Have you heard the buzz? On August 18th and 19th, citizens of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina residents will be venturing out to count all of the pollinators that we can find for the 2023 Great Southeast Pollinator Census! The census is a citizen science research project created by the University of Georgia that launched in 2019 inviting all Georgians to come together for two days to document pollinator populations. It further encourages everyone to create sustainable pollinator habitats and to learn about the many types of pollinators throughout the year. This project is designed for everyone to participate and make a difference for pollinator conservation! Watch the video to learn more about how to join the count by clicking here. The program also offers a no-cost STEM program for educators, with teaching resources available through the program website.
Buzzing with excitement, the citizens of South Carolina joined in 2022, and North Carolina citizens will be joining the Great Southeast Pollinator Census for the 2023 count, expanding the reach of the pioneering project in the Southeast!
It may sound un-bee-lievable, but did you know bees and butterflies aren’t the only pollinators out there. Learn more about all of the different types of pollinators, catch all the buzz about this year’s census and…
Join the count and share your photos!
Here’s how: Visit the official website at www.gsepc.org where you can:
Join and share your pollinator photos during the count on Georgia Pollinator Census Facebook page and on instagram @GaPollinators. “Bee” sure to follow both social media pages!
REMEMBER: Please know that the most important part of the project is YOU. YOU can make a difference! YOU promote the project, YOU count the insects, and YOU ensure that the data YOU collected is uploaded to the website. This project only works because of YOU.
Save the date – February 17-20, 2023, is the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), a citizen science project sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Birds Canada.
Each February, for four days, the birdwatching world counts birds and reports those counts.
These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their
annual migrations.
Participation is simple and easy – just pick a spot and count the birds you see for at least 15
minutes on one of the four days, or for as long as you like on each the four days. You also have
several options for how to report your data: through Merlin, eBird Mobile, or manually counting
and uploading to the site from your computer. Whether you count one bird or hundreds, join
thousands of other birdwatchers and count birds for science.
Launched in 1998 by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, and joined by
Birds Canada in 2009, the GBBC was the first online citizen science project to collect data on
wild birds and to display the results in near real time. The project went global in 2013 when data
was entered into eBird, the world’s largest community science project.
Detailed directions on how to identify, count, and submit are available on the website at https://www.birdcount.org/. This site also has information about an upcoming webinar on
February 15 at 1:00PM with tips on birdwatching and a Q&A session.
Mark your calendar and be a part of a global citizen science event where the world comes
together for the love of birds!
Update to this article: If the weather does not cooperate, two rain dates have been added, Sunday, August 21st and Monday, August 22nd. Counts can be accepted from these two dates as well! REMEMBER: Please know that the most important part of the project is YOU. YOU can make a difference! YOU promote the project, YOU count the insects, and YOU make sure that the data is uploaded to the website. This project works because of YOU. Read how and see the links below.
Have you heard the buzz? On August 19th and 20th, Georgia and South Carolina residents will be venturing out to count all of the pollinators that we can find for the 2022 Great Georgia Pollinator Census! The census is a citizen science research project created by the University of Georgia and launched four years ago in 2019 inviting all Georgians to come together for two days to document pollinator populations. The project is designed for everyone to participate and make a difference for pollinator conservation! It further encourages everyone to create sustainable pollinator habitats and to learn about the many types of pollinators throughout the year. The program also offers a no-cost STEM program for educators, with teaching resources available through the program website. Buzzing with excitement, the citizens of South Carolina will be joining the Great Georgia Pollinator Census for the August 2022 count, expanding the reach of the pioneering project in the Southeast!
It may sound un-bee-lievable, but did you know bees and butterflies aren’t the only pollinators out there. Learn more about all of the different types of pollinators, catch all the buzz about this year’s census and…
Join the count!
Here’s how: Visit the official website at www.ggapc.org where you can:
On October 6, 2021, the Conservation Committee of Georgia Nature Photographers Association presented its first statewide webinar about conservation by introducing the concept of Citizen Science with 6 speakers! Featured guest speakers were Caroline Nickerson from Sci-Starter and Andrew Snyder, who is Co-Chair of NANPA’s Conservation Committee and a wildlife biologist with Re-Wild. Several of the GNPA Conservation Committee members made presentations. Susan Perz coordinated the webinar, hosted by the Alpharetta Chapter with a brief introduction by Lee Friedman. Susan spoke about endangered species, camera traps and time lapse photography. Committee Chair Marcia Brandes shared Tammy Cash’s presentation on bird banding and the importance of reporting banded birds viewed in the wild. The presentation was illustrated with images captured by Tammy and Jimmy Cash, Jenny Burdette, and others. Chris Dahl presented his photos from a hummingbird banding event. Tom Wilson gave a presentation about amatuer astronomers and astrophotography, and the impact their images can have on Citizen Science. He shared some of the equipment he uses and how some of his images have been used by scientists/astronomers. Tom is a former GNPA Vice President and Chair of the Conservation Committee, and currently serves as the Communication Committee. The event was well attended online, and recorded for future viewing! The GNPA Conservation committee is proud to announce this webinar is now available for public viewing at the link below, as well as a list of resources related to the webinar.
A few resources from the webinar:
Carolyn Nicholson, a Senior Program Director with SciStarter.org recommends the following SciStarter.org conservation/nature related projects:
Susan Perz, Ph.D., Webinar Coordinator and Member of the Conservation Committee, presented 3 topics: Endangered Species, Camera Trap Photography, and Time Lapse Photography.
Sharing photos and videos with public schools for educational purposes. One of the videos that Susan Perz has shared with an elementary school is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-gxw-JRMwk
Help raise awareness and effect change by being a Citizen Scientist!
April is Citizen Science Month and there are thousands of opportunities for you to turn your curiosity into impact. There’s something for everyone, everywhere! Join others in learning about and participating in fun, real ways to help scientists answer questions they cannot answer without you.
Check out below a few of the projects chosen by the GNPA Conservation Committee where your photos can help make a positive difference! Visit SciStarter.org and citizenscience.com for other opportunities!
Spring is all about change as our winter landscapes start to bloom and lifeforms emerge from their winter hiding spots. What you see in your neighborhood (and when) is important to understanding how climate change is affecting communities everywhere. Your block-by-block insights help cities, engineers and local organizations build better solutions for a changing climate.
Snap a pic of your local stream and share it with researchers!
The images help scientists get a better picture of water quality across the country — something that there’s an alarming lack of information on right now! Join thousands
of people working toward the goal of clean water for everyone.
Photograph the beauty of spring around you and aid biodiversity research.
Document the butterflies, bees, grasses, flowers and more that you see around you! Simply upload your images of the natural world to the iNaturalist app and they’ll share the data with organizations like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Your observations help scientists study and protect the natural world!
Help researchers study pollinators and native plants.
How are ecosystems near you changing with the seasons? Budburst’s network of citizen scientists keep an eye on plants as seasons shift. Contributing observations as plants come up, bloom, turn to seed and more will also help you get outside all while learning about the natural world beyond your front door.
Take a walk outside and photograph the sky — NASA scientists need your cloud photos.
When scientists study clouds, they’re typically looking at them from above, from satellites. But that doesn’t give them the full picture. Clouds play a big role in the climate by reflecting, absorbing and scattering sunlight and infrared emissions from Earth. NASA needs your cloud observations to better understand how it all works!
Shared by Tammy Cash, Conservation Committee Communications
For those of us who enjoy watching and photographing our backyard birds, or birds any and everywhere, here is your chance to share your photos, help with conservation efforts for our feathered friends, and be a Citizen Scientist! “The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was the first online citizen-science project (also referred to as community science) to collect data on wild birds and to display results in near real-time.” Participate in the GBBC for four days in February (18th-21st) to watch, learn about, count, and celebrate birds! The GBBC is sponsored annually by The Cornell Lab, Audubon, and Birds Canada. Below is additional information on the GBBC from birdcount.org.
Project Goal:
Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days, we invite people to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them. The observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.
How to Participate
Participating is really easy and fun to do alone or with others! And it can be done anywhere you find birds.
Step 1 – Decide where you will watch birds.
Step 2 – Watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, February 18-21, 2022.
Step 3 – Count all the birds you see or hear within your planned time/location and use the best tool for sharing your bird sightings:
If you are a beginning bird admirer and new to the count, try using the Merlin Bird ID app.
If you have participated in the count before, try eBird Mobile app or enter your bird list on the eBird website (desktop/laptop).
If you are participating as a group, see instructions for Group Counting.
Learn More by Registering for the FREE 2022 Webinar:
Join the experts to brush up on bird ID, unlock the mystery of bird songs, and practice counting birds no matter how large the flock or busy the feeder. This webinar is designed for birders of all ages and experience—you’ll leave confident and ready to be part of the Great Backyard Bird Count! Click here to Register for Webinar on Wednesday, February 16, 2 pm ET
Be Part of a Global Event
How cool is this! Watch observation lists roll in from around the world. Each submitted checklist becomes a glowing light on our bird sightings map. Watch the Live Map
Share Your Birds Counts
The Great Backyard Bird Count uses eBird, one of the world’s largest nature databases. It stores more than 100 million bird sightings contributed each year and is used by professionals for science and conservation. Contribute to eBird and become a citizen scientist!
Upload your favorite bird images when you enter your Great Backyard Bird Count list in eBird. Your photo will become a part of the Macaulay Library, the world’s premier scientific archive of natural history. Images for the Macaulay Library can be uploaded directly from your eBird/GBBC list. To learn how to upload an image to your bird list click here: Learn How to Upload Bird Photos
People Photos From the Weekend:
You can also share pictures of yourself and your bird-watching community! The photos may be used to continue to inspire others from around the world to watch and enjoy birds. All people who submit people photos will win one Bird Academy course! Click here for more information: Share Photos of People Birding
