The Aussie Bird Count is on from 17th to 23rd October where participants are asked to sit for 20 minutes and observe, count and identify the birds immediately around them; this can be done more than once.This information is accumulated and collated providing vital statistics regarding the species and locations of all birds in Australia at this time of the year.
Sean Dooley from BirdLife Australia is compiling the lodgements as they come in with more than 9000 observers so far.
“Although this survey is principally to gather information about the varieties of birds in back yards, we would love to have sightings from people with 500 hectare backyards, too’ he said.
‘Across NSW, Wagga Wagga is the area with the highest regional participation rate, with 51 lodgements so far. Last year, 563 individual species were identified and we are quietly confident this number will be surpassed once the data has been collated, and identifications verified.’
In 2015,the most sighted bird was the rainbow lorikeet, followed by house sparrows, Welcome swallows, and red wattle birds which displaced the mynahs, galahs and silver gulls from near the top of the list from the year before. More than one million birds were counted during the specified week.
‘Remnant areas of white box grassy woodlands provide habitat for bush-stone curlews, usually found near the Central Coast, however, a group of landholders near Lockhart have provided habitat where the numbers are safe from cats in specially fenced areas. The greatest threat to most birds is the loss of habitat, followed by cats.’
Mr Dooley explained that the ‘tidying up syndrome’ of clearing away fallen trees, branches and frass actually reduces the camouflage relied upon by bush stone curlews, thus reducing places to hide and build their ground nests.’
When the data is finally collated the information will tell much about changes in environments as birds are regarded as an outstanding barometer of ecosystem health and functionality.
The most common species found in gardens are divided into seed, honey and insect-eaters and residents can provide a large amount of the necessary sources of food simply by the types of plants they include in their own gardens.
Similarly, landholders can enable vast areas of habitats including for raptors and owls, with many Landcare groups providing specific Field Days to inform how to achieve this.
“Not all species require trees as some birds live on plains have done for centuries. ‘Constant cultivation for crops has virtually eliminated native grasses from large tracts of land now, so habitats are reduced with the plains wanderer a highlighted example. Interestingly, this bird and grazing sheep can co-exist as has been demonstrated in the Deniliquin–Conargo bordering on the Hay Plains are.’
‘However, over the past 10 years, and due to the mmillennium drought, the numbers of plains wanderers has declined 90 per cent over the past 20 years, resulting it in now being declared in a precarious status.’
‘This weekend we are requesting hundreds more people in rural areas to sit for 20 minutes and record which birds are there with you. To provide a more thorough inventory, Mr Dooley suggests four 20-minute observations at sunrise, midday, sunset and just after dark as different species appear at different times within the 24-hour period.
Pennie Scott
I am an independent scholar with interests and expertise in regenerative agriculture, equity and justice for farmers, functioning healthy landscapes and the culture in agri-culture. My aim is to inform holistically and honestly to ensure readers have access to what they need, now.
I am an independent scholar with interests and expertise in regenerative agriculture, equity and justice for farmers, functioning healthy landscapes and the culture in agri-culture. My aim is to inform holistically and honestly to ensure readers have access to what they need, now.
