Interested in being part of a citizen science program? Consider joining our Waterbird Monitoring Project.
The goal of this project is to collect baseline data of bird activity along the coastal regions of the Avalon Peninsula to inform oil spill preparedness and industrial development proposals.
Monitoring sites include:
- St. John’s Harbour,
- Quidi Vidi Lake,
- Long Pond Marina,
- Holyrood Marina,
- Bay Bulls Harbour,
- Come by Chance Port.
The waterbird survey dates are:
- Winter: Jan 15th – Feb 28th.
- Spring: April 15th – May 31st.
- Summer: July 15th – August 31st.
- Fall: Oct. 15th – Nov. 30th.
How the program works:
Volunteer citizen scientists monitor sites four times per year, using Nature NL’s Waterbird Citizen Science Monitoring Protocol and submit the data to Nature NL’s Program Coordinator. The data are made available publicly and used by Environment and Climate Change Canada, among others, to inform oil spill preparedness. Each monitoring site has specific coordinates where the survey must be carried out. Each survey site is monitoring for a minimum of 30 minutes.
If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, email our Program Coordinator Jill at [email protected] (we will cover your travel costs).
Nature NL Waterbird Survey. Video Credits: Jill Taylor.