Citizen Science Projects

15 years ago

I started some citizens science projects this year after procrastinating for years... I think nestwatch is one of the coolest and I know a lot of you guys have nesting birds too so I hope everyone who isn't already entering data will consider doing so. It's pretty fun and adds to our knowledge of birds... google cornell nestwatch if you're interested.

I also have a nightjar route where I will listen for nocturnal birds (nighthawks & whip-poor-wills) on an existing, vacant route near my house. You can create a route if an existing one is not vacant in your area.

That's probably going to be all I can keep up with, I did do a salamander monitoring thing years ago though and I know there are frogwatch and some others. Which projects do you find interesting?

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Comments (5)

jeanner
15 years ago
I'm currently participating in the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas. I've also done Feederwatch and Christmas bird counts, winter bird atlases, etc.

Last summer I did do some odonata surveys and was able to add three new species to the list for my county.

Unfortunately I don't have nearly enough time to do what I'd like to do.
vegangirl
15 years ago
I signed up for the Birds in Forested Landscapes and The Golden-winged Warbler Project. I should be getting the materials in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to the projects and my DH, DS and DD have agreed to help.
VG
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It is a very fine line, and it sounds like you're walking it exactly right. I too helped my son until about sixth grade, and then he was on his own 100% (6th-11th grade so far). It takes time to build up to it, and you're right, it's because it's far more sophisticated than it was in the past. My son started out with only the idea and a faint idea of where to go. It started out I'd talk to him, playing devil's advocate for realizing where experiment pitfalls might be, or was it too simplistic. I had him dictate what got typed up for the board, and I cut it out. We glued it together. The next year, I still had the conversation, but he had to type it up and we cut/glued together. The next year, it was all him. Fourth, fifth, and sixth grade. He's a junior now and he can do entire presentations and experiments with robotics on his own. But they need help getting there. My son came up with a project I thought would be a total bust, and I learned something! He wanted to see how quickly you cool down flowers would help preserve them. Cryo-chrysanthemum was his title. Looked like icicles dripping down. Good luck on titles! I wish I was as creative as my kid, but alas, I am not.
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compostkate
15 years ago
How does one find/sign-up for these projects? Google Citizen Science Projects? I've done the local Christmas birdcounts before, but I'd like to expand hehe.
marlingardener
15 years ago
We participate in the Monarch Larva Monitoring project with the U. of Minnesota (yes, we are in Texas, but the U. of M. is broad-minded and we are on the Monarch migratory path). This is a spring/fall project.
We also do the backyard bird with Cornell, reporting from Nov. through April on birds seen in our yard. We just signed up for nestwatch, mostly because we have nesting chickadees in a nest box my husband made.
Any of these are a lot of fun, and we like to think we are adding our mite of information to the overall picture.
Min3 South S.F. Bay CA
14 years ago
This is the 2nd year I have been part of the Great Sunflower Project, planting a specific kind of sunflower and making quick reports of the bees that come to it, and even taking photos.

Also the new Science Museum in San Francisco (California Academy of Sciences) has a Bay Area Ant Survey going, also easy to do and easy for kids too.

Please join in! Min

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Citizen Science Projects

Comments (5)

jeanner

vegangirl

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compostkate

marlingardener

Min3 South S.F. Bay CA

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