FAQ
1. How long should I spend searching for albatross?
We are asking each albatross detective to search through 42 images. This will take around 30 minutes to complete. We suggest you spend at least 10 seconds searching each image. Some images will take up to 3 minutes to complete if you can see lots of albatrosses.
2. What if I am unsure if it is an albatross?
If you think you may have spotted an albatross, but you are not entirely sure, you should select it. We will compare your counts with other observers given the same images to see how many agree that an albatross is present. If most observers agree, we will include that bird in the count.
3. Can you show me examples of other satellite images containing albatross?
Below are a few image examples containing albatross.
Five albatrosses nesting on tussocks
Many albatrosses - Two dots close together could be a breeding pair
Six albatrosses near the coastline
Four albatrosses are visible through the haze
4. How can you tell if the bird is on a nest, and how far apart are their nests?
Most albatrosses in the satellite images will be breeding birds sitting on their nest. Non-breeding albatrosses also like to hang out at colonies. We take multiple satellite images at different times of the breeding season while the birds are nesting to distinguish between non-breeding birds (which move around the colony) and breeders (which remain on their nest).
Nests are usually positioned 5 to 50 meters apart. However, if you spot any albatrosses side by side as separate dots, select them both, as you have likely found both parents attending the nest!
Wandering Albatrosses and their young at nest sites on Bird Island. Can you see the other nests in the distance?
5. Why is this project important?
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Albatross populations face multiple threats to their long-term survival. Declines in albatross populations have been linked to seabird bycatch in fisheries and predation of chicks by invasive species such as cats, rats and mice.
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Satellites in space are continuously capturing images of Earth. Using these high-resolution images, we will be able to count Wandering Albatross, and then apply correction factors to estimate their total population.
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Remote surveys by satellite offer an alternative to visiting islands or counting birds in photographs taken from boats or planes. The crowd counts will be used to develop automated detection methods to facilitate future surveys at reduced effort and cost.
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With your help, we hope to expand the project to include other albatross species in the future, and eventually, complete the world’s first global albatross survey.
6. Which breeding sites are being investigated?
Our mission for this year is to use remote sensing to count all breeding pairs of Wandering Albatrosses on South Georgia. South Georgia supports the third largest wandering albatross breeding population in the world, concentrated in the northwest of the archipelago, and on Annenkov Island.
7. Who runs the project and how is it funded?
The Albatrosses from Space project is an international collaboration involving BAS, RSPB, and other stakeholders. The RSPB are partners on the project and host the Albatross Task Force, a global network aimed at the conservation of albatrosses around the world.
The Albatrosses From Space citizen science campaign is funded by Darwin Plus, also known as the Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund. Since 2012, Darwin Plus has awarded over £32 million to more than 162 environmental projects in the UK overseas Territories.
