UPDATE: please finish uploading and help us ID ...

INSTRUCTIONS:

We are very far behind with IDs. Our first few ID parties morphed into problem-solving of people who had difficulty uploading observations. Although some IDs were done (and esp. by our Merpeople), we have a huge backlog.
We would really appreciate help with.

Basic identifications. Anyone can help. Merely put these into Birds, Mammals, Fish, Plants, Fungi. But of course the finer you can go the better (e.g. family or genus). And if you know a species, please fill it in. If you want to help with these, please go here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=needs_id%2Ccasual&page=12&iconic_taxa=unknown&project_id=32829

More skilled identifications. If you know quite a few species and are willing to help check preliminary identifications and refine basic identifications to genus and species level then please click this version of the Identify tool:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=needs_id%2Ccasual&project_id=32829
In the "species" box, please insert your interest group (e.g. Fish, Butterflies, daisies, chiroptera).

We need people to check some of the identifications made, but that is not a priority at this stage. We can do this over the coming weeks. The above two must be completed by 9am on Monday to count to the challenge!

As a strategy, to speed up the workflow and increase our chances, please feel free to skip over the common stuff, and focus on the more unusual and exciting observations. Dont neglect the common species, if you confirm one or two observations then they are covered for our species totals for the challenge. There are also measures looking at percentage identifications, and levels of identifications, but our main target is to have as high a species total at present at this stage. Please help!

If you have forgotten, or need instructions for the ID tool, please look at this 2 minute clip explaining the tool (there is no aural instruction, just music). https://vimeo.com/246153496

You may find it handy at the end of the page (the batches of 30) to mark the other observations as "reviewed", so that you dont have to look at them again, before skipping to the next page.

DEADLINE IS MONDAY 9am OUR TIME: PLEASE HELP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THEN!!

Marine observations: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=needs_id%2Ccasual&place_id=138786&d1=2019-04-26&d2=2019-04-29 @pbsouthwood @seastung @elle_hutchings @robynpayne

And now for a change in strategy:

Thanks everyone for a fantastic effort. I am certain that by now you are ready to drop and dont wish to do any more.
But we have 13 hours left. And the question is how to make use of it most efficiently.

Until now we have been:

generalists, making IDs of observations without any names to a level of family or genus (or finer)
specialists, working in our groups and making fine level IDs to species./subspecies or as close as we can

Whereas the specialists should continue with their great work, it is time for the generalists (and those specialists who are done) to change tack.

Our new aim over the last few hours is to up our number of research grade IDs.

But first we should all review our work, and check all replies to the work that we have already done. (I am assuming that all of us have long ago switched off notifications to agreements - if not, it is a bit late, but never too late! Go to your account settings and turn them off). This is important as we need to clear any conflicts in IDs. If there are unresolved conflicts, please call @tonyrebelo @vynbos @gigilaidler - and we will attempt to break any logjams (this is often important in hemihomonyms where an ID of a plant was made to an animal name, and the observation is now in a "state of matter" limbo).

Remember our aim to get to IDs to species level and reduce the number of "Needs IDs" to a minimum.

Having cleared these, our next task is to clear those species identified to species, but not yet research grade. Here is the link. Note that the order is random, so everyone will get a different set of observations to work with, hopefully speeding up the process.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?order_by=random&order=asc&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2019-cape-town&hrank=species&place_id=any

As you can see we have 7000 observations that have been identified to species but are not research grade. Please feel free to agree to any reputable expert, and also to change the ID if you are not happy with it. While we want to up our research grade, we also want to minimize our errors!

Thanks for a stirling effort. The end is nigh ...

@karoopixie @cabintom @landidecruz @beetledude @rjpretor @colin25 @borisb @fubr @robert_taylor @sstanton
@alexanderr @bryanmaritz @rmaritz @jeanramsay @hvardaman @cecileroux @dianastuder @robertarcher397 @alanhorstmann @dianastuder
@linkie @sedgesrock @fynbosphil @margieherron @douglaseustonbrown @botaneek @annsymons @outramps-tanniedi @cmerry @richardadcock
@venturefoth @jwicht @fynbosphil @gabymeyer @jurga_li @petragloyn @prix_burgoyne @james_deacon @pbsouthwood @seastung
@elle_hutchings @robynpayne @mr_fab @charles_stirton @pholmes @pieterwinter

subscribing

Closing time is 9am on Monday 06 May UTM+2 (SA standard TIme)
A few hours shuteye may well help!

Pencils down.

Ja....fireworks too!
Now, to sleep (at work!)