On the Day! Everything you need to know

The week before the survey

In the days preceding your survey you will receive some important emails from Watergum. Make sure you read them all thoroughly so that you are fully prepared on the day.

One of the most important pieces of information you will receive in your emails will be your site allocation and a link to the site map. On the day of the survey, you will be required to first meet the survey coordinators at the Meeting point to check-in collect survey equipment, and receive important information about your site, then you will be required to drive to your allocated survey site. The week before the survey, make sure you check out the map and understand where you will be going. We also strongly advise that you go and check out your site in the days before the survey, if you have time, and this will give you the opportunity to scope out your site in the daylight. Remember, on the day of the survey you will be arriving at your site in the dark!

In the email you will find the link to the map. Click on the link and look at the key on the left. All of our surveys are present on the same map so make sure you are looking at the correct survey! one by ticking the little box on the left. You will be able to see all of the survey sites. Identify your own site and identify the Meeting point. Each site will have step by step instructions on how to find the survey site. There should also be a couple of pictures.

Our PlatypusWatch survey map is made using Google Maps. This means that you can open the map on your smart phone in the Google Maps app and you can navigate straight to your survey site. We do advise that you look at the map on a computer though, prior to the survey, as the site information feature can be a bit glitchy on mobile phones!

You will also be given the Watergum phone number. Please save this number in your mobile phone! If you have any emergencies or worries during the survey, you can call this number at any time and someone from Watergum will be able to help you. Please also save the non-emergency police number and the no reception emergency number. If you need an ambulance or other emergency services, this number will work, even if you don’t have any signal on your phone.

Watergum – 0478 422 280

Non-emergency police number – 131444

Emergency number, works even without reception – 112 

If you can no longer attend the survey, for any reason, please make sure you text Watergum and let us know your name, your site allocation number and the reason you can’t attend. If you don’t let us know about your absence in advance then we will be concerned when you don’t show up and will be calling you at 4:30am to check up on you.

The night before the survey

The evening before the survey, you will receive a group text from Watergum in preparation for the survey the name day. Make sure you reply to this text with you name and site number. If we don’t receive your reply we will call you to make sure you arte still coming.

Please get everything ready the night before your survey. Make sure you have checked the weather report so you know what to expect in the morning.

Equipment you will need

• Clothing – Make sure you have several layers of clothing, a waterproof layer, gloves, a hat, two pairs of socks and walking shoes. Just before dawn, the temperature drops and it really can get surprisingly cold. Especially when you are sat quietly, not moving for 2 hours, so please make sure you are going to be warm enough.
• Flask/water bottle and mug – It’s important to stay hydrated. If you have a flask, bring a hot drink to keep you toasty. You will also need to bring your own cup so that you can have a hot drink or a mug of hot soup at the communal breakfast after the survey.
• Camping chair – If you have trouble standing for a long time or crouching in undergrowth then bring a camp chair as well.
• Watch – it is essential that you are able to keep track of the time!
• Torch – It will be dark so bring a torch to help you find your way. Put this away while you are surveying.
• Binoculars and camera – If you have these, bring them along, they will greatly improve your experience and increase the validity of the data.
• Mobile Phone – You need this to say in touch with Watergum throughout your survey.

Make sure you get an early night because you’ll be getting up at around 4am the next day!

The day of the survey

If we need to cancel the survey at short notice we will send you a text, send you an email and post it on our facebook page. So please keep an eye out on the morning of the survey, particularly if there are adverse weather conditions or bush-fires.

On the morning of your survey, please get up nice and early so that you arrive on time. Please arrive at the Meeting Point at the designated time, which would have been clarified in the email. If you have a smart phone you can open the map and click on the meeting point to navigate straight to it on the day!

It will be dark and there will be people walking around so make sure you take care when driving and also be aware of your surroundings when you exit the car, use your torch. Remember to keep noise to an absolute minimum. Some of our meeting points are in residential areas and we don’t want to wake up the neighbours and initiate any complaints.

When you arrive you will find a member of the Watergum team waiting for you. They will tick you check you in, give you important updates about the current condition of your site (site-check are completed in the days before the survey) , and give you safety equipment such as a hi-vis vest or a survey sign. After that you may need to wait for your survey partner/partners to arrive. Once everyone who is assigned to your site has arrived, you are ready to jump back in the car and drive to your site. If you have a smart-phone, use the map to navigate there.

Arrival at your survey site

When you get to your site, park somewhere safe, set up your survey signs if you have them, and make your way to the water. At some sites, the parking area is right next to where you will be surveying, but at other sites you may have a short walk or scramble. Use the map to pin point the exact location of the survey site.

Each site is different and will have different hazards. Some sites will be near busy roads (road volunteers are given hi-vis), some sites require you to clamber down steep embankments or walk through tall undergrowth so please make yourself aware of your surroundings and be careful!

Once you arrive at the water, you and the other volunteers should spread yourselves around the area so as to get as many different vantage points as possible. You will have undoubtedly created some noise and commotion as you arrived that would have likely disturbed any platypus that were there, so it is important that you get comfortable and quieten down as quickly as possible to give the platypus a chance to resume their normal activities and they will do so once they realise the coast is clear.

Be sure to text Watergum once you are in position with your name and site number to let us know you have arrive safely and are beginning your survey.

The survey itself

And now it is a waiting game! Sit quietly and survey the area for platypus, using binoculars and a zoom camera if you have them. Make sure your mobile phone is on silent (swap numbers with your survey partners before you get to site so that you can notify each other of sightings without having to shout out and scare the platypus!). Be sure to remember everything you can from the induction material to reduce the chance of unreliable sightings.

Imporetant reminders to ensure we collect reliable data;

• If you do see a platypus, note down the time and if possible, text the Watergum phone. It’s very important to note the time of your sighting as your site may be close to another site, and we want to make sure we don’t get any duplicate sightings.
• Only record a platypus sighting if you are 100% sure it is a platypus. If there is any doubt that it may be another animal, don’t record it.
• Only record more than one platypus if you are absolutely sure you have seen two different individuals, i.e. you have seen two at the same time, or you have seen two that are very different in size.

Breakfast time!

When it is time to pack up, please text the Watergum team to let them know you are leaving your site. Make sure you take everything back to your car with you and make your way back to the Meeting Point for the designated time (which will have been specified in the email) where the Watergum team will be preparing a warm breakfast to welcome you all back! Before you get anything to eat or drink, please check in with a Watergum team member. We need to check you off the list to confirm you have arrived back safely, retrieve your safety equipment and we also need your survey results! Then you are free to go! Please chat to the other surveyors, eat lots of yummy food and have a great time!

A reminder that surveys happen twice a year, in August/September and March/April.

Join our dedicated PlatypusWatch Group for news, updates and videos of cute platypus!

We look forward to seeing you at our next survey!