New Zealand Garden Bird Survey 2022

Participants record the maximum count of each species observed (seen or heard) within a one-hour period. They are also asked a number of questions about the survey area including: a description of the survey area (categorical, single-value: urban garden|urban school|urban park|rural garden|rural school|rural park); the size of the survey area (categorical, single-value: up to 100 m2|100-200 m2|200-400m2|400-600 m2|more than 600 m2); the vegetation type/s in the survey area (categorical, multi-value: Lawn and low statured garden (lawn, flower and/or vege gardens)|Shrub (shrubs less than 5 m tall)|Tree (trees greater than 5 m tall)|Other (with a comment field)); a series of questions about whether they feed birds: 1) whether the observer feeds birds (checkbox: true or false), 2) type of food fed (bread|fat|fruit|seeds|sugar water|other foods with a comment field), 3) whether birds are fed in the survey area (checkbox: true or false), 4) whether food was available during survey (checkbox: true or false); and whether a bird bath is available in the survey area (checkbox: true or false). The online survey was undertaken with social ethics approval from the host organisation Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research (application New Zealand Garden Bird Survey 2021/38).

The area surveyed is chosen by the citizen completing the survey. Participants are asked to choose a garden, park or school to complete the survey in. The type of area chosen is indicated in the data. Participants are asked to estimate the extent of the survey area and this is indicated in the data. Observations are undertaken in the survey area for one hour.

Pictorial bird identification guides and tally sheets are provided via the NZGBS website to facilitate correct identification. Data are submitted via an online form. Date, time and location (obtained by participant entering the survey address into AddressFinder or clicking their location on a map in the form) are compulsory fields. The following are removed before the data are uploaded to GBIF: 1) true duplicates (i.e., entries that are completely identical to another entry), 2) entries completed by bots, 3) entries where the georeferences are outside the bounds of New Zealand as described in Geographic Coverage, and 4) records where no birds were recorded and the participant did not confirm, via tickbox or comment, that they observed no birds during that hour-long survey. Some entries in the uploaded data may appear identical but were submitted, for example, by different participants surveying the same location at the same time. Georeferences for surveys were deemed incorrect if the georeferences were within the bounds of New Zealand as described in Geographic Coverage but greater than 500 m from the coast of NZ. In these cases the georeferences have been given a georeferenceVerificationStatus of incorrect and the georeferences have been entered as verbatim georeferences. The data are not edited in any other way and represent the data as uploaded by each participant.