Who wants to play "Observation Challenge"? Hone your skill set for CNC!

General
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Spring City Nature Challenges are coming up, but we all have sleepy, sluggish winter eyes. (OK, it is 40+ Celsius here, so my eyeballs are hot and dried out, but same difference.) I think we need to warm up, pep up, pump up and what better way than by sending each other out on quests!

This is for fun, for Forum users. There is no time limit and no reward other than mild praise right here. (You would achieve a new Lifer, though!)

Pros for participating:

  1. Your eyeballs get warmed up.
  2. You get a Lifer when you find whatever it is, eventually.
  3. Conceivably, you get some other cool Observations along the way.
  4. Outdoor time and all its benefits.

Cons: 0

Ahem: I would like to challenge @austin_ajit to find one of these colorful jumping spiders. If you find it, come crow and we can all be amazed!

If Austin doesn’t want to participate, maybe @whaichi would be willing to seach for this handsome but elusive bee?

And if neither Austin nor Paul are game, but others are, just say so. I am happy to challenge all comers (or let others do so). Or issue your own challenges!

My process:

  • I checked that the species range and the challengee’s (usual) range of Observations overlapped. (edit to add: apparently poorly in the case of @austin_ajit )
  • I checked that the challengee had not made an Observation of said species.
  • I challenged.

PD: It is possible this is in some way a scientific corruption, in that it encourages people to look for things they would otherwise not seek out, however I feel the dataset will survive this abomination, especially if we upload other Observations we make a long the way.

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I’d try, but I’d probably fail. It isn’t found nearby, and I won’t be traveling to Kerala soon. But I will try!

EDIT: Is there a substitute/alternative species? I’ll mostly be stuck in my house this month, so it would be nice to have something a bit more close to home.

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If I fail, maybe @shreedave or @sriharsha444 could? Idk, no pressure.

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You were just in Kerala for months! Have you left? Where(ish) are you now so I can give you a different challenge?

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I was? I usually don’t go there except for holidays/surveys. This year so far I’ve only been there once, for two days.

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Hm. Maybe I am misreading the location of your Observations (highly possible). Or perhaps you uploaded later and I misunderstood that to be current.

Nonetheless, I apologize, and now I have two new challenges, with hopes these are in fact closer.

this bird

and

this butterfly

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Challenge accepted!

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What do you want me to find, Lucy? I don’t know that I will have the time to do it, but I am curious what you will pick.

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What a cool idea! Thanks for taking the time to make up those challenges. I don’t really need it, because I am going out every day anyway. And I can’t search, just find things. It seems I always find the least expected, so that in fact I try to leave my mind blank and not think about what might be occurring there or I have found before. But of course I wonder what you will suggest for me (not the chamaeleon - I am trying to find that for 10 years now)

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Here are my picks for you, and I hope they are close (ish):

After reviewing your Observations, I think you have plants, especially Natives, well covered, which is amazing! With that in mind, I selected this bird and this dragonfly, and as a special super challenge, this limpet which is so cool looking! (I noted you had seashell Observations from visiting the shore.)

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Oh, what a fun idea to spice it up. I would love a challenge as well.. my current region is Flauchgau/Austria.

You want a challenge as well? I saw in your profile that you mainly observe in and around your house. I would like to challenge you to observe a spider from the genus Oecobius .. they are rather small and easily overlooked, but do often occur in houses and on walls

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OK, for you @susanne-kasimir because you have such a good eye (not one but two Observations of Amegilla albigena, wow!) I am going to challenge you with another bee and this wild looking beetle.

( @ajott I 100% accept your challenge and will look up yours shortly!)

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That seems a real challenge - especially the bee, but I’ll try!

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I’m very curious what you would challenge me to find, Lucy. Most recently I was very happy to find an allegedly common beetle that I had been searching for for a couple of years - but I had to travel to another state to find it. So I don’t have a lot of success at searching for particular species.

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This is a great idea! I look forward to seeing what you pick for me! If/when I find it, I can tag you too, if you want!

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I’m always up for a challenge! With all the rain near me recently I haven’t been able to get outside to find stuff.

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Absolutely no chance I am seeing that spider, (unless it randomly pops up here)! I live in Pune District, Maharashtra, in India. (I mostly photograph birds and butterflies)

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OK, @ajott, I am hopeful these are indeed in your region: I challenge you to see

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Come on! I want a challenge so I can start looking for it.

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Thank you, a nice mix of dificulties levels
I have seen all of those species before, but do not have documents of it.

I think the plant will be easiest, as it is actually quite common looking at te right places.
The butterfly will be hardest… I have seen it once about 20 years ago (and still remember as it is indeed very beautyful) as a total coincidence flying by. I will have to do some research on host plants and how the caterpillars look like.. maybe I have a chance there.
The bird is actually rather easy as well, as it is also common at the right habitat.. but I am not sure I will have to chance to visit one this year.. they are only present at high altitudes from 1600m and higher.. let´s see.

Challenge for sure accepted :-)

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