Adding iNaturalist Sightings to a WordPress Blog with Claude Code
Build a sightings page using Claude Code and iNaturalist API, then syndicate to blog.
Try building a similar feature with Claude Code to automate content syndication.
Summary
Simon Willison has added a new sightings feature to his blog, using a Canon R6 Mark II to capture wildlife photos. The feature pulls data from iNaturalist, showing 208 results across seven pages, with entries such as Acorn Woodpecker sightings from 1–2 May 2026 and a White‑crowned Sparrow from 30 April 2026. He built the page on his phone with Claude Code for web, extending his existing beats system that syndicates external content. The code is available in pull request #668 on his GitHub repository.
The sightings page includes a search bar, RSS icon, and filters sorted by date, and the content is automatically displayed on the homepage, date archive pages, and in site search results. Willison back‑populated over a decade of iNaturalist sightings, so a search for "lemur" will return Madagascar photos from 2019. The feature demonstrates how Claude Code can generate functional WordPress extensions without manual coding. It showcases a practical workflow for integrating third‑party APIs into a custom WordPress site.
Key changes
- Created a sightings page listing iNaturalist data with search and RSS
- Integrated iNaturalist API to fetch sightings
- Used Claude Code for rapid code generation
- Back‑populated over a decade of sightings
- Syndicated sightings to homepage, archive, and search
- Added RSS feed for the sightings page