Penguin Watch Talk

Request for scale

  • Charyut by Charyut

    It would be easier to decide if a small object is actually a penguin if I had some idea of a midscale. There have been a couple of pictures in which I was pretty sure there were penguins, but they were at a distance. I marked the photo as "can't tell" because I had no idea of how far away they actually were. Seeing photos the first time in which there are penguins definitely present makes it easier to know in later photos if there are penguins -- hence a scale for a given camera photo would be useful, since I've never seen the place in person. If no scale, perhaps an indication of location so that we can do a little research on our own to get some idea of place and scale.

    Posted

  • AvastMH by AvastMH moderator

    Thanks Charyut. Sorry not to get back to earlier. This is a very interesting idea. We are trying to build up the help offered on this site. I will log your idea. Cannot promise the outcome, or timescale as we are all volunteers. But THANK YOU for taking this time to suggest something.

    Posted

  • gardenmaeve by gardenmaeve moderator

    This would be a marvelous tool added to a FAQ section.

    Posted

  • ndenyar by ndenyar

    Perhaps having good quality photos of the sites with few or no penguins present to use as references might help. You could look back at them to check positions of rocks, etc. This would be particularly good if the photos were from the warmer months, so more geographical features could be seen.

    Posted

  • yshish by yshish moderator, translator in response to ndenyar's comment.

    Hi,

    Thanks for your suggestions. The problem is, that there are over 50 cameras (I think there are even much more, like 70). So the list would be pretty long and I'm not sure it would be so helpful as it may seem.

    If you can't tell whether there are any penguins present, just use the 'I can't tell' button. Each image is classified by multiple users so all mistakes should be sorted out.

    Thanks,

    Zuzi

    Posted

  • PepGiraffe by PepGiraffe

    Or make it possible for someone to work on just one or two cameras so he or she could get used to the site.

    Posted

  • gardenmaeve by gardenmaeve moderator

    So sorry, but that is not possible. We receive the images in random, computer-selected order, but there is a way for you to become familiar with each site.

    1. First, read through the FAQs often. Spend time studying the sample image of each location.
    2. Even more helpful is to then read the comments under "Recent", enlarging each image to learn what is
      always there and where nest sites tend to be. This will help you enormously!
    3. Make collections of any images you find helpful or interesting, giving them titles that
      work for you.
    4. Learn from others' collections by clicking on a name to find their profile page, including collections. Click on the name of any collection. For example I have a collection called "Helpful hints for new penguin counters".
    5. Take your time. Work slowly as you become accustomed to the sites and marking protocol...and enjoy these amazing images!

    Thank you for joining in to help the penguins and their ecosystems.

    Posted