Heron Watch

Enjoy birdwatching, or interested to learn more about birds such as herons?

Join us for Heron Watch to collect valuable data about herons, egrets and bitterns, which contribute to their conservation.

Heron Watch Jan 2025

Survey period: 18 Jan (Saturday) to 26 Jan (Sunday) 2025
Registration deadline: 8 Jan 2025
Training: Practical training on 11 or 12 Jan 2025 at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
- This is compulsory for new volunteers. Find out more about the training.
What you need: You need an account with SG Cares to register.

About Heron Watch

Heron Watch is a citizen science initiative by NParks to engage the community to collect important data on herons, egrets and bitterns across Singapore.

It is organised biannually as part of NParks' Community in Nature initiative.

Why this matters

The data you collect helps us track patterns in the bird populations over time. This information helps NParks to develop better park management and conservation measures to sustain and enhance these populations.

Who can participate

All volunteers must go through an online training.

If you are new to Heron Watch, you must also attend a practical training workshop before you can participate.

You will learn basic survey and birdwatching techniques, as well as how to identify of 19 common species in Singapore.

The training programme includes:

Online training video (about 2 hours long)

The recordings will be sent to you upon confirmation of your registration.

Practical training workshop at the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio (about 1 hour long)

This short field session allows you to try out the techniques taught in the online video.
You will be assigned a one-hour slot for the practical training. You can view the dates and indicate your preference in the registration form.

Slots will be assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis, with priority given to new volunteers.

Children under 12

Children under 12 can join the survey, but they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

What you need

No special equipment is required to take part. All you need is either:

A datasheet and pen, or
A smartphone with the SGBioAtlas app.

Although not required, a camera or binoculars can help you better observe and record the species.

What to expect

This is the typical process of taking part in Heron Watch:

After you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with more details.
View an online training video and attend a practical training if you are new to birdwatching or wish to have a refresher. Find out more about the training.
A few days before the Heron Watch, we will send you information about your assigned survey site and transect locations.
Head down to your site on any day within the survey period and conduct the survey at your assigned location. The survey should take no longer than three hours and can be conducted from 7am to 10am or 3pm to 6pm.
Submit your survey results via the SGBioAtlas app.

Download SGBioAtlas to share your biodiversity sightings!

Frequently asked questions

There are 19 species in total for you to identify:

Herons

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
Great-billed Heron (Ardea sumatrana)
Striated Heron (Butorides striata)
Chinese Pond Heron (Ardeola bacchus)
Javan Pond Heron (Ardeola speciosa)
Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)
Malayan Night Heron (Gorsachius melanolophus)

Egrets

Pacific Reef Heron (Egretta sacra)
Eastern Cattle Egret (Ardea coromanda)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Medium Egret (Ardea intermedia)
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes)

Bitterns

Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)
Cinnamon Bittern (Ixobrychus cinnamomeus)
Von Schrenck's Bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus)
Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis)

If you spot any species not listed here, you should record it under "Other species sighted".

No, the training will take approximately three hours and the survey itself will take no longer than three hours within the survey period (7am to 10am, or 3pm to 6pm).

If you volunteer to do counts at more than one site, you may need to spend more time, but it is flexible according to your availability.

The training workshops are compulsory for first-time participants. Returning volunteers do not need to attend, but they can opt to attend as a refresher, especially if they have limited experience with birdwatching,

Find out more about the training workshops.

When you sign up, the registration form will require you to indicate your preferred location to carry out the survey at. Our team will then assign you a location that is within or close to your preference.

Alternatively, if you do not have a preference or would like to have a location that is further from your home, please either indicate the zone that you would prefer to conduct the survey at, or no preference in the registration form.

Yes, you can register online for groups of up to 5 people. When registering on Volunteer.gov.sg, look out for the question "Group Code" and input the same code for all members in your group. (e.g. HeronWatch123 – please think of your own unique code).

Large groups should contact cin@nparks.gov.sg for more information on registration.

Contact us

For enquiries, please email cin@nparks.gov.sg with "Heron Watch" in the email subject

Heron Watch

Heron Watch Jan 2025

About Heron Watch

Why this matters