August 1 - 5, 2024
Thanks for signing up! You’re going to have an amazing time documenting nature around you and contributing to community science.
Whether you’re a Newly Hatched Naturalist or an Eagle-eyed Expert, participating in the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Big Backyard BioBlitz is simple.
From August 1 to 5, take photos or audio clips of the plants, birds, insects and other cool creatures around you, wherever you happen to be. Explore solo or bring along your family and friends. The observations you share will deepen our knowledge of Canada’s biodiversity and how to protect it.
Here are a few good places to start:
Here’s where your expertise is most valuable:
Want to enrich your BioBlitz experience? Scroll through the carousel to see our helpful resources and click to download.
Photographing Insects
Photographing plants
Photographing mammals
Photographing birds
Benefits of spending time in nature
Documenting nature without damaging it!
Getting to know common invasive species
Get the kid-friendly Seek App
This iNaturalist add-on makes it easy for junior shutterbugs to get involved in the BioBlitz. When they snap photos of plants and animals, image recognition technology will automatically try to identify the species for them. They can also earn badges for observing different types of species and completing fun challenges.
No registration or logins are required, and no user data is collected. To include your kids’ observations as part of the Big Backyard BioBlitz, simply access and log into your own iNaturalist account from within the Seek app.
Download Seek
From August 1 to 5, share a pic on social media using the hashtag #NCCBioBlitz. It could be a cool species you photographed that day, a completed activity sheet or a picture of your family out exploring nature. Share for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card!**
If you're using the iNaturalist app, click on the briefcase icon on the bottom of the screen to find a list of projects.
If you're using the iNaturalist website, select "Projects" under the Community menu option at the top of the page. You can also use the search function. Just be sure to search for the whole project name — 2024 Big Backyard BioBlitz — and not the word "bioblitz."
If you're using the app, tap the "Observe" icon to capture your observations. Or you can upload photos and audio recordings saved on your device to the app later.
If you're using the website, click on the green "Upload" button at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
For more help and information, please visit the iNaturalist support website.
Currently, you can only upload still images and sound recordings to iNaturalist. As a workaround, you can upload a screen grab from your video, then upload the video to a site like YouTube or Google Photos, and then link to the video in the observation's description.
Confirm that you have joined the 2024 Big Backyard BioBlitz project. The project link and icon will only appear on the observations you've uploaded if you have joined the project. And don't forget: Only observations made in Canada will be included in the Big Backyard BioBlitz.
To see only your observations, from the BioBlitz project page go to "view all" in the Recent Observations section. Once you're on the Observations page, select the "filters" option from the top menu. From there you can add your username in the "person" field, click on "update search" and you should see your observations.
When you make an observation using the app, iNaturalist should automatically fetch and display your location. It if doesn't, check to confirm you’ve enabled location services on your device. For iPhones, go to Privacy in the Settings app. For Android, go to App Permissions in the Settings app. If that still doesn't work, you can specify your location manually on the map.
If you're adding an observation to the iNaturalist website (for example, if you're using a camera and uploading your photos when you return to your computer), you'll be asked to include a location. Type in an approximate address and then adjust the map manually as needed.
You can control the geoprivacy of your observations. “Open” means anyone can see the location. "Obscured" will show a general vicinity but not the exact coordinates. "Private" hides the coordinates completely from public view. With both "obscured" and "private" only you and project curators you've given permission to will be able to view the exact coordinates.
iNaturalist automatically obscures the locations of some sensitive species. You will be able to see your observations, but others will not be able to see the exact location. If you have concerns about the species you have observed, and it is not automatically obscured, you can obscure it yourself.
Yes! As long as you have already joined the project in iNaturalist and your files are date stamped to August 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, your observations will still be counted as part of the 2024 Big Backyard BioBlitz.
When you add an observation to iNaturalist, identify the species as best as you can, even if it’s as simple as “plant,” “insect,” “bird,” etc. Other users will help confirm or improve your identification, as long as it includes a photo or sound recording, location and date.
We encourage you to focus on organisms you spot in the wild, not pets, garden plants, etc. If you do share an observation of a potted geranium, for example, checking the “captive/cultivated” option under “details” lets people know that the species you’ve photographed isn’t naturally found in the wild at that location.
More questions? Visit the iNaturalist help page.
If you have further questions about the event please email us at: events@natureconservancy.ca
Email Us!Visit the iNaturalist website for helpful video tutorials about documenting nature, using the mobile app, desktop uploader, and more!
www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials
