On your observation Cover Sheet and in the online interface for entering observations you are asked to report 'Time spent observing', 'Time spent in travel' and 'Time spent looking for animals'. We ask you to report these three things for very different reasons. The purpose of the first two are purely administrative, to estimate the volunteer time contributed to the project. These estimates can be important in securing funding to keep the project going. The purpose of the third, 'Time spent looking for animals', is scientific, to estimate the time that went into animal sampling which will affect how many animals you see or hear. This third estimate is very important to scientists using your data.
Follow these general guidelines in reporting this information:
Time spent observing: For each visit, indicate how much time you spent making observations. You should include the total time you spent getting organized, observing animals, and checking your plants.
Time spent in travel: For each visit, indicate how much time you spent traveling to your site. This includes any time spent in a vehicle as well as time spent walking or hiking to get to your site. However, do not include travel time that you would be taking anyway, even if you were not making observations. For instance, if you make your observations from your regular work location, do not include the time spent driving to work.
Time spent looking for animals: For each visit, indicate how much time you spent actually looking for the animals on your Animal Checklist. You should not include any time in which you were not aware of the animals around you, for instance, while you were busy organizing datasheets or focused solely on checking your plants.