An update on birds, which we recorded primarily using eBird. The bird team, led by Josée Rousseau, recorded 35 species of birds during the BioBlitz, including the six species banded (and documented on iNaturalist) during the mistnetting demonstration. An eBird list of species recorded can be found here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37264342.

With these 29 additional bird species, the total number of unique taxa (species or other groups) recorded during the BioBlitz increases to 235. As we get some of the observations identified, this number should still grow a little further.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the BioBlitz! At the risk of forgetting someone (there were a few people whose names I did not catch, sorry!), special thanks go out to Josée, Molly, Joan, Kali, Rolando, Dillon, Richard, Xander, Danielle, Phil, Andy, Andony, Jamie, Iria, Sativa, Brenda, Dianna, Matt and of course Luciana, for helping with organisation, leading workshops and other activities, finding and identifying species, making art, providing materials and everything else that went into making the day a success. We're grateful to the Forest Biodiversity Research Network and Student Sustainability Initiative at OSU for financial support, and the OSU arthropod collection for logistical support.

You can see our observations here: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations?project_id=11714&place_id=any&verifiable=any&captive=any

Or, for only observations with photos: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations?captive=any&place_id=any&project_id=11714&subview=grid

We still have some observations to come in, including birds which were primarily recorded using eBird. I will post an update later when we are closer to a complete species list for the day, but it will certainly be more than 200 species in all. Well done to everyone, and please continue to add and upload any observations that are not yet in the project. If you can help to identify existing observations, that will also be very welcome.

A BioBlitz “is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area.” BioBlitzes are held every Spring and Summer across the U.S. and the globe. Yet, there has never (as far as we know) been one in Corvallis, until now! Bioblitzes bring scientists, naturalists, nature enthusiasts, and the general public together, and have been a successful way to connect Universities and research institutions to their community. They introduce kids and teenagers to citizen science and natural history. They also foster a sense of place and belonging, as they teach us about the biological community we are part of. Bioblitzes are also a creative and fun way to reconnect youth with nature! Join us... for half an hour, or for the entire day, on May 28th for Corvallis's first BioBlitz!

We will use iNaturalist to keep track of what we have seen, and to get identification help from others outside of Corvallis. If you want to add observations to this site, you will need to set up an iNaturalist account. The app can be downloaded onto your smartphone. For those new to iNaturalist, here is a guide to get you started:

https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started

You can also just come and participate in the BioBlitz without an account, whether it is by finding creatures, helping with identifications on site, or taking photographs. We look forward to seeing you there!