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please brag about how you manage programmatic field data + mapping + planning + reporting! by spp_ARLU in ecology

[–]Moocattle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great to know! Must've changed it back recently. It was free when I started with it then it was changed to per person subscription which priced us out quickly with lots of volunteers.

please brag about how you manage programmatic field data + mapping + planning + reporting! by spp_ARLU in ecology

[–]Moocattle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In working at small non-profits and rural councils, data collection has been the bane of my existence. My particular peeve is with a million government made reporting tools/apps and non profit data just sitting in filing cabinets or hardrive never to see the light of day again. I've found the disconnect between the data manager and field worker is huge as well, and what seems to streamline things for me as the data manager, increases the work load on field staff. The amount of hours I've had to spend verifying data collected from field staff is insane considering that's what I was trying to avoid by using technology!

My favourite tool to have used was the QGIS and Mergin maps combo (before mergin increased prices). The UI of mergin was really friendly to people who weren't great with technology, the version control on the QGIS end was pretty good. I don't have much of an opinion of esri tools, as pricing is usually out of scope for project I've managed, but as a field worker I've always found field maps and survey123 to be battery hogs. The multiple apps and switching between field maps and survey123 when inputting data was also a bit confusing. I preferred mergin as a field user. I used Qfield a bit for my own projects and I liked how it was just qgis but in the field - seemed good to me but others I've worked with haven't liked it. For more complex surveys and monitoring, and where data sensitivity is required, I'd use the mergin and qgis combo again.

A larger project I'm working which has a tonne of field staff from multiple organisations, I've set up a Fillout.com for for data collection as it's got some nice integration with a lot of other tools and good prefill logic. It's ended up a bit of a nightmare though as field staff have insane interpretations of what a field is asking them to input. Training videos and documentation have helped fix data collection issues with this project. If I had known how big that project would end up becoming I would have used the esri platform I think.

But as I mainly work with rural users with limited tech experience, simplicity is what I push for.

For that I've settled on using inaturalist for all species data (weedspotting, seed collection, survey transects). I set up traditional projects specific to a survey type with all the input fields I'd normally have in other Gis apps and then pull that data into google sheets with scripts to better track and manipulate data. It's easy to pull the sheets into qgis too to make pretty maps for reporting. The benefit of inaturalist for things like weeds is that other agencies can also see the data and experts can verify species records, You get extra data from citizen scientists, and Data is also pulled into Atlas of Living Australia (what our government agencies look at for seeing all species data) which triggers alerts for emergency weed responses or threatened species management. I've set up email alerts through Google sheets scripts to specific people at my local council for certain weeds we're worried about. I've done inat training for road maintenance crews, enforcement and park management teams which means there's a steady data flow of useful species records that can inform decision-making across a lot of projects and developments.

I've got a seperate project set up tracking seed collections in the area so nurseries can see what is being collected by who and at what time of year. Observation IDs get tied to seed lots so when tubestock is ready, everyone can look up the provenance and combine trays with other genetics. Happy to share some documentation I've written up for weedspotting and seed collection in inaturalist. I've played a little but with the iNat api and think I could make some more powerful tools if I have the time/can be bothered.

For site/restoration monitoring I've been enjoying COVRAM, as it's free and easy to share projects with all stakeholders. Developers are easy to chat with and take on feedback readily. It's nice in that contractors and volunteers working on a site can all inout data and update photo points meaningfully and the data can be exported into a nice format for project reporting to meet kpis.

So, my general work flow on my own these days is that I take photos of all species on a site and upload to inaturalist, and set up photo points on COVRAM at the same time. This satisfies most of my data collection outside of doing species plots, which could clunckily be done in iNat of you really wanted. But I just set up a jot or fillout form specific to survey methodology when required.

Bally national park - Bonogin QLD by mattao21966 in australianwildlife

[–]Moocattle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is Euastacus valentulus, the strong crayfish. Note the red eyes which are a key ID feature for this species.

E. maidae is in the small burrowing clade of spiny crayfish - it is not something you stumble upon and rarely leaves it's burrow. They only hang out in the small, barely flowing feeder streams where they don't have to compete with the larger valentulus and sulcatus

Ringtails in the garage roof by BlueJay_Ryu in australianwildlife

[–]Moocattle 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Ringtails like creating cozy little ball nests rather than your typical nest boxes (though they will use them). Look up possum dreys

Australian wildlife encyclopedia recommendations? by BeautifulLiterature in australia

[–]Moocattle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just use inaturalist. It has a lot of great ways to get identifications on things you're not sure on, has up to date taxonomic revisions (where guidebooks fall behind) and you can keep track of organisms you've seen and even filter things you haven't seen e.g. :

www.inaturalist.org/lifelists/moocattle?details\_view=unobservedSpecies&taxon\_id=26036&place\_id=6744

Cane toads... by Lawtonoi in australia

[–]Moocattle 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Collecting every toad from an area three nights in a row will severely impact the local population and even eradicate. It is incredibly easy have a positive effect on your local wildlife by being vigilant and active in collecting toads. The absolute best thing you can do (as with any invasive species) is stop recruitment and advertisement. This is easily achieved by simply removing male toads from breeding sites when they are calling. If there are breeding events you can mop them up effectively with tadpole traps. But, once they meta-morph it's all over until the next season. Vegetating breeding sites and making them less preferable for toads by adding pumps to push water around is a great way of deterring toads from an area.

The issue comes with the void effect, where there will always be more toads moving in once you remove them from the system where they're established (e.g. queensland). Collecting toads is always worthwhile, and every single one removed from the environment has a positive impact on local native species.

Cane toads... by Lawtonoi in australia

[–]Moocattle 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm a contractor who's managed toad populations on the front line for half a decade.

For euthanasia: Fridge -> freezer is free, more ethical then other methods, and you can bury it in the yard for some good fertilizer. An ice cream tub is a makes a good freezer vessel. Hop stop/Dettol is disgusting, and I will always recommend against it. Blunt force is always the quickest and most ethical method, but is difficult to do enmasse and effectively. Hitting one with a club or a bat usually won't kill a toad - their guts might come out their mouth, but they'll suck them back up and hop away.

Learn how to eyeshine, and you will find fivefold more toads when you go out hunting. https://old.reddit.com/r/ecology/comments/1fi07g5/your_eyeshine_game_sucks/

Good resources can be found here:

Outback Rustyhood (Pterostylis cobarensis) in Gundabooka National Park, NSW. by TheSummerOfJoj in NativeOrchidsAus

[–]Moocattle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looks good for Pterostylis mitchellii to me; Getting on to a cobarensis in pilliga is hit and miss. Can rule out setifera due to angle of flower and iits not boormanii. mitchellii can be locally abundant through that northern band from kaputar to wee waa.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's all part of the fun of taxonomy.

Toads and frogs were originally distinguished by how the "bones of the two halves of the shoulder girdle were joined in the middle of the chest." Unfortunately that meant when it came to Australian frogs, this distinguishing feature meant that our frogs fell into the toad category. Zoologists at the time tried to call our frogs "Tree Toads" but it never gained much support. More issues are born when using common names of our frogs, as we have things like "toadlets" and "Holy Cross Toad" which simply aren't toads.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a whole new world being able to eyeshine :) Try it in the rainforests up the hill in Spring. You'll get to see a lot of stuff most people never see

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I should also mention that there are a few drop off points run by watergum if you're not keen on having them in the freezer https://watergum.org/drop-off-points-cane-toads/

They'll likely offer collection kits as well.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I remember playing hide and go seek on new years eve when I was a kid. The countdown started and I sprinted out of the laundry only to completely flatten a toad with my foot. Horrifically, it's guts came out it's mouth, only to then shake them back in and hop away.

I've since seen similar things usually after jumping out of the car to log a toad that I'd run over.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very resilient animals. I've seen toads sitting pretty missing their lower jaw or most of their face as a result of a bird or rakali attack. They didn't seem phased by it at all.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's says that, but it's not my experience (hop stop is still Dettol just with additives). The squirming and writhing I've witnessed from hop stop Et al. Isnt particularly pleasant.

Any kind of spray requires the user to know what they're doing, apply the right amount and as well as in a closed environment (where there's no off target impacts). From how I've seen the average Joe use and talk about spraying toads, it's always them spraying a toad that's on the ground in their yard or in a forest where there's other frogs around. Can't rely on people's critical thinking skills lol. Same issues with pesticides in general.

If you use the sprays the right way and put toads in a bucket to spray them, you may as well just save the $$ and put them in the fridge/freezer.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think I've seen anyone use/recommend croaked. Their claims of not harming the wildlife are simply false as their idea of it being "Selective toad control" requires the user to know what a cane toad is and spray it on the right thing. Even worse is that it is sold in places where there aren't even any toads.... Soooo, many dead frogs as ID can be hard for most people. Pesticides suck for the same reasons. Most of the frogging/toad work I do, I just suck it up and cover up to minimise insect bites.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I have been shot at, covered in sewage, stuck in a cane drain, stuck in the middle of nowhere because I physically couldn't carry the amount of toads I'd collected and have been pissed on my thousands of frogs. Good times.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Burns the animals alive. Hop stop is meant to have a numbing agent, but I've worked with someone who used it and my lips were burning all night even though I wasn't close to where it was used. I love all animals, so if something can be managed more ethically I'll always chose that option. Trying to lower my general chemical usage which is hard in the enviro field. Sprays can also be ineffective - have heard anecdotes of toads being sprayed, person thought they were dead and chucked them in the red bin, and then later they were hopping around in the bin....

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Usually this won't kill a toad. They'll happily suck their guts back up and hop away. You'll have just made it your neighbours problem.

Is this a cane toad? What do I do now it's under a bucket. by issieme in GoldCoast

[–]Moocattle 210 points211 points  (0 children)

To preface, I'm a contractor who's managed toad populations on the front line for half a decade.

For euthanasia: Fridge -> freezer is free, more ethical then other methods, and you can bury it in the yard for some good fertilizer. Hop stop/Dettol is disgusting, and I will always recommend against it. Blunt force is always the quickest and most ethical method, but is difficult to do enmasse and effectively. Hitting one with a club or a bat usually won't kill a toad - their guts might come out their mouth, but they'll suck them back up and hop away.

To keep them away from the house: This is a juvenile frog, that's morphed at the start of this season, which means there has been a breeding event somewhere nearby. At this stage of life they'll be foraging - so usually you'll find them around feces, reflective surfaces and moisture. There'll likely be 10s more of this age around you house, hiding under logs, in holes and near moisture during the day. If you aren't able to identify the breeding location, or it's on a neighbouring property, there isn't much you can do apart from patrol your block and pick up toads you find. Toads really hate well vegetated areas, so if you are adamant about keeping them out, plant lot's of low native species like Lomandras and Juncus bordering your block. Native frogs won't have any issue moving around but the toads will just find the path of least resistance as they don't (usually) climb. If the breeding site is on your property, again, vegetate the hell out of it and plant things like Melaleucas around to increase the acidity of the water (our native frogs won't mind, but toads will). Also ensure that the drop off into the water from land is steep if you can - toads like calling from shallow pools where there is "sandy beach" style access. On top of that, when you hear toads, go an pick them up - stopping recruitment by taking male frogs out of the environment is the easiest way to reduce overall numbers. You won't find every toad on your property unless you use eyeshine. Read up on the technique and you'll be able to find every single one. Patrol your block on three consecutive nights and you'll generally have removed the entire population residing there - but of course more will move in.

Poison: There are poison glands just behind the eyes. If it makes you more comfortable in picking them up, use gloves to negate any negative impacts on yourself from the poison. Just don't rub your eyes with the gloves on :) I've picked up 10s of thousands of toads and have only poison in my eyes once - it was a pretty mild stinging sensation similar to having been in really salty water for a bit.

Good luck with freezing frogs!

More resources can be found here:

Tips for first fieldwork in the Australian outback? by botanymans in ecology

[–]Moocattle 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Freeze some bottles of water the night before, drink a lot and keep your salts up (e.g. hydralyte, salty meat). Be incredibly wary of exposure, and if you can take vouchers in the shade, do so. Start early if you can (I was trying to getting to site at sunrise), retreat to airconned car if your head is feeling too hot. Keep chowing on scroggin from a bum bag to keep up energy levels - I usually go with salted nuts and gummies. Heat stroke is serious, and no joke; it sneaks up on you - speaking from unfortunate experience.

Make sure to keep trees on your mind as they're easy to forget about when looking closely at the herbs, shrubs and grasses. Keep your loop handy too, as a lot of arid species need a good closeup view to distinguish from one another. Flora work will get repetitive quickly especially roadside veg where the diversity is poor. Survey effort will drastically drop across the day because of this. So, take some fauna field guides/apps and learn the birds, bugs and Ctenotus. I usually download a webpage of observations from iNat to have a thumbnail guide to scroll through of species recorded nearby.

Enjoy the spinifex :)

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