Large Red Damselfly - Heath McDonald
How to use iNaturalist
Guide to recording species
iNaturalist is a really great platform for recording wildlife data, It's been around a while, is a trusted and well-supported platform and can be accessed either through a website your laptop or via an App that can be downloaded onto your smartphone. Like many things, getting the hang of a new way of doing things can be initially challenging but its always worth it! Once you have set up an iNaturalist account you can join a single project – such as the Big Count or join the broader Great Somerset Wildlife Count project, where you’ll be able to see all our counts. So bookmark the site, download the app on your phone and you can be popping in your sightings on the go and seeing them on the map straight away!
We have produced a FREE downloadable pack here which will profile the species that we want you to spot so you will hopefully have a good idea of what you are looking for. If you want to be absolutely sure or brush up your identification skills more broadly, you might like to know that iNaturalist also have created an app called Seek. Seek is particularly good for younger kids and families, enabling you to photo ID on the go and participate in challenges and earn badges. You can create an iNaturalist account through the Seek app or connect it to an existing iNaturalist account.
Getting started on iNaturalist
First of all you can either use the web version of iNaturalist here. Or download it onto either iphone or android below. (Please note: iNaturalist is an external application and not owned or designed by Somerset Wildlife Trust)
Download for iphone Download for Android
Below you will find some resources on getting started with iNaturalist including, setting up an account, what are Observations and how to record them.
Create an account
To start recording, you'll need to create an account with iNaturalist.
On the website
Go to the iNaturalist website and click on 'Sign up' from their homepage. Fill in your email, username and a password, and you're ready to go!
On the app
Open the app and click on 'Sign up now!' under the 'Log in' button. Fill in your email, username and a password, and you're ready to go!
Join our Count
On the website
1) Hover over 'Community' along the top navigation, then click on 'Projects' underneath.
2) In the search bar, type in the name of the specific count, and click 'Go'. Our project should appear in your results - click on it. Once you're on our project page, you can join by clicking 'Join' in the About box.
3) Confirm you want to join on the next page, then you're officially part of the Count!
On the app
1) Click on the 'More' icon with the three dots in the bottom right hand corner.
2) Select 'Projects' and once you're on the projects page, search for the name of the specific count using the search icon in the top right hand corner. Our projects should appear in your results - click on the one you want to join. Once you're on our project page, you can join by clicking 'Join' at the top of the screen.
3) Confirm you want to join on the next page, then you're officially part of the Count!
Record and submit wildlife records
To submit a species for any of our counts, you'll need to record it as an observation on iNaturalist.
You don't need to be able to identify a species in order to submit it! When you upload a photo, iNaturalist does the hard work for you and offers suggestions. You can select a particular species, or if you're still not certain, select the family (genus) that it suggests. The community on iNaturalist will help to confirm the identify of your observation.
You can upload species as you're counting, or take your photos at once and then sit down with a cuppa to upload them! Once you’ve joined the project, all your submissions over the weekend will be automatically added - you don't need to do anything more!
On the website
1) Upload your photo: Click on the green 'upload' button in the top right hand corner. Add your photos by clicking on the '+' icon in the middle of the page. You can only add one photo per observation. You can also add sound recordings if you don't have any photos!
2) Select your species: By clicking in the species name box, iNaturalist will scan the photo or sound recording and offer suggestions for you. Select the species if you know it, or if you don't, select the family (genus) or whether it's a mammal, bird or invertebrate (taxa).
3) Enter time and location: Enter the date that you spotted the creature, and a location (you can search for your location within the location window). At the left of the window you can select the location to be public, obscured (random within a certain radius) or private.
Don’t worry if it doesn’t respond when you press ‘project’ - it will automatically list it to the project!
4) Submit! Click 'Submit observations' in the top right hand corner.
On the app
1) Upload your photo. Click the 'Observe' icon at the bottom of the screen. You can take photos directly from the app, choose a photo from your saved photos or select 'No photo'.
2) Select your species: By clicking on the on the 'What did you see?' tab, iNaturalist will scan the photo and offer suggestions for you. Select the species if you know it, or if you don't, select the family (genus) or whether it's a mammal, bird or invertebrate (taxa).
3) Enter time and location: Enter the date that you spotted the creature, and a location (you can search for your location within the location window). On the 'Geoprivacy' tab, you can also select the location to be public, obscured (random within a certain radius) or private.
Don’t worry if it doesn’t respond when you press ‘project’ - it will automatically list it to the project!
4) Submit! Click 'Share' at the bottom of the screen.
How to set up an iNaturalist account.
How to capture a record on iNaturalist
Presentation by Leon DeBell, SERC Manager, on Community Mapping, including why iNaturalist is a good platform and how to record sightings, both using the web platform