Operation Magpie
Latest news:
- After 12 days of the online survey period, we've had over 750 surveys returned!
- Aspiring artists - check out the Operation magpie art competition
- Find out more about Operation Magpie on the website of our project partner 891 ABC Adelaide.
Online survey
- The Operation Magpie online survey is now available. Click here to participate.
About Operation Magpie
Operation Magpie is a large-scale community based study of magpies in South Australia and how people interact with these birds. This Citizen Science study is being conducted in conjunction with 891 ABC Adelaide radio and the Department for Environment and Heritage. It follows the highly successful Operation Bluetongue, which was run in 2007, and Operation Possum from 2008. Below is information about the online questionnaire and bird observation study. Also, if you're a teacher or student in primary or middle school, you can get your class involved in an Operation Magpie school project.
If you live in South Australia, there are a number ways you can be involved. During September and early October you will be able to let us know how you interact with magpies. An online questionnaire will be available for six weeks. It will take about ten minutes to complete and then you'll be invited to participate in a magpie observation study. You'll be able to download a bird-watching sheet with all of the information you need to collect information about the behaviour of magpies you observe. The observation study will get you outside for 20 minutes to watch magpies and record their behaviour.
This year, as part of our program, we've also put together a broad range of educational materials for primary and middle school classes. It's part of a new collaboration between the School of Natural and Built Environments and the School of Education. We've developed an Interactive Teaching Sequence and support materials to make it easy and interesting for your class to be involved. There are many different ways you can use the materials that have been developed, and if you want to you can collect data for scientists at the Barbara Hardy Centre. Materials for school projects have already been loaded on to the internet and you can run a magpie-based project at any time using these materials. Click here if you are a teacher and you want to find out more.
For more information about any of our Citizen Science projects, please contact Philip Roetman.