As part of the process to develop the website highlighting the extraordinary work that the Chilean team did to create the Limarí River Wetland Bird Guide and better understand the participants’ perspectives, Paloma Nuñez developed an online questionnaire. Below you can read some of the participants’ responses to these questions. We hope they inspire you!
Question: How did you become interested in birds?
Jorge Alonso Castro said, “My interest was born primarily from my hobby of drawing birds. This hobby encouraged my sensibility and the need to learn more about them…”
Kaay Alcayaga said, “The first time I became interested in birds was a few days after buying my first camera… I remember I left my house that day wondering what I could find to photograph and I was surprised. On my first day, I photographed four birds and at that moment I was so excited. I didn’t know the names of most of these birds… but being able to recognize the name of a bird just by looking at a photo was something new for me.”
Question: What does this citizen science project mean to you?
Paloma Núñez said, “It has been an enriching experience for me and my career. I have learned so much about each one of the participants… They always say that a good leader shouldn’t shine on their own because that will make the others dim. The goal is for everyone to shine so we can be a much brighter light together.”
José Luis Rojas-Rojas said, “It is personal and important to promote more detailed knowledge about birds, their protection and share the collected information about [them].“
Question: Would you want the citizen science project in the Limarí River wetland to continue in 2021?
Viviana Salgado Araya said, “Yes, please, yes. It is something that I feel committed to, and I think it is essential for the communities that participate in [the project]… If I had to do something for us to continue… it would be to raise more awareness about how important our project is.“
Jorge Alonso Castro said, “Of course, yes. Let it continue forever! I am willing to help with what I can. For example, sharing the ecological importance of the area on social networks.”
Once again, we want to thank the team members for sharing their perspectives and achievements. This project demonstrates that anyone can learn about and help protect the birds in their community and beyond.
Written by Claudia Blanco.