The year so far and a new tool to use for insect data
Well my year has been going great so far. I am on a 49 day streak of iNaturalist data collection. It is kind of crazy that I have been on the streak for as long as I have so far. My goal is to get one or more observations for everyday this year. It is a tall order but I think it is manageable. It is pretty fun and helps raise awareness on the state of the ecology and wildlife. I have found some new lifers not birds but other things so far.
Today was a very special day too. @sambiology keep me posted on the moth nights for sure. @kimberlietx gave me an Ultra-violet Black light as a gift. I will be using that to document even more moths. I am planning several things now like camping out in my backyard and getting observations to double my yard list. I will be traveling with that thing too. So if there is any big mothing events I will defiantly bring my new setup. My aunt has a frame she built for her school's step team. I asked her if I could use it for mothing and she said I could. It is kind of large but it will hold a lot of moths and what not. I am going to go to the store soon and by a hook for the light, a sheet, and clamps for said sheet. I have been wanting to have my own mothing setup and think it cool that I now have the parts to make my own light trap. It is kind of neat and the possibilities are endless.
I will be able to participate more than just being an ID guy but I can contribute in other ways to help out and get more species and specimens on another extra sheet. I am going to be doing a lot of collection in the spring and summer so I will be able to see what all comes out during both spring and summer to get a better idea of what moths come out in which seasons and conditions. I do have a lot of insects in my yard and being out will also allow me to study more species of longhorn beetles. My yard is a hot bed for those guys. It does help to have a lot of plants in my yard and around the area. There are a lot of plants and stuff around so who know what else I might find. Moths have always been a favorite topic but there are only so many moth nights a year so I am going to change that and double my nighttime observation time. I am already a night owl as it is so it would be nice to put more observations in when I am doing nothing but making posts on social media.
But yeah my start to 2020 is a good start. I will be at 9,000 observations in no time. I have 8,718 about give or take. I am going all over the place most weekends. I have been in north and west Texas a few times already and then I have been to a lot of parks I didn't know existed so I am keeping my range expansion promise pretty well. I have no idea what I will be doing on Spring Break. It is kind of up in the air right now. I sure hope that I get a lot of stuff tomorrow. I am planning on going out and getting some observations and what not to try and get closer to 8,800. I am starting to see more and more insects and spiders starting to emerge. I am really keeping a close eye on things this year and trying to catch all the stuff I come across. I have been doing a lot of solo stuff now but I will be doing the City Nature Challenge and National Moth Week and what not. I have a few things penciled in with a few other naturalists and what not. So yeah it will be very interesting to see what else turns up in the next couple of months.
I am really excited for all the new gear I have got I just need to find time and use it. I will give the light a field test the weekend before the CNC to get an idea what to look for and to warm up on my nighttime photography. I am so excited right now. I am already trying to get a plan of action down so I can hit all the best parks with the best wildlife counts. I need to explore some of the new parks I have discovered recently as possible options. DFW is going to come in first this time. I have found some pretty cool parks that maybe under studied so it looks like I have my work cut out for me. I still have time to plan my CNC weekend and my plan of attack but yeah it is going to be fun to double my observations this year. I was up in the 600s for my observations but I am going to try my hardest to get even more for this year and try and double it with all the stuff I have planned. beat sheeting, sweep netting, and setting out my moth light will be strategies in my plans. I just have to make sure I evenly balance it all to my advantage.
Well I think that is all for this post. I will keep you all updated on what is new on my end. I will see you all on the trail.