3 comments so far.Inspire surveys underway for the ‘Spot a Sparrow’ citizen-science project
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‘Spot a Sparrow,’ a project by BirdLife Malta and Inspire, enters its new phase this week, as the surveying teams from Inspire start their fieldwork.
The project is engaging the local community in recording the trees used by sparrows as their roosts. More than 100 new sites have been reported by the Maltese population during the first month of the project.
Over winter, several teams of Inspire’s clients were trained in ecological field methods to verify these reports, and are now starting their surveys. The first round of surveys will bring the teams to roost sites in Rabat, Paola, Marsaskala, and more.
Nick Piludu, who coordinates the project for BirdLife Malta, said, “besides mapping out the roosting sites, our goal with this project is to encourage participation from the local community.”
He added, “anyone can join in this exciting citizen science project by reporting when they see large numbers of sparrows going into trees just as it is getting dark. Roosts are very easy to identify, as sparrows get very loud before going to sleep. Citizen scientists can use our website www.spotasparrow.org to submit their records.”
Donatella De Gaetano, who coordinates Inspire’s involvement in the project, said, “the individuals involved in this experience are being given the opportunity to participate in a local community project.”
“They are all persons with disabilities such as Developmental Delay, Down’s Syndrome, Autism, and other intellectual/learning difficulties. The site visits they are involved in enable them to develop a personal satisfaction and thus allow them to actively contribute to the environment.”
‘Spot a Sparrow’ will be collecting the community’s reports until December 2015, when the project will close and the results will be presented to the community and the local administration.
Citizen scientists can submit their reports on the interactive website www.spotasparrow.org.
A male Spanish Sparrow. Photo by Aron Tanti
Spot a sparrow on Gozo and Malta you have got to be joking, not so much as a mere bee is still flying after the so called hunters have shot down everything that moves. One can certainly spot plenty of empty shotgun cartridges though.
Actually we have a lot of them here, opposite our apartment, nesting in the walls of buildings opposite.
They also nest in a junction box alongside our balcony.
See many of them in the valley too.
Lots in Gharb opposite our house as well, on waste land and in surrounding buildings, together with a few Robins and what look like Wrens.
Having said that, there are plenty of dead one’s along the cliff top nearby that have been shot by the ‘fearless’ hunters! I can’t understand what pleasure is gained from shooting a little Robin.