Profile picture: western pond turtle plate, Poso Creek, Kern County, 1853-1856 Pacific Railroad Expeditions https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/268154#page/751/mode/1up

It's awesome to be part of a community that is excited about the natural world around us, exploring & learning about our diverse natural surroundings.

I'm not a botanist, entomologist, lepidopterist or a malacologist, but I might pretend to be one on the weekends. Corrections are always welcome, especially educational comments. I'm here to learn and provide help when I can.

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-natural-diversity-database

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB

P.S. I guess I'm a birder. Most of my formal education (HSUx2) and research from years past was geared toward field ornithology. Ya, I was a bird chaser for many years. Lately, I've been getting more familiar with amphibians and reptiles. My iNat attention is strictly focused on California vertebrates and relates to my current professional career in helping document the special status wildlife species for conservation and land use planning.

Camera equipment:
I highly recommend the Cannon PowerShot SX700 series compact cameras with 40x zoom for animals. This is an easy to carry, super zoom that can slip into your pants pocket, and piggybacks GPS to geocode photos. I've had the SX710 HS, SX720 HS, and currently have the SX740 HS (https://www.usa.canon.com/shop/p/powershot-sx740-hs?color=Black&type=New). I don't want to carry a big camera when I already have binoculars, usually a small backpack, and trail blazing. It may not be "pro" but its way better than a cell phone camera for animals and perfect for iNat'ing. Also, you're able to keep your distance and cause less disturbance (less likely to scare the critters into seeking cover).
Examples:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155281302
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155281301
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/108158230
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/156184502
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154505593

The Panisonic Lumix ZS70K is very similar with a 30x optical, https://shop.panasonic.com/cameras-and-camcorders/cameras/point-and-shoot-cameras/dc-zs70k.