Learn how to count birds, frogs during Cosley workshops
Cosley Zoo is home to animals representing 31 bird species and one frog species, but this winter and spring staff will provide workshops to help citizen scientists gather data on species outside the zoo's five acres.
From 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, Cosley Zoo educator Jackie Karnstedt will lead a workshop training the public to contribute to the Great Backyard Bird Count, an effort launched by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society in 1988 to record bird populations worldwide. More than 210,000 people participated last year.
"Scientists can't be everywhere at once, so they're reaching out to citizen scientists to be their eyes and ears and get a snapshot of what birds are doing all over the world," Karnstedt said.
"That can help them study population trends, how weather is affecting birds or migration."
The workshop will cover practicality and purpose for when the bird count goes live Friday to Monday, Feb. 16 to 19.
"We'll go over what (the) Great Backyard Bird Count is, why it's important, what the data's going to be used for, how to collect and submit data, and then basic tips on how to identify some of the common bird species you can find in DuPage County," Karnstedt said.
The time commitment can be as little as 15 minutes per day, spotting species like the dark-eyed junco or monk parakeet. Patience, practice and identification are the cornerstones of successful bird-watching, which has a devoted following not shared for other groups of animals.
"I think it's because there are so many species of birds and there are migratory species, so you can see something completely different from other times of year," Karnstedt said.
The public can learn how to locate a harder-to-find sort of species - frogs - at two workshops for FrogWatch USA from 3 to 5 p.m. March 25 and 6 to 8 p.m. April 20.
A citizen science program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, FrogWatch USA invites individuals and families to learn about wetlands and help amphibians by reporting the calls of local frogs and toads during the breeding season spanning from February through August.
The zoo's chapter started in 2012 and has welcomed more volunteers each year, zookeeper Alison LaBarge said.
"More than anything else, I would say the FrogWatch program is about education and awareness," she said. "It enables individuals to learn more about their local wildlife and wetland habitats, and what makes these things important."
During the workshops, guests can become familiar with frog and toad calls and learn appropriate monitoring protocols, how to find a wetland site suitable for monitoring and how to document their findings.
The collected data is then submitted through FieldScope, a National Geographic mapping program that helps the AZA compile the data.
Contact Natasha Fischer at nfischer@wheatonparks.org to register for the Great Backyard Bird Count workshop. The cost is $7 per person; $20 per household or group.
Registration for both FrogWatch USA workshops is available by emailing frogwatchcosleyzoo@wheatonparks.org.
To learn more about Cosley Zoo's citizen science workshops, visit cosleyzoo.org/conservation. For information about the Great Backyard Bird Count, visit gbbc.birdcount.org, and to see how FrogWatch USA conserves amphibian species, visit aza.org/frogwatch.