Citizen science
The Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board supports citizen science as an innovative and exciting way of engaging the community, while increasing our knowledge of Eyre Peninsula’s natural environments. We support a number of projects that you can get involved in right now. Check them out below.
Data collected through all of these projects (excluding Pix Stix and EP King Tides) is entered into the Biological Databases of South Australia (project number 1322), and is available to the public via NatureMaps. All photos submitted through these projects can be viewed in our albums.
Pix Stix
For anyone with a smart phone!
Pix Stix is a citizen science project monitoring long-term changes in the environment. We monitor changes caused by climate change, such as 'coastal squeeze' of saltmarsh and mangroves caused by sea level rise; as well as changes arising from human interventions to improve environmental conditions such as revegetation or grazing control.
You can get involved by texting us a photo from one of the many Pix Stix sites across Eyre Peninsula. Your image will then be added to our online gallery for everyone to see.
Find your closest Pix Stix post at www.pixstix.com.au
EP King Tides
King tides are a term used to describe an especially high tide event occurring when there is an alignment of the gravitational pull between sun and moon.
When king tides occur during storms, water levels can rise to higher levels and have the potential to cause great damage to property and the coastline.
The dates to watch for kings tides in 2024 on the Eyre Peninsula are:
- April 13 - for Whyalla area
- May 10
- May 25
- June 7/8
- June 23 (highest)
- July 21
Also watch the tides on the days before and after these dates, especially if there are storm fronts passing through, which can increase tide levels.
You can find out more information on local tide times at Marine Science Australia
Record your king tide observations at www.kingtides.com.au
By entering your observations, you will help us understand the impact of these events across Eyre Peninsula.
You can also click here to view our flickr photo gallery of historic king tide events on EP.
EP Malleefowl
Malleefowl are listed as vulnerable in South Australia and also nationally. On Eyre Peninsula, their numbers are declining. This may be caused by habitat loss and fragmentation, grazing, predation, bush fires and climate change. Find out more about malleefowl.
Malleefowl breeding activity is monitored annually at a number of sites across Eyre Peninsula including Hincks, Pinkawillinie and Munyaroo Conservation Parks, as well as on some private land sites.
However, there have been a number of sightings outside of these survey areas, including at Lincoln National Park and Venus Bay Conservation Park.
Record your Eyre Peninsula malleefolw sightings at www.epmalleefowl.com.au
By entering your sightings, you will help us understand where malleefowl are found across Eyre Peninsula.
EP Koalas
Did you know that Eyre Peninsula’s koala population started from just six individuals that were introduced to native bushland of Mikkira Station, south of Port Lincoln, in the early 1970s? The population has grown since then and Mikkira Station is now a popular place for visitors and locals alike to view koalas in the wild.
As the Mikkira population has grown, koalas have moved off the station and individual koalas have been seen as far north as Coffin Bay, Coulta and Charlton Gully. It is important for us to understand where the koalas are moving to on the Lower Eyre Peninsula.
Record your Eyre Peninsula koala sightings at www.epkoalas.com.au
Have a look at photos that have been submitted in our online image gallery, and find out more about koalas on the Eyre Peninsula in our fact sheet.
EP Echidnas
Echidnas are key cultivators who enhance soil aeration, moisture penetration, nutrient mixing seed dispersal and spread of mycorrhizae. However, their whereabouts on Eyre Peninsula is somewhat of a mystery.
Record your Eyre Peninsula echidna sightings at www.epechidnas.com.au
By entering your sighting, you will help us understand where echidnas are found across the region.
You can browse photos of echidnas that have been submitted or find out more about echidnas.
EP Iconic Birds
For the novice or skilled twitcher.
Eyre Peninsula has many amazing but often secretive birds. This includes what we call ‘iconic’ species like the Australian Bustard and Osprey.
These iconic birds - whose populations may be declining or endangered - have very distinctive features, making it easy for correct bird identification by both novices and seasoned bird watchers. This provides a wonderful opportunity for citizen scientists to contribute to the conservation of these iconic birds.
We would love to hear about your sightings of any of these iconic birds:
- Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
- White-bellied Sea-Eagle
- Little Penguin
- Bush Stone-curlew
- Australian Bustard
- Osprey
Record your Eyre Peninsula iconic bird sightings at www.epiconicbirds.com.au
You can also enter sightings of other unusual birds.
By entering your sighting, you will help us understand where these birds are and what they are doing. Over time this will build a larger dataset that will help the community see how these populations are doing. Conservation action can then be undertaken if needed.
Your contribution to our knowledge and understanding of these species is highly valued. Any photos you submit will also be added to our online gallery.
EP Goannas
Two species of goanna are found on southern Eyre Peninsula. Rosenberg's goanna (Varanus rosenbergii), also known as the Heath goanna, is listed as vulnerable in South Australia. Gould's goanna (Varanus gouldii) looks quite similar and is widespread across central and northern Eyre Peninsula. You can find out more about our goannas on this fact sheet.
Citizen scientists have been helping us track the spread of these two species across southern Eyre Peninsula. Since 2012 we have received more than 1,400 sightings, many of which can be viewed in our online image gallery.
Record your Eyre Peninsula goanna sightings at www.epgoannas.com.au
EP Birds
For the skilled twitcher.
Eyre Peninsula is home to a growing network of skilled bird observers with more than 200 community members having attended bird identification training courses across Eyre Peninsula. Many of these trainees now volunteer as part of our EP Bird Monitoring Program, adopting specific monitoring sights where regular bird surveys are conducted, and/or contributing data on opportunistic bird sightings and surveys. This has led to more than 13,500 sightings recorded on the EP Birds Online Portal on the Living Atlas of Australia.
Most recently, we entered more than 5,000 new individual birds records into the Biological Databases of South Australia from sightings recorded in March 2020 to November 2021. Find out more about the bird species recorded. Data can also been accessed through NatureMaps.
Would you like to join this group of skilled twitchers?
You would be contributing to the region's long-term environmental monitoring program, with the data you collect going to the Biological Database of South Australia. We are always interested to hear from new people - whether you are a seasoned birder or beginner, a young person or a community group.
If you are interested in becoming involved, please email EPLBAdmin@sa.gov.au. We also have volunteering opportunities focused around long-team monitoring of shorebirds.
EP Bird Monitoring Program volunteers can access the EP Birds Online Portal and identify sites where bird monitoring is needed. You may also be interested in viewing videos of our previous bird identification training course on our YouTube Channel.