Volunteers are most likely to see platypus in areas
where the water surface is relatively still, such as lakes, backwaters or
large pools in rivers.
The sessions are best scheduled for the hour just before
sunset or just after dawn. Participants should be organised in pairs, with
at least one person having binoculars. Observers should sit quietly on the
bank, in a spot which commands a reasonable view up- and downstream. In
order not to alarm animals, it may also help for watchers to mask their outline
by sitting in front of or beside a tree or large shrub.
Sightings (or the lack thereof) should be recorded on
a standardised data sheet, along with the date, names of the watchers, when
the watch began and ended, and where it took place (name of the waterway
and location). If possible, visual surveys should be repeated at least three
or four times over several weeks in order to sample the area thoroughly.