Media Release

August 27 2009

Operation Magpie ready for take off

Magpie South Australians will be asked to get up close and personal with magpies this month, all in the name of science.

Operation Magpie, a joint initiative of UniSA’s Barbara Hardy Centre for Sustainable Urban Environments, the Department for Environment and Heritage and 891ABC Adelaide is the third annual ‘citizen science’ initiative, which aims to better understand the behaviour of wildlife through scientific research and observation conducted by the community.

Launching on September 1st, the initiative comes on the back of the success of Operation Bluetongue and Operation Possum, conducted in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

Professor Chris Daniels, a Professor of Urban Ecology at UniSA and Director of the Barbara Hardy Centre believes that Operation Magpie will be the partnership’s most successful operation yet.

“It is common to see at least one magpie everyday,” he says.

“That means that they are highly accessible and easy to observe in a natural environment. Everyone can be an animal behaviourist for a day.”

South Australian residents will be encouraged via 891ABC Adelaide to log on to the Operation Magpie Website, where they can access useful information on magpie behaviour. After observing a magpie for 20 minutes, participants will be asked to complete an online survey about their findings.

Prof Daniels says you might be surprised by what you see.

“We’ve all had our own ‘swooping’ experience. But what you might not know about magpies is that they’re highly intelligent, eat common garden pests and have a glorious range of songs,” he says.

“They’re funny too – they love to muscle in on things and interact with other birds. I’ve heard so many personal stories, from them coming into your home to knock on the fridge door to playing with the family cat.”

The beauty of citizen science, says Prof Daniels, is in the volume and quality of data that can be collected.

“The way this data is collected is a world first. We’ll be able to compare city data with more regional data on a grand scale,” he says.

“And while we get the benefit of the scientific data, people will get the benefit of feeling connected to the environment. There is a huge difference between passively seeing a bird in your backyard and actively observing and recording its behaviour. It’s a real awakening.”

This year, schools can also get involved. UniSA’s Barbara Hardy Centre has developed a broad range of educational materials for primary and middle school classes that can be accessed by teachers.

For more information unisa.edu.au/barbarahardy and click on the magpie.

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