Arabian Collared Kingfisher Census

About this activity 

Join Environment & Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in their annual census efforts of Kalba’s unique and beautiful bird Arabian Collared Kingfisher in the Khor Kalba mangroves. During this time of the year, the birds are more territorial and easy to spot. During this activity in the Kalba mangroves, volunteers will join us in crawling and pushing through a dense, hot, humid and muddy mangrove terrain. 

Who can participate?

This session is open to all Leaders of Change.  

Please note the following requirements of volunteers: 

• Good level of fitness and endurance
• All volunteers must be able to swim & be okay with crabs, and crawling critters. (Sometimes we have to cross channels by swimming).
• All clothes worn during the survey should be old/throwaway as ripping or damaging of garments is common. 
• All volunteers must wear closed shoes – no flip flops or sandals – old sports shoes are ideal.
• Insect repellent and ample amounts of sun protection is advised.    
• Volunteers are required to travel to Khor Kalba with their own transport or can arrange to pool with other volunteers if available.
• Volunteers must bring their own snacks and drinks and should carry ample water during the survey.
• All volunteers should bring a dry set of clothes and towels to dry off afterwards.

How long will it take?

4 hours

Questions?

Please email us at [email protected] or WhatsApp us at +971585323400.

Which impact area does it contribute to? 

The data you help collect will support the expansion of our conservation efforts, and will be used to:

• Identify species, distribution and important areas for the various life stages of each species
• Monitor recovery and pressures
• Investigate how Protected Areas affect populations
• Data collected around the various species will feed into the National Plans of Action for the conservation of these species and support IUCN red listing efforts
• Help change people’s attitudes and behaviours towards bats, scorpions and geckos.

This activity supports our objective to:

• Protect 30% of the UAE’s wild areas by 2030.
• Make 5,000 new research grade observations on iNaturalist– that’s 30% more data than we currently have for the UAE on the iNaturalist app.

Note: Volunteer selection for this event will be based on level of fitness and first come first serve basis as there are limited spots for each day.