Night Drone Survey: Citizen Science Event in Fish Creek

Night Drone Survey in Fish Creek - Citizen Science Event

Please note, due to unforeseen circumstances the date of this special event has moved from Monday 20th May to Monday 27th of May. All other details remain the same. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause

Please join us for this unique opportunity to experience the intersection of technology with our natural environment.     

We will be conducting a night survey, using drone thermal-imaging technology to locate, observe & record the wildlife in real time, at the Hoddle Flora Conservation Reserve, Fish Creek.  

It is a great privilege that ecologist Peter Gannon will be joining us and will guide us with fauna ID and data collection (time stamp, lat/long, species and video feed timestamps). Peter's job and vocation coincide, he will give a detailed running commentary on any species found or searched for as well as identifying their heat signatures on the big screen.

WHERE:  Private property - Meet at north end of Samman Road, Fish Creek

WHEN: Monday 20th May, 5:30pm-7:30pm (we will be on site until 10pm but please come for as little or long as you wish)

Important note: As this delicate exercise is weather dependent, back up dates are the 21st, 22nd May

BRING: a torch, warm clothing, sturdy footwear, wet weather gear, water bottles (a thermal flask of something warm to drink is also suggested!) 

WHY: This event is made possible through ParksVic Volunteering Innovation Fund. The Victorian Government is funding community-led projects that consider new ways of volunteering in and for the environment. The data collected on the night will be invaluable for the Prom Coast Ecolink journey.  

TICKETS: This exciting event is FREE, but please register below or via ParksVic volunteer portal ParkConnect 

Contact: Anda 0409 180 346 anda@promcoastecolink.org.au

The tech for the night will be managed by Alastair from Field Master Services 

Some additional tech specs from Alastair:

• We'll be using enterprise drones (DJI Matrice 300) with dual gimbals.
• One gimbal will hold a camera (DJI Zenmuse H20N) with both a thermal and optical zoom lens and laser rangefinder.
• The other holds an LED spotlight that is synchronised to the main camera.
• Once an animal is spotted with the thermal camera, the spotlight is switched on and the zoom camera is used to identify the species of animal and record a photo/video.
• All of this can be viewed in real time on the inbuilt screen in our field vehicle.
• As it will be dark, I'd advise people to bring some sort of light just so they can navigate back to their cars. We'll provide as much lighting as possible, but I'm not sure what the layout of the site is like.

We cannot wait to see you there !