Seeking data entry volunteer – and our sincere gratitude to the invaluable, Vicki Ryan

Posted on 5 February, 2025 by Anna

Connecting Country benefits from the dedication of many wonderful volunteers who collect data for our two long-term monitoring projects; woodland bird and nest box monitoring. For the last three years, one woman has been diligently working away in the background collating and entering these data, Vicki.

Vicki is a retired director of resources and planning at a major Uni and has a wealth of experience in developing administration systems and processes, making her the perfect fit. Vicki joined us in the covid years, seeking some intellectual stimulation and to contribute positively. She had this to say about her time volunteering with CC:

“I enjoyed my time volunteering with Connecting Country and having the opportunity to work with such a dedicated and supportive team. It has been a privilege to provide support to this valuable organisation. I strongly encourage anyone who is considering volunteering to contact Connecting Country and take the opportunity to work with such an amazing team. Not only will you be contributing your services, you will also learn the nesting habits of phascogales and gliders, and become familiar with the many bird species found in this region.”

Vicki is sadly leaving Castlemaine and will be moving on to other things. She has been an incredible asset for us, and we will miss her greatly.

Thank you for everything, Vicki!

Our wonderful data entry volunteer, Vicki Ryan.

Would you like to volunteer with us?

We are on the lookout for a data entry volunteer for our bird survey and nest box monitoring projects.

Who we are looking for:

Ideally you will have some data entry experience – No prior knowledge of fauna is required – although we promise you will inevitably pick up some bird names!

You will be looking for a longish-term volunteer experience (at least 12 months).

You are able to come into our office (Castlemaine) to complete the data entry (ascending two flights of stairs)

Hours/days are flexible.

Bird data: data entry is concentrated in the winter and spring months, when you will process the bird data coming in from our survey team in the field. A commitment of 1-2 hours per week during these seasons would be ideal, however this is flexible.

Nest box data: data entry monitoring happens every two years (next in 2026), and will require a commitment of a 2-3 hours per week during autumn into winter.

Responsibilities include: