Thirteen young citizen scientists, aged from 5 to 13, joined us during this spring school holidays for a morning of nature discovery.
We began at Gunning Library, where we talked about what citizen scientists do and how everyday people can contribute to scientific research. We also discussed the clues we can use to identify wildlife and plants, and how solving mysteries (and identifying species) can be a challenge if we don’t have enough clues.
Armed with the citizen science kit from the Gunning Library and a healthy dose of curiosity, we then headed across to the Gunning Showground Bushland Park to put our skills into practice using three fantastic citizen science apps.
Two of the apps use sound to help identify wildlife. Merlin Bird ID listens for bird calls, while FrogID helps identify frogs by their distinctive calls. We also used Seek by iNaturalist, which uses photos to help identify plants, animals and fungi.
The wildlife certainly put on a show for us! Throughout the morning we recorded a variety of bird species, identified numerous plants and even spotted a slithery snake making its way through the park. One of the biggest surprises came from the FrogID app, which detected what could potentially be up to 18 frog species calling from around the dam at the bottom of the block.
Beyond being a fun morning outdoors, the walk introduced local kids to simple tools they can use at home to learn more about the wildlife in their own backyards and local bushland. Every observation recorded through citizen science platforms contributes valuable information that helps researchers better understand and protect our natural environment.
A big thank you to Gunning Library for partnering with us on this school holiday activity and providing such a welcoming venue to kick off the morning.
We would also like to thank everyone who has donated to support our school holiday programs. Every donation, no matter the size, helps us continue offering activities like this free of charge to local families. The support of our donors makes a real difference and allows us to connect young people with nature, science and their local environment. If you’d like to donate to support our school holiday program, click HERE.