Vote Now for the 2023 NUTTER Awards

COVID19. Brexit. US Presidential Elections.The past decade has seen more than its fair share of major news and controversy. But it all takes second place when I remember the agony and ecstasy of the 2018 N.U.T.T.E.R Awards. I am certain we all remember precisely where we were when that news broke! Failing that I hope a few of you remember what the hell I am talking about…

But if you missed out on the excitement last time then fear not. The 2023 Awards for Mammalwatching’s most Notable, Unique, Tantalizing, Tenacious and Enlightening Reports: The N.U.T.T.E.R Awards are back, bigger and better than ever. Often described as a mammalwatching mix of Nobel Prize and Olympic Gold, but more prestigious, they will surely – once again – be life changing, especially if you have a partner as generous as Ralf Bürglin does (see here)

With big thanks from the team at Project Felis – especially Ruben and Valentin – along with those who attended the most recent community meeting, I am pleased to announce that the nominations have closed and the voting can begin. You can vote using this Google poll thing here until 4 March.

After discussion – a surprising amount of discussion … we took this seriously! 😊 –  we have the following categories and nominations. Reports published in (or just after) 2023 were eligible. So please vote!

Best Trip Report

Borneo 2023, Daan Drukker

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Trip-report-Borneo.pdf

Madagascar 2023, Jonas Livet

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Madagascar-2023-26-days-Jonas-Livet-Ruta-Vaicekauskaite-for-Mammalwatching.pdf

South Africa 2023, Valentin Moser

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023_SouthAfrica.pdf

Vietnam 2023, Alex Schouten and Jeannette den Hertog

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Trip-report-Alex-and-Jeannette-Vietnam-2023.pdf

West Papua 2023, Jon Hall

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/new-trip-report-west-papua-2023/

Yellowstone (USA) 2023, Greg Easton

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Yellowstone-Trip-Report.pdf

Most Inspiring Conservation Person, Place or Thing

Arnaud Desbiez’s work on Giant Armadillos and Giant Anteaters in Brazil

https://www.mammalwatching.com/podcast/s2-e13-arnaud-desbiez/

Nils Bouillard for his Big Bat Year and book

https://www.mammalwatching.com/podcast/episode-15-nils-bouillard/

KAFS in Madagascar, home to Sucker-footed Bats, Aye-ayes and much more

No podcast for this one but this is the project https://madagascarpartnership.org/field-sites/kianjavato/

Sahara Conservation Fund for their work bringing Oryx and Addax back to Chad

https://www.mammalwatching.com/podcast/s2-e19-john-newby-chad/

Most Unexpected Mammal Encounter!

Manu and Sophie Baumgartner – Spotted Linsang in India

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/trip-report-north-east-india/

Koen Betjes – Giant Otter Shrew in the DRC

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/drc-salonga-region-2022-koen-betjes-longterm-stay-38-species-including-bonobo-allens-swamp-monkey-giant-otter-shrew-giant-pangolin-and-water-chevrotain/

Carlos Bocos, Jon Hall and team – Western Long-beaked Echidna in West Papua

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/new-trip-report-west-papua-2023/

Rob and Remy Jansen – Pacarana in Ecuador

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/its-a-wild-life-pacarana-encounter/

Patrick Richard –  Falanouc in Madagascar

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Madagascar-2023-V2.pdf

Best First Trip Report

Koen Betjes, DRC2022  – a fascinating set of species in a place that is hardly visited by mammalwatchers

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/drc-salonga-region-2022-koen-betjes-longterm-stay-38-species-including-bonobo-allens-swamp-monkey-giant-otter-shrew-giant-pangolin-and-water-chevrotain/

Joey Brunk, Poland 2023. Joey has submitted a bunch of useful reports this year and this was his first.

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Poland-Trip-Report-1.pdf

Ben Chapple, Kenya 2022 – a mammoth report with perhaps the highest ever species count!

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Kenya-2022-BC.pdf

Ellen Linton, Sax Zim Bog, Minnesota, 2023. A useful report of a fairly new mammalwatching site, with some excellent species. A great read too and bonus points for converting family members!

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/trip-report-sax-sim-bog-minnesota/

The Propitrek, Madagascar. Not many people travel around Madagascar independently, and so this report is invaluable for those who want to.

https:/www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/northern-madagascar-the-propitrek/

Vsevolod (Seva) Rudyi & Ekaterina (Katya) Sichinava, Vietnam: a very useful report for anyone wanting to travel around Vietnam on their own

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/vietnam-trip-report-22nd-dec-2023-to-5th-jan-2024-mostly-cat-tien/

Moses Swanson-Mwamasika – Zimbabwe. A fun report from mammalwatching’s youngest – and possibly keenest – member!

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/moving-to-zimbabwe-part-i/

Most Helpful Community Member

Daan Drukker  – for some very detailed reports and for his extremely useful work on Squirrels of West Africa and Mongolia

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Provisional-field-guide-to-the-Squirrels-of-West-Africa.pdf

https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Provisional-field-guide-to-the-Squirrels-of-Mongolia.pdf

Rob & Remy Jansen – for making most of us jealous with their life of perpetual mammalwatching. A life that has produced a wealth of trip reports and shared great information including a site for Northern Oncilla in Colombia that several people benefitted from.

https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/northern-oncilla/

Venkat Sankar – for helping a great many people with their bat and rodent IDs from North and South America and Africa, as well as some great reports. I am looking forward to his first trip to Asia so he can start identifying all those small mammals too.

Ian Thompson – for some of this website’s most entertaining reports and for apparently being ready to join just about every trip anyone is planning!

So please vote and mobilise your fans, friends and family.  Voting closes on March 4 and the awards will be announced later that month. Boom!

 

Jon

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Jon Hall

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