Kia ora, fellow nature enthusiasts! A project is a-hoot! 🦉

My name is Mei, a summer research scholar from Te Herenga Waka, honored to collaborate with the Wellington City Council and Greater Wellington Regional Council on an exciting initiative - Citizen Ruru.

Why the ruru, you ask? In this creative capital where the harmony of people and nature thrives, the monitoring of forest birds has been a yearly tradition. Yet, the population and distribution of these manu remain veiled in darkness.

The first step? We need to collect information about the whereabouts of these mysterious creatures in Wellington. To do this, we need the help of citizen scientists - or should I say, Citizen Rurus like you.

Need more reasons to join Citizen Ruru?

1. Be a Part of Cutting-Edge Research and have a hoot: your records will contribute to pilot research that will enhance our understanding of ruru in the city and how to monitor them in the future.
2. Unleash Your Inner Citizen Scientist: No scientific background? No problem! This is a project for everyone. We provide all the necessary training and resources to equip you with the skills needed.
3. Connect with Nature in the magic of the night: Immerse yourself in the tranquillity of the night and forge a deeper connection with te taiao.

To sum it up, the enigma surrounding the ruru population in our vibrant capital awaits illumination. Your participation matters and together, we can illuminate the presence of the ruru, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of our taonga.

For more information, click on this link and you shall be whisked away to our web page in a wing-flap. Thank you for your consideration in joining us in this endeavor. Let’s make a difference - one hoot at a time!

If you have done the 1-hour survey but did not hear or see any ruru, continue reading this post.
If not, keep up the good work!

Kia ora,

First off, I'm sorry to hear that you didn't find any ruru 😔
But fret not! Your efforts will not go to waste as absence data is still valuable data.

Simply fill out this Google Form for no/negative observations.

Cheers.

Make sure you have joined the Citizen Ruru project on i-Naturalist.

1. Add observations by clicking on the camera icon. 📷
2. Select one of the following media type if you have any, else select "No Media".

3. Fill out the following details for your observation.
    a) Click on "What did you see?" and look up "Morepork" or "Ruru".
    b) Date, time and location should be auto-filled and left unchanged if you recorded your observation when it happened.

4. Under "Projects", you should be able to find "Citizen Ruru" if you have joined.
5. Choose "Citizen Ruru" and fill out the required field -- "Is this observation part of your 1-hour survey?".
6. After choosing the project and filling out the fields, go back to "Details" and click "Share".

If you did not observe any ruru during your 1-hour survey, simply fill out this Google Form so your efforts don't go to waste.

Still confused? Don't hesitate to contact me at citizen.ruru@gmail.com 😀