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Aussie Backyard Bird Count

12/1/2019

2 Comments

 
Picture
Image credit: Birdlife Australia https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/
Every year in the spring, Australians celebrate National Bird Week by taking part in a huge citizen science project. For one week in October, Australians count the birds they see in their backyards, parks, and open spaces across the country.
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I participated this year in the sixth annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count, submitting checklists via a phone app of the birds I saw in 20-minute increments from stationary locations.  
I was not alone: More than 88,000 people participated, with the numbers of schools that took part growing to more than 1,000 this year.
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The results are in, and a total of 3,381 768 birds were counted. The graphic below summarizes the results and lists the birds most commonly seen in Australia 
Picture
Image credit: Birdlife Australia credit https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/2019-results/
The rainbow lorikeet took the top spot for the second year in a row, which I found troubling for several reasons, but that bird is nothing if not tenacious and adaptable.

The data is important because it’s a snapshot of yearly trends affecting the environment. Birds give an early indication when something’s wrong—think of canaries in a coal mine.

This year, a new bird reached the top ten most commonly seen species: the white ibis. The white ibis is a dry country bird, and thousands more were spotted in wetter urban areas near the coast. The data indicates that the continued drought continues to affect birds like the ibis, and they are adapting by moving to areas they aren’t normally found.
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I’m glad I did my small part in this massive citizen science project that contributes more to what we know about Australia’s birds.
2 Comments
Diane
12/1/2019 08:40:01 am

Rose - the bird watcher / lover! When the White Ibis moves into wetter areas, does this impact other animals?

Reply
Rose
12/1/2019 08:18:35 pm

I don’t know if the white ibis affects other birds like rainbow lorikeets do, but I have heard anecdotally that people aren’t wild about them because they snatch food like sea gulls do. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Reply



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    Rose Ciccarelli is an American writer and editor living in Canberra, Australia.

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