Council calls on residents to help make every bird count
Wingecarribee Shire Council is proud to support Birdlife Australia’s national Aussie Backyard Bird Count in a bid to count more than 2 million birds in seven days.
The Aussie Backyard Bird Count will take place during National Bird Week from 22 to 28 October 2018.
Council’s Bushcare and Citizen Science Environment Officer, Karen Guymer, explained how the count works.
“The Aussie Backyard Bird Count is an annual nation-wide event organised by Birdlife Australia,” she said. “It provides an important snapshot of the birds that live where people live.”
“Once results are in we look at the trends in bird communities and see which State has the most birds, which birds are doing well and those that aren’t.”
As part of the project, participants are asked to record the number of birds they see for 20 minutes.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a novice or an expert birdwatcher, participants simply record the birds they know and look up the ones they don’t on the free Bird Count App or on the Birdlife Australia website,” Ms Guymer said.
“Our Shire has some great local bird watching spots,” she continued. “Find a comfy spot in your backyard or head along to your favourite park or nearest bushland reserve and have fun counting.”
After participating, residents can see real-time updates on the number of birds and species being counted nearby.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Wingecarribee Shire Council for our fifth Aussie Backyard Bird Count and appreciate the involvement from local bird lovers in assisting us to learn more about local bird populations across Australia,” Paul Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of BirdLife Australia said.
For more information visit www.wsc.nsw.gov.au/events/aussie-backyard-bird-count.