G’day folks, here is a great way that you can contribute to citizen science and help with the eradication of one of the worst feral threats in the country.

Feralscan.org.au have just got the rabbit scan part of their project up and running. This is a website where you can register and start recording your sightings of rabbits. These get plotted on a map and entered into a national database to inform the next logical step which is control.

Feralscan have several other projects on the way including feral mapping sites for camels, foxes, Common Mynas, and pigs.

I visited the site this morning and found it to be quite user-friendly. With a minimum of fuss you can register to participate in the project. Once you have registered, it is quick and easy to log in and record your sightings. The website also has a wealth of other interesting information about the history of feral infestation in Australia.

If this sort of project sounds like your cup of tea then there may be some other web-based citizen science projects you’ll be interested in

The Birds Australia Atlas of Australian Birds – dedicated to Australian birdlife and mapping their expanding or diminishing distribution over time.

You can view lots of great information about our birds on this site without being a member, but if you want to contribute your sightings you will need to join – I can’t think of a better excuse!

The Atlas of Living Australia – this is a much larger project with the lofty aim of creating an atlas of all organisms in Australia. The website is just a viewing portal at present but is showing great promise.