The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) is calling on citizen scientists and bird enthusiasts to help monitor the elusive bird, the Plains-wanderer (pictured).
Natural Environment Program Officer at DELWP, Aaron Grinter said bird lovers could become involved in conserving the critically endangered bird from the comfort of their home – or anywhere with an internet connection.
Dr Grinter said DELWP had used bioacoustic recorders to listen for Plains-wanderers since 2017, in partnership with Trust for Nature, Parks Victoria, Museums Victoria, North Central Catchment Management Authority and the Northern Plains Conservation Management Network.
“Thanks to an upgrade of this monitoring platform, the job of identifying Plains-wanderers is so quick and simple, anyone can help,” Dr Grinter said.
“It’s easy for people to get involved,” he said.
“After a short training session, all you need to do is go online, look at or listen to recordings of potential Plains-wanderer calls and confirm whether the sound is really a Plains-wanderer.”
Dr Grinter said sometimes potential bird calls turned out to just be wind.
“You get the odd sheep or cow too,” he said.
“But, if we’re lucky, you will hear the Plains-wanderer’s distinct call.”
He said DELWP had hours of recordings that it couldn’t possibly sort through without the help of volunteers.
He said citizen scientists were critical to improving understanding of Plains-wanderer populations in the wild
“Data from the song meters tells us where Plains-wanderers are and – more importantly – where they are breeding,” the Program Officer said.
“The data gives us crucial information about their population distribution and preferred habitat, which helps to inform land management decisions, ensuring we maintain ideal habitat conditions to support their fragile population,” Dr Grinter said.
