EXPERIENCES OF SURVEYING URBAN BIRDS DURING THE ANTHROPAUSE IN COLOMBIA

Abstract

The COVID-19 lockdowns set a singular opportunity to perform scientific research in idle cities. The expected changes in urban ecology led us to conform a community composed of several volunteers which, following standardized protocols, conducted structured bird surveys across Colombia. We describe the process and experience of this initiative, conducted between 30 March and 30 June, 2020, and discuss recommendations to apply to future projects. The volunteer-based survey that we organized began with 93 collaborators in 40 urban centers, but ended with just 45 collaborators from 22 urban centers. Some issues that probably explain the drop in collaborators are commented on. This exercise was successful, gathering over 75,000 bird records of at least 250 bird species.