The usual backyard barbecues, cricket matches and sprinkler soakings will be put on hold this October when Australians, gathering in their backyards, local parks, school playgrounds and favourite green patches, take part in the first-ever annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count.
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From October 20 to 26, during national Bird Week, thousands of Australians will be found in backyards of all shapes and sizes spotting their local birds and discovering how they are coping in the spaces we share.
The Aussie Backyard Bird Count is for anyone who loves birds. The specially designed Bird Count app, featuring 400 Australian bird species, makes it easy to count all the birds in your favourite patch.
The goal for the week is for Australian bird counters to spot a total of 100,000 birds, providing BirdLife Australia with important data to form a more detailed picture of the current state of Australian birdlife.
Sean Dooley, editor of Australian Birdlife magazine says this is an exciting citizen science project which will allow people from across the country to see first hand the incredible diversity of birds we have in our backyards.
“We are so lucky to share our backyards with a large number of amazing birds,” Dooley says.
“Every Australian has their own unique experience with their local birds and for the first time the Aussie Backyard Bird Count will give bird lovers a wonderful overview of the numbers of birds in different parts of the country.”
Australia’s favourite bird from the national poll held during last year’s Bird Week, the Superb Fairy-wren, will be among the birds counted in October along with the Australian Magpie, Hooded Plover, Rainbow Lorikeet and Laughing Kookaburra making up the top five.
The week-long count will take place from 20-26 October with the official Bird Count app available from www.aussiebirdcount.org.au in early October.
This first-ever Aussie Backyard Bird Count forms part of the national celebrations for Bird Week 2014, with bird-focused events taking place across the country including art shows, bird walks, camps, and breakfasts with the birds.
Australians have been celebrating National Bird Week for more than 100 years and with spring the peak nesting and breeding season for many of Australia’s favourite birds, it’s the perfect time to see them in action and learn more about how we can help them.
Full details are available at www.aussiebirdcount.org.au
