Crazy idea -- iNat big year, day 1
Somehow I ended up with the crazy idea of trying to find 2,000 species in one county this year. (That would be Lake County, IL, since I live here.) I'm curious to find out if it's possible, and in a more general sense, at what point is the outcome of such a project contingent upon the observer's available time rather than the actual biodiversity of the area. Doing the math shows an average of 5.47 species per day will do it. (That would be just a bit higher next year, since 2020 is a leap year.)
Day 1, of course, would be New Year's, and that's the date of the Waukegan CBC. So a long walk around St. Mary's Seminary, trying to focus just on the birds while ignoring lichens, liverworts, etc. Still, between there, MacArthur Woods, and a quick check of N. Pt. Marina, the year started off fine, with 24 species. The most notable find of the day for this project was the Greater White-fronted Goose, a bird that I often go several years in a row without seeing in the county.
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Ha, I thought we were aiming for 2500 species, that is what I wrote in my Facebook post for my Cook County effort. Will be fun to see what we come up with.
Good luck @psweet! It will be difficult but no doubt push you to observe things that you wouldn't otherwise...
I'll be there in the summer, maybe we will run into each other at one of the dozens of forest preserves
If you're going to be in Lake County, there's two spots you'll want to check out besides the Forest Preserves -- Illinois Beach State Park, and Volo Bog State Natural Area. The access is a bit limited at Volo Bog this year, since the boardwalk has a problem, but you can still reach some really good plants in there.
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