The arrival of spring means warmer weather across Australia which will see birds reappear from their winter hideaways ready to be counted in BirdLife Australia’s Aussie Backyard Bird Count.
Council encourages residents to visit one of our One Tree Per Child revegetation sites and observe the impact we have on the presence of birds. Council has over 50 different revegetation sites to date, with the help of schools and the community more than 60,000 plants are in our revegetation sites. By participating in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count we will be able to identify birds in our new planting sites.
Homeowners, renters and visitors, with and without backyards, are encouraged to become citizen scientists for the week and join council and BirdLife Australia in counting local birds in 20 minute blocks, as many times as you like, over seven days.
Residents can count anywhere they can see birds — backyards, schoolyards, parks, botanic gardens — at any time during the week and as many times as they like. With exceptional avifauna on offer in our local area, you might like to head along to one of our great local bird watching spots Archers Field, Kialla Green, Kialla Lake, McFarlane Road, Lake Bartlett, Kalinga Park and Cussen Park to take part in the count.
Once counts have been submitted, locals will be able to see the number of birds and species being counted nearby and right across Australia, with real-time updates on the Aussie Backyard Bird Count app and website.
In 2018, Australian birdwatchers recorded more than 610 species, with the Rainbow Lorikeet, Noisy Miner and Australian Magpie remaining Australia’s most counted birds. Last year in Greater Shepparton 116 species of birds were recorded by 96 observers submitting 160 checklists, the highest response to date.
BirdLife Australia and Greater Shepparton City Council are encouraging more people to get involved this year to learn about their local birdlife during National Bird Week, 21-27 October.
To take part in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count, all you need is 20 minutes, the Aussie Bird Count app or website aussiebirdcount.org.au. If you need tips or technology assistance, drop in to the Queens Gardens Childrens’ Week event on Wednesday 23 October between 10am and 1pm and see RiverConnect.
Join one of Australia’s largest citizen science projects at aussiebirdcount.org.au or join the conversation with #AussieBirdCount
