Credits
When I set out to identify the various species I’d taken photographs from, I had no idea how challenging it would be (or how dedicated to getting it right I’d become). I recently looked at an old album I’d put on facebook and saw that I’d labelled a photo of a cormorant as “some kind of duck.” I’ve come a long, long ways from then. I couldn’t have done it without a lot of help along the way. The following people and websites have been instrumental both in helping me figure out what species of animal I’ve taken a photo of (sometimes from a ridiculously poor image) and developing my talents for identifying subtle differences in wildlife that make it more likely a different species or subspecies.
BirdForum – an incredible resource, filled with amazing people who know their birds. If there were a similar resource for mammals, reptiles and fish, I’d have almost no trouble with IDs at all
iSpotNature – another great collection of wildlife enthusiasts. Particularly good at identifying Southern African and European wildlife.
iNaturalist – another ID site, and this one has listed a couple of my photos as “research grade”!
by Adam