Tens of thousands of Australians are gearing up to take part in the Aussie Bird Count – the nation’s biggest citizen science project – which starts on Monday.
During the event last year more than 60,000 people turned their eyes to the sky to tally an astonishing 3,608,545 birds, with the rainbow lorikeet holding the crown.
When the count was first held in 2014, the lorikeet was also recorded as number one by the 9000 bird counters who took 20 minutes out of their week to do the survey using a special app. in the places where they lived, worked or played.
The second most counted bird was the noisy miner, the native honeyeater found in eastern Australia, followed by the magpie and sulphur-crested cockatoo. Over the next 10 years the number of bird counters has grown to 60,000.
While the top four birds remained the same, in the 10 years only one has climbed into the top 10. This is the white ibis at the expense of the maligned introduced common myna.
Like the rainbow lorikeet, the white ibis does not occur naturally in Tasmania. The results of the count might lean towards mainland birds, but analysis of last year’s count reveals that per head of population Tasmanians made the biggest contribution to the count.
Surprising, though, was the fact that Tasmania’s top three most counted birds were the house sparrow, the silver gull and blackbird, two of which are introduced which shows what an impact introduced birds can make on the local environment.
Sparrows and blackbirds also featured in my contribution last year but I was lucky enough to record a few of the Tasmanian birds found nowhere else on earth, like the yellow wattlebird and yellow-throated honeyeater.
Birds tell us much about our environment. In the past, there were few ongoing chances for long-term study of how populations of our most common birds were faring. The count has given researchers the chance to take a snapshot each year to help build a long-term picture.
BirdLife Australia relies on data to inform priorities and insights and the count helps shape its broader bird conservation strategy, aiming to halt bird extinctions by 2032 and, overall, bird declines by 2050.
The count requires participants to spend 20 minutes in their garden or other favourite open space to compile a checklist to be submitted using the special app. or a form, on the BirdLife Australia web site. There’s also a built-in “bird finder” tool to aid identification of species counters are unsure of.
The results of the count reflect a nationwide effort, with people contributing in every state and territory. New South Wales led the last count with 1,084,976 birds. Tasmanians counted 108,172.
Inspiring young minds, the 2023 event saw 877 schools join the event.
The 2024 count takes place from October 14 to 20.