How to add a sighting to Dabasdati.lv?
You have sighted a wild animal or plant, possibly also have photographed it.
First, register on the Dabasdati.lv website (why register? read here). Then, log into dabasdati.lv with your username in the top-right corner of the page.
Now you can fill the sighting form. To get there, click on the "Add observation" button on the main page of dabasdati.lv.
How to fill the form? IN SHORT
1. On the left side of the form is a map, zoom in as close as possible, and click to add the location. Save it.
2. On the right side of the form, use the calendar to select date of the sighting.
3. If you know what species of plant or animal you have sighted, specify it. For example if you have sighted the Brown long-eared bat, in "Group" choose "Mammals", in "Subgroup" - "Bats", in "Species" - "Brown long-eared bat". If you dont know what species you have sighted, set all "Group", "Subgroup" and "Species" to "Unknown". In this case, you must provide a photographs, so our experts can determine the species.
4. Select the number of sighted animals, and their status.
5. Add the photograph of the sighted animal. Suggestions for sighting photographs (pdf). You can also add a link to a youtube video.
6. If you want, provide additional information of comments.
7. Click "Register" to submit the sighting.
How to fill the form? STEP BY STEP
1. Select the sighting spot on the map in the left side of the form.
For example, you have sighted a hybernating bat in the Vecumnieki district of the Bārbeles region, near the "Zemītes" house cellar. To specify the location as accurately as possible, use the map scale and zoom in, so that the house name is visible. Click the button "Add point" (1), with the mouse cursor, click on the house "Zemītes" (2). In the place you clicked, a red point will appear. A small window will pop up, asking you to enter point description. Enter the place name "Zemītes" (3) and click "Save" (4) to submit the location. For your next sightings, place name "Zemītes" will be available as a selection in the "Place" dropdown menu and you will not have to use the map again.
2. Select the time of sighting.
In the calendar, choose the date when you saw the bat. If you want, you can specify an exact time as well.
If you know for sure, that the bat is staying in the cellar for a prolonged period of time, for example two months, choose the date when you first saw the bad, and choose "Date until" to show another calendar, where you can set when you saw it last.
3. Choose the species.
If you know, which species of bat you have seen, select it in the fields "Group", "Subgroup" and "Species" accordingly
If you dont know for sure, select the "Unknown" in all those fields.
4. Choose the number of seen bats, select their status, add a photograph.
In the "Number" field choose how many bats you jave seen. In this case - 1.
In the "Status" field you can select the condition of the sighting, in this case you can choose "Livese locally"
Add the photograph. This is very important if you report sightings of rare animals or plants. The photograph will help our experts to confirm the species in your sighting, and evaluate your sighting as legitimate. Photographs should be less than 2MB in size. It is possible to add JPG, GIF and PNG files. The sighting can have multiple photographs - in this case we have added three. Please do not add each photograph as a separate sighting.
Nature photographer Uģis Piterāns gives his advice for choosing the type of photograph, and its processing (PDF)
You can add a link to a YouTube video, and the video will also show up in your sighting report.
5. If you want to give more information about the sighting, add your comments here.
If you want to describe your sighting in more detail, click "Additional info" and you will see more fields in the form. "Habitat", "Behavior", "Features" and "Other witness". Click the field "Sighting not public" and only administrators will be able to view the sighting. This is important in case of a very rare sighting, or in case of species which are very sensitive to human interaction. For example a nest of the black stork.
In the "Notes" field, enter other important information. For example, bats are protected species, and information about recurring hybernation locations are valuable. So in this example, we have noted that the long eared bats are hybernating in the "Zemītes" cellar since a few years.
Click "Register" to submit your sighting.
If you want to add another sighting right away, in the same physical location, in this case - the house "Zemītes", click the field "Continue to submit in same location". You will be redirected to a new submission form, which will automatically be assigned to the same spot in the map.
Thank you!