Getting Started
Set yourself up
You will need a smartphone and a data allowance (and permission from the bill payer).
Download the Seek by iNaturalist app. Seek does not record any data about you or your location.
Open the iNaturalist website on a computer or download the iNaturalist app onto your phone and make an account (for 13 years old and above – otherwise an adult needs to sign up for the account). Sign into Seek and iNaturalist with the same log in details to sync the accounts.
Join onto the ‘Oxfordshire Doorstep Nature Project’ on iNaturalist via the app or website, (through the Projects section). Once you have joined the project, all your observations should automatically be linked to it.
Email us with your name, school, DofE number, iNaturalist username, D of E level, and start and end date of your volunteering.
Making observations
Practice making observations using Seek. When you feel confident, you can upload them to iNaturalist as you make them. On a phone, you can do this by using the “upload to iNaturalist” button (It only appears when you first make the observation; you may need to scroll down to see it). You cannot retrospectively upload photos from the Seek app onto iNaturalist. Check that your observations are in the Project by looking under ‘Observations’ and ‘Observers’.
You can also upload observations later to the iNaturalist app or website, from the photos stored on your phone, and add the geo location for each from the photo. You will see your observations join others on the project map in iNaturalist. We will look at them together at the monthly meet ups. You can find the same species multiple times in different locations and on different dates.
When it comes to using Seek and iNaturalist, you may need to play around with it to get an accurate recording of the species. With trees for example, it is best to get a close up of the leaf, and it may record a plant differently depending on how far away you hold the camera, so just use your best judgement.
Your survey approach
You can decide how you want to do your surveys to make the project your own. You can just add what you see wherever you are, or you might want to focus on a particular area such as your garden or local park and survey it every week to see changes over time. You could focus on a set of particular species or try and find all the species in that space. If you decide to do this, try to get a good representation of the spread, but obviously you don't need to record every one! You should document your approach as best you can. You can change your approach through the project, as all observations are useful. Have a look at the iNaturalist map to find areas near where you live or within your school catchment that have very few sightings to get an understanding of the biodiversity. It is often the more well trodden areas that have the fewest sightings!
Setting Goals and developing skills
Think about your project goals and what you would like to get out of the experience. Make sure you write these down as we will reflect on them throughout your volunteering. Additionally, think about what skills you would like to learn, and how these develop as you gain more experience. These could include species identification and digital/data skills or ‘soft’ skills such as communication, problem solving, teamwork, adaptability, and time management. These ‘soft’ skills are highly valued by employers across all industries, therefore really beneficial to develop.
Final sign off and results review
Keep a record of the time you have put into the project each week, and make some notes on what you have done, which sessions you have attended and how you have achieved and developed your goals and skills. Submit for sign off when you are ready. From volunteers, we are looking for around 60 sightings per student per week.