Stay At Home - Citizen Science From Your Armchair
A lot of us are now working from home and limited in our access to the countryside. However, there are still some great citizen science projects out there that you can get involved in from the comfort of your own garden. Here’s a list of our favourites below.
Bee-fly Watch 2020
Bee-flies are distinctive, furry insects that are usually present in gardens between March and June. This project to record their flight times and distribution is now in its 5th year. Look out for bee-flies in your garden and add your records on iRecord.
BTO Garden Birdwatch
The British Trust for Ornithology has run its garden birdwatch scheme since 1995. Gardens are a really important habitat for wildlife and participants in the scheme keep a list of species that visit their gardens each week. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 the BTO has made this scheme free to join (although they do ask for a donation if possible).
Penguin Watch
If you have some time to spare then you could help Oxford University with their penguin conservation research. Once you have registered with the project you will be asked to count penguins, nests, eggs and chicks in thousands of photos from research cameras, turning them into valuable data.
PTES Living with Mammals Survey
The People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) are looking for volunteers to take part in their survey of wild mammals in gardens and local green spaces. Why not pick a site close to home that you can visit as part of your daily exercise and then spend a short time each week looking out for mammals and the signs they leave behind.
RHS Cellar Slug Survey
Do you have a garden full of slugs? If so then the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) want to hear from you. Use the online forms to submit records of Cellar slugs you have found in your garden and help the RHS establish links between habitat features and distribution patterns.
RSPB Scotland Breakfast Birdwatch
Count the birds you see in your garden between 0800 and 0900 each weekday morning and send in the details via the RSPB social media channels using the hashtag #breakfastbirdwatch. Even if you aren’t seeing much in your own garden, there are lots of great photos on Twitter for you to enjoy.
Seabird Watch
Seabird watch is another citizen science project set up by Oxford University. They need your help counting birds, nests and eggs in thousands of photos from research cameras, turning them into valuable data for nature conservation.