BFF Challenge: BFF Big Birdwatch

Spend half an hour with nature, from the comfort of your own home! Join our first BFF citizen science project, documenting birds that can be seen (or heard) from our home compounds.

Why Citizen Science? Citizen Science is when researchers involve members of the public to collect scientific data. Not only are such widespread datasets valuable, engaging the community means everyone can play a part in making a difference to our environment.

For BFF Big Birdwatch, we will record our sightings using SGBioAtlas. A citizen science-based app, it converts data submitted by users into a map of biodiversity sightings throughout Singapore!

TASK

Completion of this entire activity (Part 1, 2 and 3) before the deadline will be counted as participation in one field trip.

Part 1: Prepare to Birdwatch

Learn some tips for birdwatching from home:

Learn about common local birds:
- Bird ID guides –
  - ID sheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_aJCqULcEKaPY_Rk-hdkU2Z6fYOl82o3/view?usp=sharing
  - NParks Garden Bird Watch interactive e-Module (works best with Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox): https://www.nparks.gov.sg/cinresources/gardenbirdwatch/story.html
- You can also ID birds based on their calls! You may be able to hear these birds’ calls from your home –

Download the SGBioAtlas app by 23 Apr 2020:
- Get it on the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/sg/app/sgbioatlas/id975080923) OR Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sg.gov.nparks.BiodiversityApp&hl=en_SG)
- Create an account (You will be provided a temporary password, and prompted to change it on https://biome.nparks.gov.sg). Join the ‘BFF Big Birdwatch’ Project.
- Tutorials coming soon!

Part 2: Birdwatch

Set aside 30 min between 7am – 9am between 25 – 26 April to birdwatch at home/in your home compound.
Record which species and number of individual birds you see and hear around your home/compound, for 30 min.
- You can move between different spots (e.g. different windows; from your window to your garden), but try to use some discretion to avoid double-counting.
- If you hear a bird call, record it as 2 individuals of the same species. The bird is likely calling out to another individual of the same species.
Upload your sightings in the ‘BFF Big Birdwatch’ project using SGBioAtlas.
- Submit one entry per species spotted.

Part 3: Blog about it!

Write a blog post on our BFF Challenge Blog, covering the following:
- Reflection:
  - One thing you liked
  - One think you found challenging
  - Now that you’ve tried birdwatching from home, what is one tip you can suggest?
- Information about 3 species of birds you saw/heard:
  - 3 facts per bird (Hint: You can use the ecological characteristics we covered at the Opening Seminar – e.g. Diet, habitat, activity pattern)
    - “Oh no! I saw less than 3 species/did not see any birds during my birdwatch!” That’s okay, you can write about birds that you’ve seen/heard around your home outside the Big Birdwatch period.
  - Summary of the distinguishing physical features of the bird, accompanied by a photo you took, OR a labelled drawing.

*If you didn’t manage to take a photo, a simple but clearly labelled drawing will do*!

Upload your post under the ‘BFF Big Birdwatch’ category.

Deadline: 2359, Sunday 10 May 2020

Notes:

Please abide by safe distancing measures. If you go outdoors (e.g. into your corridor), wear a mask and keep at least 1m away from others.
Don’t worry if you can’t identify everything. Just do your best to record what you can 🙂

Additional resources: