General News
23 June, 2026
Citizen science project wants local data
An ambitious citizen science project is inviting locals to count nearby pelicans and assist with gathering valuable data on their national distribution.
For any Central Goldfields residents who may have pelicans visit their dams, the Conservation of Australian Seabirds and Turtles Inc (COAST) would like to know about them, and they only want 15 minutes of the community’s time.
Much like a census for pelicans, COAST PeliCount research team member Alyshia Thompson said the project will be returning in the coming weeks for their second round this year, to assist the organisation with their growing national data set.
“Observing between the hot and the cold months, that can help us build up the start of PeliCount data and what we, in the long term, want to find out about their distribution,” she said.
“They do come and go throughout the year and this will help us form an understanding of what they are doing during the hot and cold season throughout the country.”
The Central Goldfield’s pelican hotspots include Tullaroop reservoir, Cairn Curran reservoir, (most commonly, the Joyces’s Creek end) and sometimes even Lake Victoria.
Pelicans migrate to inland areas like these to breed in colonies when water levels are higher after rainfall, before returning to the coast.
“During breeding season, you will find them more inland, on lakes ... there are thousands of birds out there, it is phenomenal the congregation of pelicans that are inland right now,” Ms Thompson said.
While COAST is based south of Sydney, their first ever PeliCount unexpectedly expanded nationally, now they are calling for data submitted in regional Victoria to provide them with information on national pelican populations.
Participants are provided with an online form to fill out as they observe pelicans at their chosen location.
“Participants can just sit down in the location they are at and count the pelicans over the course of the 15 minutes,” Ms Thompson.
“There is material we will send out to those who have registered, including how to tell the difference between an adult or juvenile pelican, female or male, and what to look out for, including if there is a pelican in distress or injured.
“They count, get the location, and put it in the Google form, it’s as simple as that.”
The data will be compiled into an interactive map that will be released and provided to those who sign up.
Running for around three years, Ms Thompson said the observations are highly valuable to COAST’s research, as they look forward to an understanding of national pelican migration patterns throughout the year.
“We are such a niche group of individuals working with seabirds, sea turtles, sea snakes, and shoe birds like ducks,” she said.
“We are so passionate about the animals that we care for, it’s such a niche sector of animals, we don’t want to lose that ... and we are pushing forward what we have always done which is taking care of the animals that we love ... and now we have PeliCount.”
PeliCount will take place on Sunday, July 5, 2026.
Registration can be accessed by searching COAST PeliCount Winter 2026.