Australian Citizen Science Association

18/08/2026

In case you missed it from the Citizen Science Show

Did you know a black cockatoo might have its own unique "voice", one that researchers can now identify, almost like a fingerprint? 🦜🎙️

We sat down with acoustic ecologist Dr Daniella Teixeira from The University of Queensland who spends her time strapping tiny recorders to trees across Queensland to eavesdrop on the bush, and the black cockatoos in particular.

She told us about the $50 devices being used to record entire forests for months at a time, how AI is now identifying bird species almost instantly, and her upcoming project taking her research underwater into the mangroves.

🎧 In case you missed it, episode link in comments.

Have you ever stood in the middle of a flock of screeching cockatoos? Tell us what it sounded like 👇

Australian Citizen Science Association
SciStarter

16/08/2026

In case you missed it...

Thank you 🙏 Helen Cross for submitting the first 🥇 NatureMapr sighting of a 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘆 or 𝘛𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘭𝘺𝘮𝘮𝘢 at Coral Bay, WA: https://naturemapr.org/sightings/4732710

16/08/2026

Have you seen any orts?

Show us your orts!
Glossy Black-Cockatoos are one of Australia's most specialised parrots.
Unlike many other cockatoos, they feed almost exclusively on the seeds of she-oak trees. They use their powerful beaks to strip cones and extract the seeds inside, often leaving distinctive chewings (known as "orts") beneath feed trees.
These tell-tale orts are one of the easiest ways to detect Glossies, even when the birds themselves are nowhere to be seen.
Have you found Glossy chewings in your local area? We’d love to see them.
📸 James Wills

16/08/2026

Now that's a win for Australian Fungus!

Read more at Fungimap:

16/08/2026

Check out this absolute masterclass in why citizen science, from decades of Earthwatch Australia expeditions to the Frog ID app on your phone matters more than ever.

HT Citizen Science Show

🐸 This man has held every Australian frog species that's gone extinct in his lifetime, in his own hands.

Emeritus Professor Michael Mahony has spent 40+ years studying Australian frogs. He's described 20 new species, had one named after him, and built the world's first field-based frozen frog genome bank, a literal insurance policy against extinction.

In this episode he takes us from a university genetics assignment that uncovered a chromosome anomaly no one had ever seen in an Australian frog… to desert frogs that survive underground for up to six years… to the disease that's wiped out 7 species since the 1980s… to the Black Summer bushfires that killed an estimated 50 million frogs.

It's a masterclass in why citizen science, from decades of Earthwatch expeditions to the FrogID app on your phone matters more than ever.

🎧 Listen to the episode, link in comments

💾 Save this for your next bushwalk, and share it with someone who needs a reason to care about frogs.

Australian Citizen Science Association
Australian Museum
Earthwatch Australia

16/08/2026

Just in time for National Science Week is Exploring Nature Through Citizen Science via Atlas of Living Australia!

16/08/2026

In case you missed it...

16/08/2026

Would you send off a jar of your local creek water if you knew what might be swimming in it?

Would you believe that the fuel in your car, the air you're breathing right now, and every tree outside your window all trace back to the same tiny organism? 🌱🔬

We sat down with Steph Scott, founder of the East Coast Algae Group, who spends her days looking at microalgae under a microscope pushing 1,000x magnification, and turning what she finds into stunning micro-documentaries.

Some things you probably didn't know about algae:
🟢 It invented photosynthesis ~2 billion years ago and oxygenated the whole planet
🟢 It teamed up with fungus to create the very first land plants
🟢 Crude oil and natural gas are largely ancient algae deposits
🟢 A strain Steph found in her own family farm's dam could help replace antibiotics in aquaculture

Steph now sends sample collection kits to schools and turns kids' pond water samples into short films. This should be in every Aussie classroom.

🎧 Full episode is live now — link in comments.

Would you send off a jar of your local creek water if you knew what might be swimming in it?

Australian Citizen Science Association
SciStarter
East Coast Algae Biosystems

16/08/2026

🎧 Which part surprised you more, the genetics of environmental concern, or the birds' 25,000km round trip?

Would you believe environmental concern might actually be genetic? 🧬🐦

In this episode, Professor Richard Fuller from The University of Queensland shares research that turns conventional conservation wisdom on its head, including twin studies showing a real genetic link to how deeply people connect with nature, and data suggesting that taking kids outdoors isn't actually what makes them lifelong environmentalists (social influence is).

Then things get even more incredible: Richard explains how tiny satellite tags revealed that Far Eastern Curlews, birds that migrate from Australia all the way to the Arctic, funnel through one small stretch of Chinese coastline to refuel.

That discovery helped trigger a landmark 2018 conservation win that's now showing up in the data.

🎧 Which part surprised you more, the genetics of environmental concern, or the birds' 25,000km round trip? Tell us in the comments!

Australian Citizen Science Association
Queensland Wader Study Group
SciStarter
iNaturalist.org

Curlew Photo Credit: Nick Rogers