"How to" Guides
We’d like to invite you to be a part of our citizen science project “The litter bird-en”, conducted at Federation University (Ethics application HREC 2024/143 and AEC 2024/003).
Litter (i.e., anthropogenic debris, rubbish, garbage, trash) is a threat to wildlife, and particularly to birdlife. Birdlife are known to ingest litter, get entangled in it, or use it as nesting and breeding material. In order to understand the types of interactions that are occurring in Australia, we need your help!
We’re asking citizen scientists to take photos of any bird – litter interactions they come across, and upload it to the website, Birds and Debris (https://www.birdsanddebris.com), along with information about the location of where the photo was taken.
Who is involved? Anyone with a camera and a keen eye for bird – litter interactions!
What do I need to do? Participants will be required to upload a photo of the bird – litter interaction and input geographic information to the Birds and Debris website.
What types of photos should I take? Photos you can take include birds carrying litter, putting litter in their nests, using litter to get the attention of another bird, getting entangled in litter, ingesting litter etc.
Please note! When taking photos, please take photos from an appropriate distance and do not interfere with birds, nests, or surrounding vegetation. Remember to report any entangled or injured birds to authorities such as Wildlife Victoria. For more information on ethical birding, please visit https://birdlife.org.au/how-to/ethical-birdwatching-guidelines/.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the project, please see the Birds and Debris website or contact us at ho.faraone@federation.edu.au.