800 Challenge: 1st Quarter review [Stats & sundries]

No. of species - monthly count

No. of species - monthly count

January	373
February	151
March	128

The declining month on month (M/m) trend is in line with expectations. The more readily-found or common species [easily accessed and or geographically convenient] are added to the list first.

1st quarter target - 675*. Result - 652 [*Zimbabwe trip postponed to 2nd half of 2013]


Species - 1st quarter regional split

Species - 1st quarter regional split

The regional split denotes where a specific species was first seen. Subsequent sightings around the region are not recorded. The bulk of the records stem from areas readily accessed from home. Based elsewhere there is no doubt that the 1st quarter regional split would be skewed elsewhere.

Gauteng	124
Limpopo	66
North West	32
Northern Cape	55
Mpumalanga	224
KZN	65
Western Cape	74
Eastern Cape	0
Free State	7
Namibia	5

Lifers: monthly & regional split

No. of Lifers - monthly count

As expected the bulk of new species seen (ie: lifers / 1st sightings ever) were recorded further afield from home-base. The majority of the lifers recorded were pelagic species (out to sea) - a pleasing result & one of the goals of the 800 Challenge as set out in our founding blog.

1st Quarter - Carbon Footprint [Kilometers traveled - estimates per Google Earth]

Kilometers traveled - 1st quarter
Per boat or ship	2675
Per plane	8495
Per vehicle	8075

Sundry stats for interest: [1st quarter]

• No. of kilometers traveled per species (aggregated across the whole) - 29 km.
• No. of kilometers traveled per lifer (aggregated across the whole) - 2405 km.
• No. of vagrant species - 9
• No. of vagrants twitched - 8 
• Species dipped (targeted specifically: geographiclly inconvenient ie: from home-base) - 5
• Knysna Warbler
• Victorin's Warbler
• Elegant Tern
• African Broadbill
• Grey Waxbill
• Time spent in the field - 936 hours
• Hours per species - 1 hour 25 minutes
• Hours per lifer - 117 hours
• Remaining no. of species targeted over quarters 2; 3 & 4 across the region [excluding vagrants]
• RSA - 63 (including pelagic species)
• Namibia & Botswana - 75
• Mozambique - 37
• Zimbabwe - 35