Meanwhile we are in lockdown, wildlife photographers, hunters, NGOs staff, experts and all other nature lovers can still contribute in data collection about wildlife and especially about birds. Through the SmartBirdsPro application, in the section “Urban Birds” we can record from home all the birds whose song can be heard or their beautiful appearance can be seen.
Every week in PPNEA’s page the map with the uploaded data will appear, which will help us all to know more our urban birds and those birds who are attempting to approach urban areas these days.
The mobile application SmartBirdsPro of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) will be translated into Albanian and can be used freely in Albania. The whole system for collecting biological information is adapted to the species of birds, mammals, reptiles, invertebrates and plants found in the country. The application also allows the collection of data on various types of threats to biodiversity, such as disturbance of threatened species, fires, illegal use of poison baits and etc. In addition to being open to free use by any nature lover, the application will be a major tool in collecting data on Egyptian vultures in Albania as part of the LIFE project “Egyptian Vulture New LIFE”.
With the SmartBirds Pro mobile app, anyone can help nature, just install it on an Android mobile device and record any wild animal observed. The recorded data will contribute to the monitoring of changes in populations of different species. Current knowledge on the distribution and abundance of wild animals is a prerequisite for their effective conservation. Detailed instructions on how to use the application via a mobile phone are available here, and instructions for using the desktop version here.
The database of the application has already entered over one million records. In 2019, nearly 80,000 bird observations were registered in Bulgaria, 3821 – amphibians and reptiles, 4064 – mammals, 541 – protected invertebrates and 423 records of protected plants.
The adaptation of the application in Albanian is carried out within the framework of the CEPF project “Land of Eagles and Castles – Phase II” and the LIFE project “Egyptian Vulture New LIFE “.
