Give yourself a high five if you participated in the 2022 Minneapolis-St. Paul City Nature Challenge! Over 400 people recorded observations in the project area between April 29-May 2, and 58% of all observations were able to be accurately identified. This research-grade data will help researchers discover, track and conserve our cities’ natural heritage.
Taking part in a worldwide nature-based event in early spring certainly adds a degree of difficulty for those of us in northern climes, but we continue to report great results every year. You observed 782 species around the Twin Cities, and the most-observed were mallard duck, Virginia waterleaf and yellow-rumped warblers — plentiful during this time as the City Nature Challenge occurred during their spring migration through the area. Extension wildlife specialist John Loegering notes, "They are the first warbler to migrate through Minnesota and are often abundant in late April and early May. They are a joy for a many birders to observe as it signals the warbler migration has started."
Despite the cool, wet weather and late spring we experienced, Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteers made their mark by hosting events, teaching others about iNaturalist, adding their own observations and identifying observations from other users.
And in addition to adding observations in and around the Twin Cities, your observations are now part of an impressive dataset that spans the globe. Across the world, over 67,000 people participated in the City Nature Challenge and made nearly 1.7 million observations. This event continues to grow each year and we’re excited to see what you find in 2023.