25 Oct Australia’s National Bird Week & Bird Count
Source: pexels.com Photographer: Chris F.
Last week was National Bird Week 2021, from Monday 18 October to Sunday 24 October.
The celebration of National Bird Week has its origins back in the early 1900s when 28 October was first designated by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, as the first ‘Bird Day’. BirdLife Australia organises and promotes Bird Week with the goal of inspiring Australians to take action and get involved in bird conservation efforts.
BirdLife Australia is the nation’s largest bird conservation organisation. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, their aim is clear: to create a bright future for Australia’s birds.
Source: pexels.com. Photographer: Tony McCluskey
They have been a voice for Australia’s birdlife for well over a century, protecting birds and their habitats through programs and informed advocacy. It is the powerful passion of their members and supporters which keeps them moving forward and gives them strength. With active branches and groups across the country, they are able to tap into local issues as well as understanding the bigger picture.
BirdLife Australia also brings us the annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count, one of Australia’s biggest citizen science events!
During National Bird Week, BirdLife Australia also organise the Aussie Backyard Bird Count —thousands of people from across the country head out into their backyards, local parks or favourite outdoor spaces to take part.
Anyone who was interested, spent 20 minutes hanging out in their favourite outdoor space (and it didn’t need to be their actual backyard), and some keen eyesight. The Aussie Bird Count was open to novices and experts, and all that was required was to simply record the birds you know and look up those you didn’t on their ‘Aussie Bird Count’ app or the website. There were live statistics and information on how many people were taking part and the number of birds and species counted in your neighbourhood and the whole of Australia!
If you missed this year, there will be another one next October so pop it in your calendar. There are also great opportunities to get to know your feathered neighbours just by hanging out in your garden or park. When next year comes around, you’ll be contributing to a vital pool of information from across the nation that will help us see how Australian birds are faring
There is also the Birds in Backyards program where you can do your own bird surveys and submit them anytime, or participate in their seasonal bird count surveys.
Check out the results from the 2020 Aussie Backyard Bird Count here. We’re sure the 2021 results will be available soon.