Communities Observing Green Spaces (COGS)

Title of the project
Communities Observing Green Spaces (COGS)
Management
Dr Sarah Bourlat
To the profile

Description

Become a community scientist!

The “Communities Observing Green Spaces” (COGS) project aims to create an active community of committed community scientists that want to contribute long-term urban biodiversity monitoring data from their private gardens in the cities of Bonn and Hamburg. Our common goal is to monitor biodiversity in urban green spaces to provide monitoring data to the town authorities that can be used in town planning, as well as contribute data to global biodiversity databases, thereby keeping track of our urban bird and amphibian species to better protect them.

Birdwatching

Birds will be monitored using the following devices (on loan to the community observer for the duration of the project):

Bird Buddy, a smart bird feeder that captures photos of visiting birds and tells you which species stopped by, using AI trained on real bird visits.

Bird Weather PUC, an AI power bioacoustics platform that allows you to continuously monitor the sounds in your backyard, identifying bird songs in real-time.

Observation of amphibians and terrestrial vertebrates

Amphibians and terrestrial vertebrates will be monitored using environmental DNA. An eDNA sampling kit allows you to sample water from your garden pond and discover which aquatic and terrestrial species inhabit your garden. Samples will need to be delivered to Museum Koenig in Bonn or Museum der Natur in Hamburg for further analysis.

Be a part of it!

If you would like to participate in this research project: Contact us!

Any questions? Write to us: mitmach-monitoring@leibniz-lib.de

Please watch this space regarding the next user meeting, where the project will be presented.

FAQ

Which species are monitored?

Birds and amphibians are monitored using minimally invasive methods.

How long do I have to commit to the project?

The bird monitoring devices must be set up at the beginning of 2026 and remain in operation until September 2026. eDNA samples from ponds will be taken in March and April 2026.

What do I need to take part?

A private garden in which a Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder and/or a Bird Weather PUC can be installed (away from roads and people), requires a WLAN connection. Alternatively or additionally, a garden pond for taking water samples.

What happens to the collected data?

The data collected by the bird observation devices will be visible on the following platforms: live.mybirdbuddy.com, www.birdweather.com.

The data will also be made available to the city authorities to open a dialogue on the importance of biodiversity in the city and its relevance for future urban planning.