Pelee Island, western side.
If I had access to some of my older photos The western and northernmost ones might be further in each of those direction, and might be the same observation.
East and west are squirrelly concepts because they depend on starting point and they skip past each other as you go around the globe. From my home base in North America:
