A little bit of nature from your back window
Being at home doesn’t mean you can’t be part of nature!
With citizen science you can not only learn about the world just outside your window you can also lend a helping hand to some real science projects across Australia or even across the world! We are big fans of citizen science here at Backyard Buddies so here are just a few of our favourite apps, websites or projects to get you started.
If you find anymore that you love let us know on our Facebook page so that everyone else can join in too. That’s what citizen science is all about!
Birds in Backyards
Are you a bird nerd? WE ARE! Every year you can be part of the Big Aussie Bird Count in October, or every day you can find out what bird is making that noise, flying over head or eating the dogs food!
The Birds in Backyards bird finder is great for beginners to learn all about the birds in their backyards.
Head to Birds in Backyards now to take part in their Autumn bird survey.
Australian Citizen Science Association
Not sure where to start? Then start by taking a look at the Australian Citizen Science Association’s website. They have a database of hundreds of citizen science projects across Australia. There is bound to be one near you!
Digivol at the Australian Museum
You can help catalogue the museums amazing collections by becoming a digivol. They also have some great projects lilke the Cockatoo Wing Tag project that helps scientists track cockatoos around Sydney.
Have you heard of the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA)?
The Atlas of Living Australia has some great functions. ALA collates and maps data on recorded sightings of Australian plants and animals. Community groups and members of the public can contribute their sightings of native species to the database, investigate the different plants and animals found in a particular area, or generate maps showing where a particular species has been recorded.
Go global with Zooniverse
You can help scientists from around the world identify animals or even peer into the deepest darkest areas of space. Or maybe even help rediscover some lost artefacts from a museum collection. It’s all possible on Zooniverse.