Diario de ilouque

I just got back from Rendezvous. It got way to cold for April, but otherwise the speakers gave a bunch of great talks and the Sunday nature hike was exceptional! We hiked around the pond, over the field, and through the woods finding the neat local species along the way. My personal highlights were the Rough Green Snake (probably just my 3rd ever, with my second at Rendezvous 2017 at Chicot), the Dwarf Salamander that Bob found in a log, my lifer Calico Pennants and Blue Corporals, tons of Dwarf Sundews, and a Swallow-tailed Kite that I saw in Oakdale on my drive home. Species seen/heard but not recorded in iNat include Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and Northern Cardinal.

You've probably noticed that our iNaturalist project works differently now and if you've tried to add your observations to this project, you probably got an error message.

It's ok, this is good news! We no longer have to manually add observations to the project--we actually can't anymore. As long as your username is listed in the settings of the project, it will include your observations! All your observations, anywhere in the world will be included in the project.

There is a tradeoff, though. Now, when you look at your observation, it won't say that it is part of our SWLA Master Naturalist project anymore. That's because the new project works a little bit like a search rather than the older style projects.

Check out the project web page though, because there are lots of cool new features. For instance, you can see a leaderboard, cool interactive graphs, recent observations, and the most popular observations.

We've got a ton of events planned for the City Nature Challenge! Mark your calendars and find the linked Facebook event pages below.

All events are free, kid-friendly, open to everyone, and sponsored by the Southwest Louisiana Master Naturalists. If you're from another area, visit Louisiana's Outback to experience the wildlife we have out here! If you live here, please post sightings from your own backyard!

Friday
9 AM Cajun Prairie Tour--Iowa to Kinder
2 PM Citizen Science Nature Walk--Tuten Park, Lake Charles

Saturday
8:30 AM Longleaf Pine Hike--Little Cypress Recreation Area, Vernon Parish
6 PM The Beetle Experience--Tuten Park, Lake Charles

Sunday
2 PM Fish of the Calcasieu--Holbrook Park, Sulphur

Monday
2 PM Citizen Science Nature Walk--Riverside Park Complex, Lake Charles
7:30 PM Moth Night--Tuten Park, Lake Charles