Journal archives for July 2021

July 21, 2021

Welcome everyone

Hi Everyone and Welcome to the Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome Project!

I would like to thank you all for joining the project and assisting researchers in identifying what plant species/food sources Rainbow Lorikeets are feeding on. I will be using these Journal posts to communicate and update you on what is happening with the project.

To start us off with our first journal post I thought I would give you a brief background into the disease and provide helpful instructions on how to use iNaturalist to make observations in the Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome Project.

Background to the project:
Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome (LPS) is a disease occurring in wild rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) that causes the birds to become paralysed and unable to fly. This disease is seasonal, occurring between October and June, with the highest number of cases occurring in December through to February. It results in thousands of rainbow lorikeets being admitted into care in south-eastern OLD and north-eastern NSW every year. Rainbow lorikeets with LPS initially require intensive care followed by long-term rehabilitation, wearing on the resources of both veterinarians and wildlife carers. Research into this disease have been unable to identify an infectious agent or toxin as the causative agent of LPS. Therefore, the cause of this disease at this stage is unknown. However, researchers are now exploring the possibility that LPS may be caused by ingestion of a toxic plant that occurs in southern QLD and northern NSW.

How to get involved:
We require citizen scientists, like you, to report observations on the Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome Project on iNaturalist of what plant species/food sources the rainbow lorikeets are observed feeding on within the study site. Our objective is to collect as many observations from people in and around the southern
Queensland and northern NSW area as possible about the plant species on which wild rainbow lorikeets are feeding on. This will assist in identifying what plants or other food sources researchers should sample and test in further studies.

How to use iNaturalist to make observations in the Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome Project:

Step 1: Sign up for iNaturalist
New to iNaturalist?
Simply go to the iNaturalist website (https://www.inaturalist.org/) and click ‘Sign up’ in the top right-hand corner to create an account. Its free!
For instructions on how to use iNaturalist and make observations use the link: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started
iNaturalist can be used on the web or via the iNaturalist app on your phone. The app can be downloaded from the app store for free, simply search ‘iNaturalist’.

Step 2: Join the Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome Project:
Website:

  • Under the ‘Community’ heading at the top, select ‘Projects’ from the drop down menu
  • In the Projects search bar, search ‘Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome Project’
  • Once in the project page, click on ‘Join this Project’ which can be found on the top right above the project picture/heading
  • Once you have read the rules for adding observations, click ‘Yes I want to join’

App:

  • Under the ‘More’ heading at the bottom of the screen, select ‘Projects’
  • In the Projects search bar, search ‘Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome Project’
  • Once in the project page, click on ‘Join’ which can be found under the project heading

Step 3: Participate!
Whether you are walking around your neighbourhood, in your backyard, or out on a hike, keep an eye out for rainbow lorikeets feeding on plants! When the bird has finished feeding and moved on, be sure to take at least three photos for plant identification:

  1. Of the whole plant/tree
  2. Of the leaf
  3. Of the flower/fruit
    To make an observation go straight to the project and click ‘Add observation’. Ensure all information is filled in correctly, including the date and time the lorikeet was observed feeding on the plant species, the photos are uploaded in your observation, and the location of the plant species.

Step 4: Tell us when the Rainbow Lorikeets return to your tree!
To help us determine what rainbow lorikeets are feeding on at different times of the year, and to save you adding new observations of rainbow lorikeets feeding on the same tree, you can simply EDIT your observations! After you have made an observation of a particular tree/plant species on iNaturalist, you can simply edit your observation to add in new dates and times you have observed the rainbow lorikeets coming back to the same plant.

To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Go into your profile, which can be found in the top right-hand corner of the iNaturalist web-page
  2. Click the heading ‘Edit observations’
  3. Choose the observation with the plant species you have seen the Rainbow Lorikeets revisit (e.g. Crimson Bottlebrush at Dunrossil Park on 23rd July)
  4. Once in the observation, click the blue ‘Edit’ icon found at the top right-hand side.
  5. In the ‘Notes’ section, found on the left-hand side, please right the date and time you observed Rainbow Lorikeets revisiting this tree/plant species (e.g. 28/06/2021 8:15am).
  6. Once the edit has been made, scroll down and click the blue ‘Save observation’ down the bottom of the page.

Ensure you include both the new date and the new time (including either am or pm). Repeat this step each time you observe a Rainbow Lorikeet feeding in the trees/plant species you have already added into iNaturalist.

You can learn more on the LPS Project website here: https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/our-research/research-areas/veterinary-science/lorikeet-paralysis-syndrome-project.html

Any questions about the project or using iNaturalist feel free to leave a comment I will endeavour to get back to you! Happy Rainbow Lorikeet spotting!

Posted on July 21, 2021 03:16 AM by lozb97 lozb97 | 4 comments | Leave a comment

July 22, 2021

Helpful Tips when Submitting your Observations

How to fill in the ‘What did you see?’ (his question is found at the top left-hand side of the ‘Add an Observation’ page)

The best way to fill in this part of the observation, is dependent on the photos you add to the observation:

  1. The photos are of a plant species I am unfamiliar with and/or do not know the name of AND THERE IS NO RAINBOW LORIKEEET IN THE PHOTO: In the ‘What did you see?’ section, type plants. As you are typing, iNaturalist will offer suggestions underneath, CLICK ON THE PLANTS (KINGDOM PLANTAE) OPTION. People from the project and the iNaturalist community will then be able to make ID suggestions on your observation to help narrow down the potential plant species.
  2. The photos are of a plant species I know the name of: In the ‘What did you see?’ section, type the name of the plant species. As you are typing, iNaturalist will offer suggestions underneath, click on the name of your plant species.
  3. The photos are of plant species I am unfamiliar with and/or do not know the name of BUT THERE IS A RAINBOW LORIKEET IN THE PHOTO: In the ‘What did you see?’ section, you will be able to type and click on either Rainbow Lorikeet OR Plants.

What does captive/cultivated mean?

Checking captive/cultivated means that the observation is of an organism that exists in the time and place it was observed because humans intended it to be then and there. Likewise, wild/naturalized organisms exist in particular times and places because they intended to do so.

Captive/cultivated
o zebra in a zoo
o poppy in a garden
o butterfly mounted in a display case
o your cat
o garden plant/tree that was planted there by the gardener

Wild / naturalized
o zebra in the Serengeti (assuming it's not in a zoo in the Serengeti)
o weed in a garden
o butterfly that flew into your house

Here are links to help you use iNaturalist:
https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/help
https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started

Posted on July 22, 2021 11:50 PM by lozb97 lozb97 | 2 comments | Leave a comment

July 30, 2021

Scientific Paper on Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome

Hi Everyone,

If anyone is interested in knowing more about the Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome, please find the web link below which will take you to a recently published scientific paper on the disease. One of the co-authors, David Phalen, has been the driving force behind creating this Citizen Science Project!

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/avj.13107

Happy Rainbow Lorikeet spotting!

Posted on July 30, 2021 06:37 AM by lozb97 lozb97 | 2 comments | Leave a comment